Basuki Dasgupta is an intrepid storyteller, recasting ancient fables in a distinctly contemporary light. His wide-ranging mixed-media works feature non-figurative studies, mythological imagery, and his trademark ethereal, puppet-like figures. ... From indigenous traditions like the Pattachitra and Kalighat forms of Bengal, to the symbolism of goddess Durga as the embodiment of ‘Shakti’, this rich oeuvre is inspired by an equally wide range of influences. These also include Baul music, as well as the famed terracotta temples of his home town, Bishnupur. Fusing abstract caricature with vernacular imagery, Dasgupta’s works are saturated in colours and whimsy on the surface. Upon deeper examination, they reveal a recurring poignant bridging of dualities, whether between nature and mankind, darkness and light, rural and urban, ego and self, or the human and divine.

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