Sakshi Gallery is presenting work by two young artists in an exhibition titled, 'Two Solos: Lee Hayan . Sabir Ali' and will run through August 9, 2012.

The gallery will be showing a considerable number of works by both artists, making them mini solo shows, but the idea of juxtaposing them comes from a potent link in their works that makes them an interesting pair for a two person exhibition.

Lee Hayan is an artist from South Korea, who is now based in Baroda while Sabir Ali works in Santiniketan. They both revisit classics (works, music, literature) and borrow from their rich imagery and themes only transform them into contemporary renditions, creating multiple narratives in the process. They both have bold, poignant voices that articulate the themes they hold dear. The apposition of these artists is an attempt to encourage a whole new set of meanings and readings that reference our contemporary society, looking at it through a classical prism.

"Each time I would re-look at paintings and other art visuals, new things emerged to intrigue me. I began to hone the direction I wished to explore, and perhaps my childhood memories of playing with the narratives of fairytales percolated my consciousness, and I found myself reinventing from images of existing art. The still-life for example holds the poignancy of metaphorical intent, allowing an arrangement of objects to become a signifier that alludes to other meanings. I am interested too in how the viewer locates the incident, and the possibilities of multiple readings of the paintings, and how one explores the path through which we reach a conclusion."
- Lee Hayan

On Sabir Ali:
Unlikely elements come together to form a tableau, and the effect brought on is similar to that of simulation. Events and characters are associated metaphorically or allegorically. But the choice of the metaphors is not traditional; we live in a postmodern world where the whole of history is crunched, and any representation of the present conditions will have to call for a new inventory of images that will have to be culled either from our physical surroundings, or from mediatic or virtual worlds, and finally even from our subconscious.
- Vishal Tondon