The Sleep of Reason: Sangram Majumdar

Nathalie Karg Gallery is pleased to present The Sleep of Reason, a solo exhibition of new works by Sangram Majumdar, on view from September 4 through October 6, 2025, at 127 Elizabeth Street, New York with an opening reception on September 11th, from 6-8 PM in the presence of the artist.

This exhibition brings together a selection of recent paintings and a wall drawing made on site. Together they examine the tension between bodies and the spaces they occupy, especially during periods of uncertainty and instability. In the process, they embrace the thematic, formal and symbolic possibilities of gestures and fragments to subvert the idea of what appears familiar.

Majumdar’s working process is as layered as the compositions themselves. Paint is brushed, wiped, poured, scraped, and scumbled to create surfaces where the old and the new coexist. The paintings evolve in dialogue with various stages of creation, recorded and reworked as mixed-media and collage drawings—a practice that parallels each painting. Much of the imagery is rooted in historical and vernacular sources, particularly those with figurative fragments, redacted passages, and decorative motifs, opening the potential for more questions than answers.

In Interregnum and Control, (both 2025) bodies amass and camouflage each other, offering partial glimpses of heads tilting, facing grimacing, hands stretching, and limbs kicking. The imagery draws from battle scenes found in Mughal miniatures and Florentine frescoes as well as contemporary sources like video footage of late-night street brawls and rugby pileups—underscoring the chaotic energy and anonymity of the crowd. As one painting fights against a slashing downpour, the other bakes in the glow of a red sun.

In contrast, Monstermashup 3 and Monstermashup 4 (both 2025) turn toward depictions of demons and monsters —figures historically cast as minor and reviled characters in Indian folktales and myths. Misregistered linear contours paired with silhouetted forms blur the boundaries where bodies end and space begins. Depicted at life-size scale, these figures reassert themselves as central subjects rather than peripheral ones from their origin stories.

In The Sleep of Reason, Majumdar deepens his ongoing inquiry into fragmented narratives through imagery inspired by collective memory. The exhibition invites viewers into this space where doubt and recognition coexist. What happens when reason slips?