Artist Uses Her Art to Discover Human Desires

Manty Dey’s work seeks a balance between absence and presence, where the tangible and intangible meet. Dey uses hand-dyed translucent paper as a foundation, as well as a limited palette where colors collide to create a radiant translucent film.

Her work requires a slow process that includes various stages of material and process, leading to sheets of color that flow to reveal and conceal the space behind them.

Dey believes that the objects that surround us provide a deeper understanding of our collective human desires. Her work engages all of the senses, and she is interested in the movement of the viewer’s body in dialogue with the body of the paper. “The exchange between the viewer and the art object is essential to the work,” Dey said.

Dey was born in Kumarghat, India, and grew up in Atlanta, Ga. She received her BFA in painting and drawing from Georgia State University in 2010.

The “Master of Fine Arts Degree Candidates Exhibition” is on view at the Georgia Museum of Art from April 12 to May 4, 2014, with a free preview opening reception Friday, April 11, from 6 to 9 p.m. MFA Speaks is scheduled for Thursday, April 17, at 5:30 p.m. and will feature the artists discussing their work.