KRITAGYA ARYAL, A NEPALESE ARTIST BASED IN INDIA AND COMPLETELY SELF-TAUGHT, HAS INVESTED THE LAST SIX YEARS CREATING A PRACTICE BASED ON HER SIZEABLE HYPERREALIST GRAPHITE WORKS
Over the last two years, I've been consumed by the desire to create work that has meaning, depth,
and isn't only pretty. I used to appreciate the challenge of combining thinking and sight, but recently
I've found myself stuck by concepts. I was concerned that the concepts I had been trying to explore
were becoming limiting, as if I had exhausted them. I'd missed how it feels to explore, and my art was
becoming stale. I rediscovered a very simple joy in crafting with this drawing.
Kritagya has dedicated her profession to exploring the medium of charcoal, presenting both locally as
well as internationally. With excellence as a basic part of photorealism, she keeps a sense of smooth
elegance at the heart of her technique. Kritagya's works address deep thoughts of the self, inner
dialogues, and the often opaque concept of 'mind frame.' The infinite darkness that encompasses her
characters, who appear alone among the black, is featured in all of her art.
To create without stress, to create differently, and to create without the weight of meaning or
substance. Meaning emerged later – as the drawing became clearer, so did its conceptual fascination.
But, for me, this piece is more about rediscovering the joy of creation than it is about ideas. I've
always like drawing and used to sketch one every year to keep track of my progress.
