from my photo album - VII, 2005, oil on canvas, 61 x 61 cm / 24 x 24 in
Abir Karmakar, a young artist discovered by Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, presented a startling suite of 12 oils on canvas that depict his existential quest through androgynous self-portraits with ambivalent sexual identity.
From my Photo Album, his first solo show at the Museum Art Gallery, evoked an imaginary world through seductive European-style interiors that swing between the opulent and the elegant. Chintz-covered sofas stuffed teddy bears, sensuous silk and velvet, the soft glow of lamps and their mysterious shadows.. all combine to create the perfect setting for his self-absorbed preoccupation with disturbing eroticism. Whatever conclusions one may draw from his bold impersonations, his photo-realistic approach to painting deserves applause - for these images could very well masquerade as photographs!