- 6
Justin Ponmany
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Justin Ponmany
- Untitled (Genuine Guilt)
- unframed: overall 190.5 x 264.2 cm.; 75 x 104 in.
Acrylic and holographic pigment on canvas. A diptych.
Justin Ponmany is from a contemporary school of painting that is rooted in the media and cinema industries of Mumbai, but has strong identifications with elements from Western Post-Modern painting. Tentatively labelled under photo-realism, much of his work includes aggressive imagery and techniques akin to those recognised in Pop, Surreal and Expressionistic styles. This work much like others in this series radiates a fervent sense of individual voice and pointed address.
His signature use of phosphorescent pigment in combination with graphic reproduction and photo manipulation gives a fanciful and evanescent dimension to his work. Ponmany’s materials result in works that are physically dynamic and visually alter themselves when viewed with different angles, distances and lighting conditions. The dreamy rainbow prisms that cascade over the shimmering silver sheen are classic totems of Ponmany’s visual vocabulary.
The linguistic devices that Ponmany suspends into the backdrop of his paintings are seemingly whimsical, yet their repetition exudes seriousness. Here the invocations of ‘Genuine Guilt’ certainly have capitalist connotations working in harmony with the figurative element here. And one can see how he draws his influences from this city whose landscape is constantly under construction. The bare torso of a manual labourer looks commonplace, yet poised with an axe gains epic empowerment. He outlines the dichotomies of urban and rural, rich and poor, literate and uneducated. The futuristic and obfuscating hologram with the repetitive digital scrawl in the backdrop strongly contrasts with the subject matter Ponmany is representing; the solitary life of a drifting rural migrant within an urbane city.
Ponmany uses objects like this as a doorway to his understanding of a community, represented here by a faceless, ambiguous figure. His materials often pertain to the industrial; plastic, resin, ink and salt. Through these materials he created holographic media, which has the ability for multitude light effects, creating a transient quality to his paintings.
Justin Ponmany is from a contemporary school of painting that is rooted in the media and cinema industries of Mumbai, but has strong identifications with elements from Western Post-Modern painting. Tentatively labelled under photo-realism, much of his work includes aggressive imagery and techniques akin to those recognised in Pop, Surreal and Expressionistic styles. This work much like others in this series radiates a fervent sense of individual voice and pointed address.
His signature use of phosphorescent pigment in combination with graphic reproduction and photo manipulation gives a fanciful and evanescent dimension to his work. Ponmany’s materials result in works that are physically dynamic and visually alter themselves when viewed with different angles, distances and lighting conditions. The dreamy rainbow prisms that cascade over the shimmering silver sheen are classic totems of Ponmany’s visual vocabulary.
The linguistic devices that Ponmany suspends into the backdrop of his paintings are seemingly whimsical, yet their repetition exudes seriousness. Here the invocations of ‘Genuine Guilt’ certainly have capitalist connotations working in harmony with the figurative element here. And one can see how he draws his influences from this city whose landscape is constantly under construction. The bare torso of a manual labourer looks commonplace, yet poised with an axe gains epic empowerment. He outlines the dichotomies of urban and rural, rich and poor, literate and uneducated. The futuristic and obfuscating hologram with the repetitive digital scrawl in the backdrop strongly contrasts with the subject matter Ponmany is representing; the solitary life of a drifting rural migrant within an urbane city.
Ponmany uses objects like this as a doorway to his understanding of a community, represented here by a faceless, ambiguous figure. His materials often pertain to the industrial; plastic, resin, ink and salt. Through these materials he created holographic media, which has the ability for multitude light effects, creating a transient quality to his paintings.
Provenance
Bose Pacia Gallery, New York
Acquired directly from the above by the current owner
Acquired directly from the above by the current owner
Literature
Justin Ponmany: Dedicated to my 20s, Bose Pacia, Nature Morte, New York and New Delhi, 2007, illustration p. 29-33
Condition
This work is in very good and original condition. There are surface scuffs and scrapes throughout, which are original and inherent to the artist's working process and choice of materials. Extremely close inspection of the left hand canvas reveals two tiny specks of loss to the extreme bottom corner tips and a minute splash accretion to the center of the composition. Extremely close inspection of the right hand canvas reveals two four tiny specks of loss; one to each extreme bottom corner tip, one to the extreme top left corner tip and one on the extreme left overturn edge, approximately 15 cm. up from the lower left hand corner tip. No restoration is apparent when examined under ultra-violet light. Please note, only one image of the back canvas' of the diptych is displayed here.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.