The Open Studio / Sayan Mondal
Sayan Mondal
JOURNEY TO THE LIFE
One ant, one thread and a cart far heavier than itself
Brown earth cracks under six thin legs.
The sunflower burns yellow and does not look at the small one in front of it.
A real thread pulls tight from jaw to cart.
The road is grey and soft, a snake with painted lines and a blade for a tail.
Thorns creep in from the left. A trap lies open on the right.
The ant keeps walking.
The work
An ant pulls a wooden cart across dry brown ground. A large sunflower glows behind it. Sayan Mondal of the College of Art in New Delhi paints in oil. Real thread runs from the ant to the cart and ties down its white cover. A grey road winds past like a snake. It ends in a toothed metal blade. Thorns spread on one side. A trap and chain wait on the other. For Mondal the ant stands for work that few people see.
In the artist’s words
“My work is about hard work and struggle as the paths to success and destiny. Nothing meaningful can be achieved without persistence, effort and endurance. The ant is a recurring symbol in my work. It represents discipline, unity and tireless labour. Through it, I reflect human effort: the quiet, continuous work that often goes unnoticed but leads to achievement.”
- Theme
- Hard work and endurance
- Material
- Oil and real thread
- Size
- 76.2 × 101.6 cm
- Year
- 2025
- Edition
- 1 of 1
- Framed
- Yes
- About the artist
- College of art
- From
- New Delhi
- Code
- RC-3771
