Syzygy
Artist
Akbar Padamsee
(Indien, 1928 - 2020)
Date1970
Medium35 mm transferred to digital video, B/W, no sound
Dimensions16:34 min
ClassificationMoving Images
Credit LinePurchase 2021
Countries
On view
StockholmRoomGallery 01:5
Object NumberMOM/2021/18
About the artworkSyzygy is a term used in astronomy and other fields to describe the positions of celestial bodies in relation to each other. Here, the term has given its name to an abstract line animation – a collaboration between Akbar Padamsee and animator Ram Mohan. Padamsee’s expressive paintings, prints, photography, sculpture and film were crucial to the development of modernism in post-colonial India. Inspired by Paul Klee’s pedagogical diagrams, the film features mathematical patterns that are hand-drawn on nearly a thousand transparent plastic sheets. It explores abstract shapes through lines, dots, letters and numbers, creating dynamic visual patterns. Starting with basic geometric shapes that gradually transform into complex mazes and networks, the film is considered a precursor to generative digital art.
Selected exhibition history Den underjordiska himlen. Surrealism i Moderna Museets samling Moderna Museet, Stockholm Surrealism, samlingen (den 19 oktober 2024 - den 18 januari 2026) Moderna Museet, Stockholm
Selected exhibition history Den underjordiska himlen. Surrealism i Moderna Museets samling Moderna Museet, Stockholm Surrealism, samlingen (den 19 oktober 2024 - den 18 januari 2026) Moderna Museet, Stockholm