Maya, 2023 by Shanti Panchal

This special limited etching by Shanti Panchal accompanies his large-scale commission, Endurance, for Brixton Underground station.

Maya is indicative of Panchal’s style, the simplicity and stillness of a setting with a figure who carries a world and a story with them, their eyes gazing to a location out of frame. The suggestion of a third eye talks of a different connection of personal or shared memory and spirituality, Maya’s pose and face like all of Panchal’s work is reminiscent of early Jain Miniature paintings.

Deeply influenced by the country of his birth, India, Panchal’s work is connected to his childhood years in Mesar, North Gujarat – the colours of his village, the embodied spirituality of family life and the intensity of a small farming community. The depth of colour this creates draws on the hues of Panchal’s childhood and creates an image as though sealed with a meditative filter.

There is an intentional slowness and care to this process of painting. Panchal holds conversations with the figures he is painting which creates an intimacy between the artist and the scene.

About this product:

Polymer Gravure etching made with four plates, on Velin Arches Blanc 250 gsm

Paper size: 33 x 27.2 cm

Plate size:  22 x 17 cm

Edition of 30, signed and numbered verso