Art Centrix is pleased to present MAGIC ERASE, a solo exhibition by Hemant Gavankar, the awardee of the Art Centrix Painting Grant 2024. Curated by Sibdas Sengupta, this exhibition explores the complexities of contemporary life, focusing on the themes of transience, space, and memory. Gavankar’s practice delves into the shifting landscapes of his native Mumbai and the emotional residue left by gentrification and societal change. Through his mixed-media paintings and video works, MAGIC ERASE invites viewers to consider the vanishing and evolving nature of physical and psychological spaces.

At the heart of Gavankar’s work lies a tension between the “real” and the “hyper-real,” echoing ideas of displacement, loss, and the digital dissolution of our surroundings. His work offers a magical realist approach to the everyday, transforming mundane experiences into reflections on longing, identity, and the fragmented self. The exhibition moves beyond conventional representations of place, inviting a deeper contemplation on the impermanence and reinvention of both the physical and the intangible.

With MAGIC ERASE, Hemant Gavankar challenges us to confront the unseen, the forgotten, and the distorted truths of our contemporary existence—encouraging us to see the world not as a static reality, but as a constantly shifting landscape, both real and imagined.

Venue
The Art Centrix Space, Jain Farm, Behind Sector D-2, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi 110070

Artist
Hemant Gavankar

Curator
Sibdas Sengupta

Exhibition Dates
April 11 – May 31, 2025

Gallery Hours
Monday – Saturday | 11 AM – 6 PM

Website
https://artcentrix.com

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/artcentrixspace/

Contact
info@artcentrix.com

About Artist

Hemant Gavankar is a Mumbai-based visual artist and poet, and the recipient of the Art Centrix Painting Grant 2024. He completed his BFA in Drawing and Painting and MFA in Portraiture from Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai, in 2016 and 2018, respectively. Hemant’s art is deeply influenced by the changing landscapes of urban existence, shaped by his experiences in Mumbai, especially in his childhood days in Mulund, a suburb on the outskirts of the city. He has witnessed the city’s rapid transformation, a process that has reshaped the social fabric of daily life and strongly influenced his artistic perspective. Over time, Hemant’s work has evolved to explore the artificiality of human-made spaces and the emotional responses they evoke in the individuals who inhabit them.

His practice is also strongly shaped by his constant negotiation with the city narratives he has witnessed firsthand. Hemant addresses issues such as the effects of gentrification, the transformation of private and public spaces, and the loss of histories. He often explores how these changes impact the self and the collective consciousness. His art draws from both personal experiences and broader sociopolitical themes, engaging with the ideas of loss, memory, nostalgia, and the liminality of urban life. His work examines the intersections of private, public, and digital spaces, often delving into the absurdities that arise from non-aligning events in these realms.

His recent exhibitions include ‘Expanded Disciplinarity: Chapter 1 Constructing Painterly Relations’, inaugural exhibition of Art Centrix Grants, Art Centrix Space, New Delhi (2024); ‘EREWHON’, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai (2023); ‘Connecting Dots’, Abir Space (2023); ‘Unknowns 7’, Gujarat State Lalit Kala Academy, Ahmedabad (2022); and ‘Monsoon Art Show’, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai (2016). He was also awarded the Rangasetu Fellowship for Visual Art in 2023 by the Maharashtra Cultural Centre. Hemant currently lives and works in Mumbai. 

About Art Centrix Space

Established in 2012, Art Centrix Space works with mid-career contemporary Indian artists to voice contemporary artistic inquiry reflecting the diverse vision of the Indian subcontinent. Our gallery stands as a visual testimony to the timeless interplay of imagination, imagery, and transformative visual experiences. Over the past decade, we have curated more than 40 exhibitions and participated in the India Art Fair from 2018 to 2025, as well as Art Mumbai in 2024, consistently showcasing our represented artists whose works have now been collected by museums and placed in major private and institutional collections.

A significant milestone in our journey was the expansion into our current gallery premises – a unique 3,500-square-foot space set within a beautifully landscaped 2.5-acre environment in the heart of South Delhi. We remain committed to providing the essential stimulus needed for artistic and curatorial practices, creating an even larger platform for collaborative exhibition-making in New Delhi, the hub of Indian contemporary art. 

Art Centrix Space specially focuses on vernacular voices  of mid-career contemporary Indian artists to develop South Asian artistic practices through exchanges, programmes, and curatorial interventions aimed at increasing visibility, fostering broader associations, and expanding the territory of Indian contemporary art. 

We are committed to investing in our artists for the long term, grounded in shared values and trust, to establish internationally recognised contemporary Indian narratives for both artists and collectors to cherish equally. In 2024, Art Centrix Space introduced Art Centrix Grants, celebrating diverse painting methodologies in Indian art. We have been patrons of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale since 2018.

(Text and images courtesy of Art Centrix Space)