A Hundred Shades of Grey

Artist Debnath Basu brings forth an anatomical monochromatic world

- By SOUMITRA DAS

Soft-spoken and reticent, Debnath Basu's calm visage doesn't betray the rambunctious nature of his art. Viewers may find his current exhibition titled In Waiting... at the Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Kolkata, intriguing and perhaps even abstruse.

Through images executed with the precision of anatomical drawings, often accompanied by a selection of text underlines the seriousness with which he deals with the whimsicality of his ideas.

A total of 28 works of various sizes are on display at this exhibition curated by Uma Ray. Most of them are exhibited on the walls, while some others are laid out on a round table for viewers to observe.

Viewers can turn the pages of a book he collaborated on with Vadodara-based artists Indrapramit Roy and Anandajit Ray. A series created by using the embossed intaglio process tells the wistful story of the white woollen Gandhi cap. Note, Basu's work needs patience to be comprehended.

For the 64-year-old artist, who was trained at Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata under noted printmaker Pinaki Baura (1954-2021), the world exists in layers of grey, from the deepest charcoal to a steely sheen.