Day 278: Niladri Sarker

Dr. Niladri Sarker

Instagram: @art.by.equivocation

Instagram: @eyeofanoctopus

Artist Statement

From the mighty blue whale to the ‘lowly’ dung beetle, my art is a celebration of life everywhere. It’s characterized by bold strokes and colorful motifs, and shows the penetrating gaze of the denizens with whom we share this piece of rock. Most of what I paint are animals that are critically endangered: indeed, some of them might not even survive as a species in the time it takes for my work to be hung on a gallery wall. Others are exotic, playful, and quirky, but they’re all infinitely precious, and have no less right to live on this planet than any of us. We owe it to the children of the future – both theirs and ours – to ensure that they survive… and thrive well.

I’m also unapologetic in my rather unusual practice of using wide-ranging subjects and styles; life’s too precious to live and breathe recycled air, so I’ve always chosen to find depth in diversity. Sentient life is perhaps rare or even absent in the mind-numbingly vast universe. My time as a conscious being is therefore exceedingly transient, and just like the multiplicity of lifeforms I portray, my art continues to be diverse: in media, forms, and themes.