Art Intrigues

Faces made of denim cloth, cars that don't move, optical illusions and interactive works — here's a selection that attracted visitors on Day 1 from amid a rather unimpressive lot on display at the ongoing United Art Fair.

The Illusionist

Kerala-based artist Vincent Pallissery's works at the fair such as Iron Lady and Lord's Rats, besides three others, had people grouping around his "anamorphic" style — illusions created on metallic cylinders, with a very different pattern reflecting from the canvas beneath it. Pallissery says it's a technique that vanished about 1600 years ago and was often used to relay secret messages on war sites. Each work took him about nine months to complete.

Interactive Canvas

Mumbai-based Kunal Naik's 2011 series "In Search of the Lost Code", is ready to be hit by a plywood stick, held by its drawer knobs, or switched on or off. This interactive series includes objects such as bells from Kutch, a 120-year-old photo plate, coconut grater and ancient ceramic base switches.

Ride for Sale

Delhi's College of Art-graduate Neeraj Rawal's Joyriders stood majestically next to the conference room. A recreation of his 2011 work, Street Car Named Desire, this one has children "discovering the car" in their own playful way, unmindful of the audience.

Denim Statement

A giant denim punk skull face is a revelation; it's the first thing you see at the fair. Located strategically at the entrance, Anil Kumar Goswami's Immortality depicts back-to-back skulls of a man and a woman. If the playing card motifs on the man's teeth depict him as a player by nature, the woman has heart-shaped denim cut-outs, depicting love and warmth.

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