Nicholas Kulkarni: Paintings

Nicholas Kulkarni
12 December 1997 to 28 January 1998

In his first solo exhibition Anglo-Asian artist Nicholas Kulkarni presented a series of abstract images on acrylic and canvas which explore the notion of creating new cultures from the displacement of many races. The artist adopts a strong use of primary colours to create a vibrant show where each image is separate but interlinked.

“Like the beginnings of a language or the tracings of paths previously unwalked, the paintings of Nicholas J. D. Kulkarni suggests the emergence of new possibilities. Through an intensity of colour, texture and a curious luminosity, Kulkarni draws us into his works – we are seduced – yet simultaneously he holds us at bay, awe-stricken, uncertain. Inviting us to find our own point of focus within each painting, the artist is intrigued by the effects the experience of colour and form play upon the senses.

“Painting here becomes the working through of a thought process, the material enactment of both questions and suggestions. […]

“Through forms which are simultaneously coagulating and fracturing, Kulkarni’s paintings echo the heterogeneity and syncretic energy of the contemporary city, where numerous cultures and languages interact and collide. There is an urgency about the work which evokes the dynamism of the streets: the taking of journeys, the travelling of many routes and paths, the making of decisions which are then rethought. A sense of dialogue is present, not only within the work, but also between each painting and the viewer: we want to touch; to enter. These paintings are not only about the confusion that arises when attempts are made to mediate different languages and cultures, but about the new insights and possibilities that emanate from such misunderstandings. From a hazy incoherence, moments of clarity occasionally emerge.

“Essentially, Kulkarni’s paintings exist as emergent spaces. […] Ultimately, these works are optimistic and demonstrate a joy in the materiality of painting. Open-ended, there is a feeling that they are somehow incomplete, and suggest numerous possible futures.” (Rohini Malik, Freelance writer and critic)