The Open Studio / Sayan Mondal
Sayan Mondal
STUCK IN A POINT
Even in sleep, the ants keep walking
Blue skin on a white sheet, the colour of cold water.
The red cloth will not stay still. It pours down to the floor.
She holds her hands close to her face, like someone waiting.
Her hair lifts as if a window is open.
The ants walk one behind another along every fold.
They do not stop to look at her.
The work
In this tall painting from 2025, a blue figure lies curled on a pale ground. A red cloth wraps the body and spills past the edge of the canvas. A thin line of ants marches along its folds. For Sayan Mondal, the ant stands for discipline, unity and hard work. These small creatures are easy to miss. So is the quiet daily effort that Mondal believes sits behind every success. The work is painted in oil and measures 121.92 × 60.96 cm. Mondal comes from the College of Art, New Delhi.
In the artist’s words
“My work is about hard work and struggle as the path to success. Nothing meaningful comes without persistence, effort and endurance. The ant appears again and again in my paintings. It stands for discipline, unity and tireless labour. Ants seem small, yet they work hard. Through them I show the quiet, continuous human effort that often goes unnoticed.”
- Theme
- Effort and endurance
- Material
- Oil paint
- Size
- 121.92 × 60.96 cm
- Year
- 2025
- Edition
- 1 of 1
- Framed
- Yes
- About the artist
- College of art
- From
- New Delhi
- Code
- RC-3770
