When the Dust Settled by Gaurang Naik

An original artwork by Gaurang Naik.

When the Dust Settled draws from Gaurang Naik's long-standing observation of corroding mining tipper trucks scattered across his local landscape. These trucks, once vital tools of prosperity during Goa’s mining boom, were mostly owned by local people who shifted from traditional occupations to the trucking business. In the hope of securing a better life, they invested in these vehicles through loans, only to see their dreams collapse with the sudden ban on illegal mining. The trucks, now abandoned and rusting, stand as silent witnesses to the decline of livelihoods, traditions, and the environment that once nurtured these communities. The element of rust, which Gaurang encountered daily after the dust of mining settled, became central to his reflection. Rust, for him, signifies more than physical decay; it speaks of ignorance, neglect, and irreversible change. He is drawn to how rust slowly consumes strong, resilient metal, eroding its form and integrity over time. This quiet mirrors how mining corroded the lives of people who were once independent and closely connected to the land. The painting is rendered on corrugated shaped tarpaulin canvas, material once used to cover trucks transporting ore, now ironically draped over these abandoned machines. The corrugated form allows the imagery to function in a lenticular format. On one side, covered trucks represent the burden of failed aspirations; on the other, tarpaulin-covered mining dumps stand as a metaphor for environmental degradation and the hidden weight carried by the land and its people. The work invites the viewer to shift their position, from right to left, to reveal the full image. Seen frontally, the imagery remains fragmented and distorted, pointing to how these critical issues are overlooked, concealed, or misunderstood by society.

This artwork was exhibited at Method Delhi in the group exhibition "Formation & Fracture" a group exhibition featuring alumni from IMMERSE by  Somaiya Vidyavihar University (July 2025).