A fascinating narrative of everything, something and nothing (not necessarily in that order) invites viewers into a fascinating series of 10 artworks by contemporary artist Suryakant Lokhande at the Institute of Contemporary Indian Art (ICIA) gallery in Mumbai. The solo exhibition by Astaguru Auction House and ICIA, titled #EveryDayIsCheatDay, refers to the thematic tone of Samuel Beckett’s absurdist play. waiting for godot Through a visual grammar that is attractive, nostalgic, colorful and animated.
Dunking the Diamond; 48 x 36 inches (122 x 91.4 cm); High-Gloss Oil on Canvas 2024 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Using Disney characters – from Uncle Scrooge to Mickey Mouse – Suryakanth creates an illusion of attraction that draws audiences back until 6 p.m. disney hourA dopamine-rich television staple of millennial childhood. What initially seems almost therapeutic – a reminder of good times – slowly transforms into a guilty pleasure, before turning into a gaudy carousel of desire and aspiration (think screen time after homework and sleep deadlines). This work highlights a ticketed rollercoaster ride at Disneyland, privileges on a travel visa, and a solid bank balance. As the viewer engages with the aesthetics on display, an internal dialogue unfolds.
field observation; 60 x 60 inches (152.4 x 152.4 cm); High-Gloss Oil on Canvas 2024 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In one artwork, Uncle Scrooge and his three grandsons – Huey, Dewey and Louie – are shown measuring money. In another, they are wearing safari suits, roaming through forests filled with elephants and tigers. Elsewhere, a treasure chest is seen with Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and Goofy at the forefront.
treasure chest; 48 x 60 inches (122 x 152.4 cm) High Gloss Oil on Canvas 2024 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Suryakant takes inspiration from Beckett’s existential stasis and transports it into the age of scrolling, consumption and dopamine. “Godot, representative of a belief system or superior knowledge, has been replaced by algorithms. Waiting is no longer static or boring; it is noisy, colorful and endlessly entertaining. Disney characters represent global childhood memories and mass-produced imagination. I use cartoon-like figures not to refer to specific characters but to evoke a shared visual memory. They become symbolic figures – innocent on the surface, yet steeped in scenarios of indulgence and absurdity are housed, reflecting how imagination and consumption merge today,” he says of the works produced during a period of everyday indulgence, repetition and close observation of contemporary social behavior between 2022 and 2025.
Detached from their core narratives, these cartoon characters function as cultural masks. In Suryakant’s works, abundance is presented not as an achievement but as an atmosphere – of excess, indulgence, tragedy and comedy. The figures are constantly busy – collecting, posing, resting, celebrating – yet their activities feel suspended in repetition, reminiscent of Albert Camus myth of sisyphus, In which meaning and consciousness emerge when Sisyphus descends the hill to retrieve his rock.
Rooftop Reverie; 60 x 48 inches (152.4 x 122 cm) High Gloss Oil on Canvas 2024 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In Suryakant’s works, this looping theatricality suggests a quiet tension between activity and stasis, spectacle and emptiness. Rather than offer open criticism, the artist reflects the logic of contemporary consumption back to the audience through exaggeration and visual excess.
“I primarily use industrial enamel paint on canvas, sometimes combined with metallic pigments and mixed media. The shiny, polished surface mimics the artificial shine of advertising and luxury culture. The visual language relies on bright colors, repetition, cartoon imagery, and exaggerated surfaces. These elements reflect the language of advertising and entertainment, where desire is heightened and constantly repeated. The compositions appear playful but also suggestive of overload, stagnation, and saturation. are structured to provide suggestions,” he adds.
staging power; 48 x 36 inches (152.4 x 122 cm) High Gloss Oil on Canvas 2024 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
#EveryDayIsCheatDay ultimately presents modern life as a stage on which pleasure is endlessly practiced – abundant, performative, and quietly unresolved. The artworks prove that the meanings of the absurd are not elusive; It refuses to perform only for the Philistines.
Artworks worth more than ₹3 lakh will be displayed at the ICIA Gallery from February 9 to 14.
published – February 10, 2026 09:55 PM IST