Chess and creativity come together at Arvind Sundar’s new solo inspired by Vishwanathan Anand

Exploring the principles of art, mathematics and mysticism, Arvind Sundar is back with the second in the series, a solo inspired by his conversations with Chess grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand. Named chasing Infinity, the exhibition is currently on display at the Anupa Mehta Contemporary Art. Within the 64 squares of a chessboard, Sundar discovers how mythology, geometry and maths merge with each other to start an artistic narrative.

How does artist Arvind Sundar merge chess and creativity in his ongoing solo, Chasing Infinity?

Before venturing into the exhibition, take a moment to step back and think about the chessboard. One of the most familiar pieces of indoor games, is a finite board with infinite possibilities, as in the number of moves that can be played within the board is infinite. That forms the basic crux of the exhibition, where this principle is harnessed and transformed to showcase order and chaos, tranquillity and abstraction, the known and the unknown.

Sundar mentions, “Years ago, I had an hour-long conversation with grandmaster Vishwanath Anand about chess and the mathematics underlying the game. Being an avid player myself, his insights completely transformed my perspective. I rediscovered chess—not as a game of strategy alone, but as a vast landscape of mathematical beauty waiting to be explored through art.”

He continues, “Once, he showed me a remarkable knight manoeuvre played by Praggnanandhaa during a practice match with him. The elegance of that move felt like a perfect visual motif which I later incorporated into one of my works. Another time, Anand narrated the famous fable of the rice grain and the chessboard—a story that beautifully illustrates concepts of geometric progression and exponential growth—I eventually created a sculpture inspired by it. Echoes of our conversations and his ideas have significantly shaped my ‘Chasing Infinity’ series.”

The exhibition encompasses within the four walls, sculptures, drawings and installations. Vishwanathan Anand, who became the inspiration for the exhibition says, “Chess and art are both very big, beyond our comprehension. What is fascinating to me is that I’ve been playing chess my whole life but there always seems to be a fresh layer to unveil and to understand. Looking at two distinct worlds that behave like this - one familiar to you and the other not, and finding connections between the two is very thought provoking. I’m very excited that this exhibition explores this connection between art, chess and math and infinity.”

What is interesting to note is that by blending art of chess, Sundar strips it of any competitiveness and instead incorporates the idea of contemplation and the game of perception where like every artwork; each piece here too speaks differently to the viewer, creating space of infinite possibilities of understanding.

What: Chasing Infinity

Where: Anupa Mehta Contemporary Art, Mumbai

When: Till November 27, 2025

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