A reflection on transience and transformation—where fragility coexists with strength, and the human form becomes a vessel for beauty, distortion, and ambiguity.
Metamorphosis is an exploration of transience—of forms, of thought, of
human and ecological states of being. Phaneendra’s meticulous
craftsmanship allows his subjects to oscillate between dream and dystopia,
embedding them within a space that is neither real nor entirely imagined.
His figures, often distorted or anthropomorphized, function as conduits of
philosophical inquiry, questioning notions of identity, impermanence, and
the artificiality of appearance. The presence of fragile elements throughout
his practice, from butterflies to bougainvillea’s, and wings of all forms
represent the fragility and beauty that intermediates the chaos of humanity.
He places these dichotomous elements together to speak to the larger
essence of life – sparking a conversation on the feeling of being human, of
being mortal beings.
The butterfly—delicate yet enduring—emerges as a recurring symbol and
central metaphor associated with transcendence. It reminds us that even the
most fragile forms carry histories of strength. The monarch butterfly, in
particular, resonates as a totem of migration, survival, and cyclical change.
Its presence is not sentimental, but emblematic of a deeper inquiry into what
it means to evolve, to suffer, and to emerge altered—yet persistently human.
The grotesque surfaces in his practice not as a distortion, but as a curatorial
device—an aesthetic strategy that resists closure and embraces ambiguity.
Chaturvedi’s imagery flickers between the familiar and the uncanny,
allowing each work to operate as a site of tension: between adornment and
asceticism, motion and stasis, nature and industry. Wires and sockets—
symbols of connectivity and control—serve both as constraints and
conduits, underscoring the dualities within each piece.
This showcase is an extension of PNC’s solo retrospective that took place at
Bikaner House from 3-8 May 2025.
