Art, math and mysticism converge in Arvind Sundar’s new exhibition

Following his critically acclaimed art exhibition Cosmos (2024), artist Arvind Sundar has now returned with Chasing Infinity, the second chapter in his ongoing exploration of art, mathematics, and mysticism.

While Cosmos drew from the vast sacred landscapes of Hampi, this new exhibition finds the infinite within a far smaller terrain, the chessboard.

On exhibition at Anupa Mehta Contemporary Art, Mumbai, this series transforms the 64 squares of chess into a boundless universe where geometry, mythology, and mathematics converge. “Years ago, I had an hour long conversation with grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand about the mathematics underlying chess.

His insights completely transformed my perspective,” said Arvind. “He once showed me a beautiful knight manoeuvre by Praggnanandhaa whose elegance later became a motif in one of my works.

Another time, Anand spoke of the rice grain fable, which inspired a sculpture in this series.”

Through sculptures, drawings, and installations, Arvind reflects on the balance between order and chaos, logic and intuition. One striking work visualises the parable of exponential growth, a wooden chessboard of 64 ascending squares that bears a grain of rice on the first and a hybrid king queen figure, Ardhanareeshwara, on the last.

It symbolises unity within duality.“Chess and art are both vast, beyond comprehension,” said Anand. “To find connections between two such worlds is deeply thought provoking.”In Chasing Infinity, Arvind strips the game of competitiveness to reveal its contemplative core, a quiet dialogue between the measurable and the immeasurable, reminding us that within finite systems lie infinite worlds waiting to be discovered.