In the spotlight for the 2024 exhibition in Mumbai, Sangram Majumdar’s artistic journey delves into the tension between the tangible and the ephemeral, exploring the complex layers of memory and identity. His body of work, which includes 13 oil paintings and a compelling wall drawing from 2022 to 2025, is featured in The Sleep of Reason, hosted by Natalie Karg Gallery. Majumdar’s unique perspective emerges from his migration experience—moving from India to the United States at the age of 13—creating a vivid landscape of cultural duality where he feels both at home and a foreigner.
Prior to this exhibition, Majumdar was recognized as an observational painter, skillfully spanning a variety of styles from accomplished realism to abstract forms derived from direct observations. His past creations invite viewers into an immersive experience, fostering prolonged engagement while simultaneously challenging easy interpretations. Each of his pieces serves as a mirror to his ongoing struggle with vulnerability and the human desire to be understood on one’s own terms.
The current works take a different turn, blending various sources and inspirations, such as the awkwardness of early childhood development expressed through colored tape—a metaphor for his own experiences. Influences from Western art, Persian miniatures, Indian folk art, and contemporary media coalesce, revealing a tapestry of meanings that resonate across cultures. His art captures universal expressions while highlighting the unique traditions that shape his heritage.
Majumdar’s compositions are a rich amalgamation of both fragmented and complete forms, embracing abstraction alongside narrative elements. His figures inhabit vivid, layered spaces that invite viewers to consider the interaction of multifaceted identities reflecting both his Indian and American roots. This duality propels many of his inquiries: Can he embody both cultural identities completely? What does it mean to navigate this intertwined existence?
Notably, his work “The Meeting” (2022) draws inspiration from Gustave Courbet’s iconic 1854 piece titled “The Meeting, or Bonjour Monsieur Courbet.” Majumdar’s interpretation introduces a brown-skinned figure in pink shorts, representing himself, inviting a dialogue about diverse cultural encounters. As he reaches out in a gesture toward an unseen entity, the emotions of confusion and curiosity confront the viewer, challenging them to respect his cultural journey.
In “Collaborators I” (2025), he departs from linear narratives by placing a woman amidst lush, dreamlike foliage. Her posture, along with the obscurity of her features, ignites questions about identity and presence. Through a striking black silhouette marked by a blue dot, Majumdar confronts the viewer with themes of visibility and recognition—a strong commentary on how identities can be both prominent and hidden.
As Majumdar navigates his exploration of identity, his works pose critical questions about the intersections of personal experience and broader cultural contexts. With evocative imagery like disembodied eyes in pieces such as “Voice Over” (2025), he prompts us to ponder perspectives—what we observe in others and ourselves, evoking a sense of shared human experience amid cultural dialogues.
Sangram Majumdar: The Sleep of Reason is on display at Nathalie Karg Gallery (127 Elizabeth Street, Lower East Side, Manhattan) until October 6. This exhibition celebrates the nuanced, cross-cultural dialogue in Majumdar’s work, organized by the gallery.
