Untitled 

Sonaly Gandhi’s untitled painting uses acrylic on canvas to portray a striking visual interplay between form and pattern. It is a work that immediately brings to mind the way identity is constructed and perceived. Gandhi employs a red and white checkerboard pattern to envelop the human figures, obscuring their individual features and emphasizing the surface. This treatment raises questions about visibility, representation, and the complexities of being seen versus being defined by external markers. The figures, a male and a female, seem to be in a state of contemplation, their poses suggesting introspection and vulnerability. The checkerboard motif, reminiscent of a chessboard, introduces a sense of strategy, perhaps symbolizing the calculated moves we make in navigating social expectations. In this work, Gandhi prompts us to consider the multifaceted nature of identity, and the ongoing negotiations between our inner selves and the roles we play.