Iridescent Obfuscation comes from Pratap Morey's observations of how we experience falsehoods and visual deception in everyday urban life. The artist is particularly interested in neon colours—they are loud, seductive, and impossible to ignore. At the same time, they often function as a cover. They grab your attention while quietly hiding something more important underneath.

In cities, this kind of visual distraction is everywhere. Bright surfaces, glowing lights, and spectacles are used to create a sense of excitement or beauty, even when very little has actually changed. In this series, you’ll notice a strip of bright white paint, almost neon in quality. Many of the elements in the work appear to be drawn towards it, or to emerge from it. The strip acts like a magnet—both revealing and concealing, attracting the eye while flattening everything around it.

The title Iridescent Obfuscation roughly translates to something like “neon chaos” or “illuminated confusion.” Instead of explaining the idea directly, Morey chose a title that sounds like a phenomenon. Iridescent refers to the glow and appeal of neon, while obfuscation speaks of confusion and lack of clarity. Together, they describe how brightness itself can become deceptive. The idea for this series became clearer to him after observing a citywide beautification drive in Maharashtra following the collapse of the UBT government. Tricolour neon lights were installed on streetlights across the city. The execution was inexpensive, but the visual impact was strong. It created an immediate sense of order and beauty—almost celebratory—while masking deeper issues beneath the surface. That moment stayed with Morey.

Iridescent Obfuscation examines this contradiction: how light, colour, and spectacle are deployed not to clarify, but to distract—masking deeper structural realities beneath a luminous surface.