The Open Studio / Hardik
Hardik
Toys and Desire II
A boy, a toy bike and a poster he will not look at
Grey ink settles like night on a rooftop.
Stars are small white scratches in the black.
A boy holds his own hands close to his face.
Behind him a woman on a poster looks over her bare shoulder.
The toy bike throws a shadow far too long for it.
Cats keep watch from the wall and the door.
No one says what the boy wants.
The work
Hardik makes Toys and Desire II as an etching with aquatint on paper. The print measures 33 × 50 cm. Its outline is sharp and uneven. A boy stands on a tiled terrace at night. A small motorbike, cats and a poster of a woman share the space with him. Hardik works in New Delhi at the College of Art. Hardik says printmaking asks for patience and many decisions. Its layers help Hardik show how complex desire can be.
In the artist’s words
“My work explores sexuality, hidden desire, vulnerability and the tension between what is expressed and what remains unspoken. I am interested in how desire exists beneath the surface of everyday life. While some of my works directly engage with the human body, others rely on symbols, gestures and ambiguous imagery.”
- Theme
- Childhood and hidden desire
- Material
- Etching and aquatint on paper
- Size
- 33 × 50 cm
- Year
- 2025
- Edition
- 10
- Framed
- Yes
- About the artist
- College of art, New Delhi
- From
- New Delhi
- Code
- RC-284
