Time, All Mighty
Among the contemporary artists who participated in the website exhibitions organized by ‘Debovasha’, Mainak Chakraborty is the youngest one. He was born in the year of 1989 and resides at Dinendra Street in North Kolkata. He passed from the Government Art College, Kolkata from the Department of Painting. Simultaneously, he pursued a Russian Language Course for two years, form 2019 to ’21 from the Gorky Sadan, Kolkata. Recently, he has been appointed as a lecturer of Art in a Private College. Meanwhile, his solo exhibition, ‘Mirrored Memories’, organized by the ‘Debovasha’ Gallery in 2025, has already drawn accolades from the art lovers and critics of Kolkata. Besides from 2015 to 2024, his paintings have been regularly exhibited in different galleries of our city. Apart from Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi hosted his exhibitions. The works of this young and promising artist demand a detailed discussion on our part. Before that let us have a close look at his life and its ambience. And prior to that, let us all decide if we can reach a similar conclusion regarding something related to art.
Art does not exist without personal observation and feeling of an artist. To some artists, their immediate ambience, the people around them, birds and animals, even furnitures–whatever is related to their own world or connected to his own life constitute the invaluable elements of their art works. Another group of artists explores in search of a different world of art surpassing his immediate world. The artists of the both of these genres may form a connection with something novel once they remain true to their own observation and feelings. Although Mainak belongs to the first category, he has never been confined to his address of the city of Kolkata, because many a Kolkata resides within our one and only Kolkata. The northern part of Kolkata is diametrically different from that of its southern counterpart. In north, the buildings are built so closely together, that they enjoy some kind of intimacy because of their proximity. Even in the age of flat culture, those age old two or three storied houses continue to retain their existence along with their beams at the ceiling or paved courtyard at the middle of the house, the arch at the entrance, window designs of the bygone era where some of those windows have Belgian stained-glass works through which outside lights percolates in, creating varicoloured ornate designs on the floor. Beside South, among the various features of the greater Kolkata, North Kolkata–specifically Raja Dinendra Street where Mainak resides, manages to retain its tradition. Between the closely adjacent buildings on both sides lies a serpentine lane and none can guess where does it finally reach after twisting and turning for some time. One may feel like having a stroll on a leisurely sunny day of winter following the twists and turns of one of those North Kolkata by-lanes. Each of the house enjoys the luxury of having a large open-air deck (roaak) just on the side of the main entrance. This often serves as hang out for hosting various debates and discussions after a tiresome working day. The North Kolkata seems to carry on its quintessential never changing immobility because of its very own inertia. This leisurely image has not only been reflected on the countenance of the local populace but also on the cat waiting cautiously on a narrow wall or the curled up posture of a stray dog in slumber or on the soft wings of the colony of pigeons that finds shelter in bay windows of a half deserted mansion. North Kolkata seems to retain the greatness of its own entity with the aid of a magic wand even in this age of hustle and bustle–Mainak’s paintings mirror this distinct typicality of North Kolkata.
When he portrays a middle aged spinster aimlessly staring at nothing in particular, or a slightly obese lady who no longer has anything to dream of, single-mindedly chopping vegetables in the inner quarter of a house or we find someone resting on a bed placing her feet on the adjacent window seal when a cat is carefully watching her and waiting for the opportunity to leap in–those images witness the marvel of Mainak’s compositions. We feel enchanted by the magic he creates on canvas with his pen, accomplishing the time consuming technique of hatching. Yet, simultaneously we feel apprehensive whether Mainak is creating the back-ground of any narrative deep inside us. A painting is nothing but an art work; why should it contain any narrative!
No, Mainak does not relate any story. Through his creation he depicts a specific moment which enthralls us to such an extent that unknowingly we feel compelled to ponder over it. And more we think about that moment, closer we get to the world of the artist. So minutely he can create the ambience in his painting where a lonely octogenarian with shabby attire and stubbled chin sitting on a rickety bed almost mirrors the triviality of a dried up drain running beside a dilapidated wall. His work displays nothing but a painting bearing no room for any narrative. If there is any story it lies deep inside the subconscious of the viewer. Through this story, the subconscious of the viewer finds deeper access to his world. Mainak needs to spend month after month to execute each of his paintings. As his profession as a lecturer consumes most of his time in a day, his sleepless nights are devoted to his paintings. Yet Mainak seldom loses his patience, never gives in to haste. Way back, Kolkata has undergone an overall change, so also has the world. But North Kolkata still emits its former charm. How can an artist afford to lose his cool while authentically portraying this unwavering constancy? Thank God, Mainak didn’t! The exhibition is named as ‘Time, All Mighty’.
