Art lovers taken on heady cosmic trip

Vasudha Zora | NT

Bengaluru: Cosmic Urban Connect, a solo show by artist Sundaresan Jagannivasan, better known as Jagan, enthralled art lovers at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath recently. Jagan also explained the states of mind for all his paintings and his theme connecting all beings, be they living or non-living.

Jagan is a graduate of engineering who founded MatexNet in 1995, which is an online surplus and obsolete Inventory eAuction pioneer in the country. When internet dial-up connectivity was still in its early stages, he had the chance to connect with consultants from the United States to develop a Bulletin Board Service in Bengaluru.

He has extensively worked with the HHE Easun before he started his factory and made solenoid coils. In 2017, Jagan developed a passion for painting and trained under renowned artist MG Doddamani. As he was completely new to the works of art, it was a tedious journey that required a lot of patience and perseverance.

When the pandemic hit the whole world, Jagan got ample time to create, recreate and finally define himself through the mediums of his digital, acrylic and oil paintings. He has made over 200 paintings in this quest. His paintings are bent on bold expressions.

Jagan defines the concept of the Cosmic Urban Connect thus: “The whole of cosmic resides within us. It is us. The whole of the cosmos works for us and with us from the time a seed germinates till it goes into the human system. We are all mediums, and we are in this together.”

His works are based on abstract ideas expressing his interest in space, culture, urban dwellings and nature. He dives deep into his paintings, defining human forms, cityscapes with nature coexisting and overlapping.