The Nepal Weekly 
March 14, 2023
Sunil Ranjit has been involved in the field of visual art since 1987. He has been working in the areas of painting, sculptures and Illustrations for producing books, posters, brochures, leaflets, graphic design works, cartoons, comic books and so on. He is also involved in teaching at Sirjana College of Fine Arts. In the past he had also worked for news media for some time. He had exhibited his paintings 2 times as solo and participated in a number of group exhibitions.
The currently running Color Contemplation is the second solo exhibition of Sunil Ranjit. The ongoing show opened on Friday 10th March and will continue till 30th March. The artist has been showcasing 15 exotic abstract paintings done by oil method at Dalai-la art space, Hotel Dalai la, Thamel in Kathmandu.
The artists and visitors gathered at the opening ceremony were much excited to watch his masterpieces. The maturity in style and presentation of the creations were the focus of the crowd gathered there.The creations as a milestone in the field of contemporary art of Nepal, they remarked.
Though, the paintings are purely abstract, laymen can feel the emotions expressed through different colour combinations on the canvas.
Senior visual artist Sunil has issued a statement highlighting the paintings at display and the philosophy of art that is easy to understand without much effort.
What do we see when we close our eyes? asks Sunil. Perhaps we see variations of dark colours, he opines.
His following expressions help understand the artist’s feeling and the philosophy behind his creation:
“What about when looking towards the sun with our eyes closed? Perhaps we start to see lightness through colours. Now, when looking around with our eyes open, we see different things around ourselves. When I do the same, I feel a particular sensitivity to colours. Colours also help me distinguish objects and space – an idea that is nothing new or extraordinary. However, I find the experience of light and colours absolutely fascinating and I continue to feel moved by their rhythmic and melodic manifestations. Oftentimes, people choose to create images of things that they admire: objects, people, kings, deities, scenic landscapes, and so on. While I don’t think it is necessary for everyone to value or do the same things, I personally tend to find more representational approaches limiting towards the expression of my vision. Through my current body of works, I explore feelings, experiences, moods, and culture through colours. And in immersing myself in colours, I also take meditative pleasure in the idea of infinity. The canvas is like a stage. On my canvas, I experience colours, I listen to colours, I interrogate colours, I argue with colours, I hold dialogues with colours, I play with colours… As an artist, I also perform additions, subtractions, divisions, and multiplications of colours to accurately reach desired effects. Sometimes, selecting colours can be like selecting actors for a poem, play, or drama. There may be protagonists, antagonists, supporting actors, or perhaps even none! Colours have their own world. My hope is that the viewers of my paintings may have their own journeys, interactions, or interpretations within my paintings. Understanding and rendering the play of colours, as influenced by time and situation, continues to be a crucial and immensely fulfilling aspect of my artistic practice. Without the contemplation of colours, my journey as an artist would be incomplete.”
