Justin Ponmany. (Indian, 1974). "Elixir (Diptych). ND. (circa early-mid 2000's). Acrylic and hologram on canvas. 75 x 96 in. (190.5 x 243.8 cm). Dimensions are for both panels (Each 75 x 48 in)
This work is in two panels. Signed, inscribed, titled on verso.

Being affected by over construction of what he sees as the modern, “plastic” world, Justin Ponmany (b.1974, Kerala, India) reworks, reinvents, and reorganizes his themes and environments to reflect how the digital age’s artificiality. "Elixir" is a major example of Ponmany's large-scale paintings, for which he is internationally acclaimed, that integrate hologram and acrylic on canvas. Here, Ponmany's visual focus is the stunning acrylic and hologram painted magnificent gushing fountain or natural geyser (the fountain of youth?) At the center of the diptych, as one walks past the painting, this fountain's silver color changes into a dynamic, fractured and ever-changing series of hologram-based patterns reminiscent of rainbows. Ponmany has split the water fountain literally in half in this diptych, so that only when the two panels are placed directly together does the fountain come to life. In contrast to this organic image, the rest of both panels are filled with vertical lines of mathematics and computer code, also in a sliver-based combination of acrylic and hologram. Distorting easily identifiable images, as he does here, is a forte of Ponmany and defines his work and has made him one of the most sought after young Contemporary Indian artists world-wide.

Ponmany graduated in 1996 with a BFA in painting from the Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai. In 2005, Ponmany was presented with the Artist of the Future Award from the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, India, who also awarded him with the Western Railway Centenary Prize in 2000. His experiments with plastic paints, holograms, and photographic-negatives, enables Ponmany to reconstruct his subject matter to the point where they are almost unrecognizable as their former selves. His work has been displayed throughout the world with recent solo exhibitions at Gallery Loop, Hongdae, Seoul, Korea (2008); Bose Pacia Gallery, New York, NY (2007); and Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, India (2004). His work is in top Museum and Private collections in the world.