Aarti Uppal Singla, curator of Explorations, gives us her top picks from the group show by artists who are moving out of their defined territories, boundaries of profession and education, and exploring new creative worlds.
Kumbhal by Vinati Bhatt
Art is neither bound by age nor profession nor qualifications. It is an individual’s journey of joy and discovery. Some artists are born with the talent to draw and see colour while others teach themselves through self-learning or under guidance from seniors. When a mind trained for science or numbers or economics, explores the exciting territory of art the result is a new language, unique and beautiful for the artist and the viewer. The show is visual treat of various mediums from the usual to unusual. The representations of the myriad forms the artist’s mind sees and conceives and the memories stored. The collection is a mix of works from experienced artists with a few shows under their belt and those who are venturing into public space for the first time. I had a tough time putting together this show given the wide range of entries received. Some of them became my personal favourites.
Tree of Life by Sam (as seen in the main image) is a concept that has seen thousands of interpretations around the globe. The delicacy, intricacy and finesse of Sam’s line work takes this on to another level. The hidden forms beg the viewer for an intimate engagement. You cannot tire of letting your eye follow the curves of the lyrical lines.
Tugged in the Snowdrift by Harmandeep Keerti is another. The way he handles the light creating the mood of the painting is commendable especially in one so young. It is not very often that you come across a landscape artist in a world dominated by abstract expressionism. I’ll be following his work.
Tugged in the Snowdrift by Harmandeep Keerti
Another painting that I can put up on the wall and never tire of looking at is The Queen by Bindu Chutani. That she loves her subject is evident in the deft handling of colours and forms. Despite the large sizes, she does not lose detail.
The Queen by Bindu Chutani
Harshit Kedia’s Diorama is a unique piece. We keep hearing the terms, reuse, recycle, upscale, etc., but to actually see someone add so much value to scrap metal is something else. All his exhibits collectively make a story of a traveller out to experience the world. This one is Pit-stop For The Weary Traveller with parts of a discarded hard disc made into a piano and bottles fashioned out of capacitors and screws.
Pit-stop for the Weary Traveller by Harshit Kedia
Woods in Winter by Yumi Onishi
Yumi Onishi’s Woods in Winter is also a lovely piece. She is a Japanese artist who had adapted the Gond style to the sensibilities of her culture. What I loved about this work was the minimalism and subtle colour palette which is the complete opposite of traditional bright colours of the Indian folk art.
(Explorations, a group show is being held from March 24th to 30th, 2017 at Gallery A & B, AIFACS, Rafi Marg, New Delhi. Curator Aarti Uppal Singla is a visual artist with an experience of over 17 years and uses graphic design, photography, watercolours, and pen drawings to express herself. She is also exhibiting some of her new works that are a mix of bold colour strokes and fine drawings. Aarti also runs The Art Exchange Project, a free art community for people who love art. It encourages people to explore, collaborate, teach and learn new art expressions. People from all age groups and skill levels are welcome to their free demos and sketch meets. You can join them here www.facebook.com/groups/theartexchangeproject )
