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Oil on canvas. Pics/Ashish Raje

Not all engineers hate their jobs, and not all set out to be full-time artists. But this week you might run into Ankush Safaya. Here in Mumbai for his debut solo titled Anantata - Hymns of Graphical Notation at Colaba's Sakshi Gallery that opens tomorrow. The 34-year-old vividly recalls his journey of moving cities and careers. He left Hoshiarpur, Punjab, to pursue work as an engineer for Samsung in Gurugram, before dabbling in residencies and group shows and eventually making Vadodara his home.

The artist recognises Nasreen Mohamedi as a strong influence; Pencil on paper

"I didn't leave engineering in search of wanting to be an artist. I really loved what I did at work, which was why I was promoted very early in my organisation. This led me to communicate with the outside world that took me to China, Korea, New York and Spain. And so, I always made it a point to go see museums. Then one day, I abruptly decided that I wanted to do art," he tells us, mentioning abstractionist Nasreen Mohamedi and a show on Japanese minimalism in Korea as influences from his travels. The decision came with a lot of uncertainty, but Safaya always had an eye for art. "Hoshiarpur has a tradition of watercolours; it's a city surrounded by mountains and I ventured into doing landscapes. Our education system treats disciplines as binaries. So, if I am an engineer, I don't read about artists who have dealt with structures, like the Bauhaus or Constructivism movement," he shares.

Ankush Safaya

His show is a play on infinity - the literal meaning of its title as well. It's also the first time the artist is working on a large scale. As soft light seeps into the room, it highlights the monochromatic works with fine lines varying in depth on white paper and black canvas. The work on paper being the rough draft of the final product i.e. the canvas. Safaya has been working on these for a year. "This is treated oil, where I use the pigment of the sediment. I leave the oil colour in turpentine for a very long time. After the distillation, only the sludge is used to paint - that's how it's matte," he explains.

Today, Mumbai, for Safaya, presents an interesting context for minimalism. "The style essentially implies holding oneself back, and to do that in such a diverse city inspires me. Each city can give you something, if you're alert."

ON: April 26 to May 31, 11 am to 6 pm
AT: Sakshi Gallery, Arthur Bunder Road, Colaba
CALL: 66103424

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