Dhiraj Pednekar

The story of a Forest - VI

2022

He is a multidisciplinary visual artist wherein his works critically intervene with natural resources, ecology interlacing them with a social consciousness to reflect interactions between humans and the natural world. "Conflict between nature and culture is always settled with the victory of the former." Dhiraj Pednekar.

"The story of a Forest" presents a biographical account of a forest in a series of six charcoal drawings. The story moves from the lush green forest in the first drawing to the dark ...

"The story of a Forest" presents a biographical account of a forest in a series of six charcoal drawings. The story moves from the lush green forest in the first drawing to the dark ...

Presently I am working on a series of charcoal drawings titled “A Promised Land” which is the result as well as a logical progression of my current engagement with art and ecology. The series drew inspiration from my reading of Pranay Lal’s Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent (2016). The book’s focus on sheer life force and exuberance stemming out of India’s natural history and the science behind life not only inspired me but also forced me to think deeply about the state of life on the planet. The title, therefore, is ironically suggestive of the way humankind is (mis)treating natural resources to fulfil its unbridled greed. The series across thirty or more drawings attempts to build an apocalyptic vision of life where the natural world and the animals who inhabit it bear the brunt of over-exploitation. The first out of the six drawings which are complete by now shows the dead root-like structure of a tree which looks fossilised and bears the expression of a dissatisfied creature which seems to be stranded on a lonely landscape. The second drawing is that of a neatly fleeced skeleton of a blue whale on a patch of land. The image brings to the forefront issues of poaching and illegal hunting of whales for commercial gains. The third drawing again deals with the same issue but this time the goriness of the misdeeds of humankind is in the shape of a decaying carcass of an elephant. It is half covered in decayed skin and half visible revealing the rib cage. The fourth drawing is a highly metaphorical one where a large pile of elephant tusks is seen neatly arranged and bears an uncanny resemblance with a human pyre. The fifth drawing is that of a synthetic net left on the landscape. The image is a telling account of the ill effects of fishing which results in bycatch thereby impacting the water beds...

An acceptance of the magical events of nature, which takes us beyond our imaginations, gives us a reason to wonder how fulfilling life is. Here the monochromatic colour presents a dr...

A psychological landscape, a journey back to the age when the earth was flat. A vast world where no end has existed, a state of the utopian moment, a snapshot of the forgotten ages. In this hustling world, I sometimes get nostalgic. Which is very much portrayed in this work. It is a time of the world when human was exploring the world on foot, a snapshot of the past, a rainy yet silent evening when a tribe took rest in a tree trunk and a celebration of life taking place, looking back on the simple life...

Landscape mineral oxide on paper (canson Paper 300gr) 30x40 cm Original Art Authenticity certificate one of a kind Marilina Marchica, born in 1984, was born in Agrigento, where she...

Red Landscape mineral oxide on paper (canson Paper 300gr) 30x40 cm Original Art Authenticity certificate one of a kind Marilina Marchica, born in 1984, was born in Agrigento, where...

Landscape mineral oxide on paper (canson Paper 300gr) 30x40 cm Original Art Authenticity certificate one of a kind Marilina Marchica, born in 1984, was born in Agrigento, where she...

Landscape B/W charcoal on paper (Canson paper 300 gr) 30x 42 cm framed SIZE 40x50 cm the drawing comes with a passepartout and a rigid support ready to be hung this painting is pub...

Landscape BW Mineral Oxide on Canson Paper (300gr) 75x110 cm framed SIZE 92x122cm Ready to Hang the paint have frame this painting is published in the personal exhibition catalogu...

Red Landscape mineral oxide on paper (canson Paper 300gr) 30x40 cm Original Art Authenticity certificate one of a kind Marilina Marchica, born in 1984, was born in Agrigento, where...