Thomas Erben is pleased to present the first U.S. solo exhibition of Jyothi Basu (b. 1960 in Kerala, India), a co-founder in 1988 of the Baroda based Radical Painters and Sculptors Association. The artist currently lives and works in Bombay where his dreamlike, archaic-futurist landscapes made, quite recently, headlines within the contemporary scene.

The four large oil paintings exhibited present us with a birds eye view of flat expanses studded with luscious greenery, mysterious structures, abstracted cultural and religious references, words in Malayalam, luminous orbs and intensely colored spheres. Bands of water reflect the blue gradations of the sky and the seemingly abandoned environs, creating an effect of otherworldly suspense. The paint is applied in small yet varied strokes and carefully builds the imagery. His color palette is heightened and articulate in its skillful use of shades and hues.

Basu’s landscapes are often organized using a rectilinear geometry not unlike the mappings of electronic circuitry.  Everything pulsates in great stillness. In this light the works become a metaphor for our current cultural, and technological climate. They respond to how our advancement often forgets our history and comment at the same time on how the contemporary can only exist and is made possible by the seemingly neglected historical buttress.

A solo exhibition for the artist was organized by The Fine Art Resource, Artist’s Center, Mumbai, 2003, and recent participations include The Artist Lives and Works, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, 2005, and A Piece of the Wall, Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Mumbai, 2006.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue with an essay by Enrique Juncosa and is organized in cooperation with Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Mumbai.