Krishanu, Matthew
Matthew Krishanu’s subject matter is usually autobiographical, set in places with which he has a close connection. His most recent paintings centre on two boys (the artist and his brother) growing up in Bangladesh – and their experience of a complex world that includes expatriates, missionaries, and expansive landscapes.
Skeleton (2014) depicts a scene based on both a memory and a photograph. Krishanu and his brother are seen standing with the bones of a cow which is missing its forelegs. They have been confronted by death, and seem ill at ease. The photograph was taken beside the Brahmaputra River following the floods of 1988 in Mymensingh. Boy and Mask (2017)
depicts Krishanu’s brother as a boy, standing in front of a patterned background upon which hangs a Bangladeshi mask of a tiger. The boy is painted with closed eyes, and the mask appears to be looking at him.These two works are part of a series of paintings titled Another Country (2012-18). As Krishanu explains, “The paintings are about stepping into ‘another country’ – one created from a combination of old photographs, memory and imagination.”
- Artwork Details: 70 x 55cm
- Edition:
- Material description: Oil on canvas
- Credit line: © the artist
- Theme:
- Medium: Painting
- Accession number: ACC40/2017