A Strange Voyeurism is the title of DLN Reddy’s upcoming exhibition in Chennai, India.
DLN Reddy’s new group of paintings combines a tranquil and simultaneously aggressive current. The paneled paintings are dense and have a sweeping flourish to them that feels almost supernatural. Upon closer inspection couples and bodies float and engage in erotica in what seems like a stadium or theatre setting.
The rendering of the work draws to mind Impressionist painting, early Modernists and even Francis Bacon while Reddy’s signature attention to detail is always apparent- his Sculptural Installation at the State Gallery of Art (Hyderabad) in 2004 or his Painting show at Shrishti Gallery (Hyderabad) in 2007- both had a meticulous concern with the finite; this new work turns that trademark upside down with looser brush work and deeper, penetrating use of blues.
A strange voyeurism attracts the viewer. The lights are out- is it an audience in a movie theatre engaged in an orgy? Are Cricket players looking on at them in a sports stadium? Are they performing in front of a camera? Is the intimate entanglement happening under water? Are they the spectator or the ones being watched? The lustful figures almost seem aware of the camera, players, audience or viewer as the lights flicker in the dark space. The artist has turned the audience/ performance relationship around and left the viewer strangely uneasy with this ‘voyeurism’.
The engaging strength of this series is that we are left with a sexually charged association lingering in the mind. Reddy never gives the copulating figures titles or additional information; instead, a never-ending densely packed composition, a minimalist narrative with aggressively refined brushwork and a purity of colour all combine to make these new works hauntingly beautiful.
Kaz Rahman
October 2012
Kaz Rahman is an Artist and Filmmaker currently based in Pittsburgh, USA. His latest feature film ‘Deccani Souls’ (2012) recently screened in six cities across India.
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