The very word sempiternal, which is a synonym of the term ‘eternal’ in a more contemporary and earthbound way in www.vocabulary.com, would be apt adjective for the artists of today who still dare to show their creations on a creative carnival as such despite the onslaught of ongoing economic slowdown. A serious question arises here that if the issue of economic slowdown cannot be taken easy in the context of marketing any product of everyday commodity then why it shouldn’t be a serious issue in art and a crucial concern for the art critics too whose role as salvager is of course expected in this difficult time when art ultimately as an aesthetic commodity suffers setback; because a friend in need is friend in deed.
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| “THE SEMPITERNALS” Group of artist at Art Gate Gallery in Mumbai-2015 |
The present show “The Sempiternals” is to earmark the spontaneous stubbornness of today’s artists who with their bizarre grey-cell under the very constancy of art as a phenomenon of creative catalyst through the intermittent reactivity of mundane activity, takes up the charge of their self promotion on event of virtual divorce between art and its critics. And that is to commemorate artists’ very eternity in creating despite the gravest odds like existing commercial lows of art market and apprehensive promoters. By now we are aware that autonomy of the flux of art is like autonomy of natural blow of wind; both art and wind cannot be ceased by any consequential force; as both will find its lee-way in one way or other . This show is to celebrate the creative autonomy of today’s artists too who by their own right of karma and by the boon of post-modernism are enlightened enough to know that it is utter foolishness to wait for the art critics to born and show them the way in difficult time as such whereas today’s artists are the critics themselves. Thus they pave their own way to their destiny and the time conspires for their success. Down the ages artists as sempiternal existence have been witnessing intermittent manifestations caused by the changing time and space.
This Group Show is a confluence of seven such artists and erstwhile alter ego who despite their diverse hues of thought process meet to witness the present time offer here a spectacular rainbow of their creations. The result of their perennial witnessing is unusual of the usual, conspicuous from the common and bizarre of the mundane to be relished by the valued admirers.
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| Artist Girdhar Gawda with Art lover at Art Gate Gallery- 2015 |
Girdhar Gawda is an epitome of balance between adoration of cultural tradition and sieved response to dubious novelty of the mundane as with his minimal colour yet deft lines if on the one hand he draws contemplation towards creative grandeur of Indian miniature painting while he withstands the blind emulations to visual influences on the other.
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| Recent work by Artist Girdhar Gawda at Art Gate Gallery- 2015 |
The very inspiring intricacy and depth in the medium and process of miniature painting had led him to the very roots of cultural ethos of Indian Miniature Paintings that transformed him permanently to devote himself to redefine its style as substance. The arresting compositions of his paintings themselves are self explanatory of why he has developed an immense interest in stories, poems, socio-cultural phrases and historical legends right from his childhood. The elated novelty of spatial dynamics of his pictures don’t lie for his approach towards those historical legends not as religious, superstitious stories but as priceless epics and a treasure house of wisdom.
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| Recent work by Manoj S Art Gate Gallery- Mumbai |
When it comes to another dimension, art of Manoj S. manifests it in rather abstract manner. Manoj, in his sculptures, adroitly blends wood, stone and metal with an semi-abstract dialogue through their obdurateness and softness corresponding to exploration of volume, shape, mass and form. The culmination of all that is a fine visual statement about growth; germination of nature is quintessential of Manoj’s art and sensuous energy is the forerunning pun of his language. Manoj’s art is précis of inseparability of abstract from concrete manifesting the ‘abstract’ semantic of ‘representation’. A remarkable note that one might not ignore to make about his expression is that it is one of the best examples of visual dictions in sculptural abstract minimalism as in response to the ever growing cacophony and verbose of the today’s narration-savvy world.
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Recent work by Ramesh Kandagiri from New Delhi
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Then the existence of energy takes rather cosmic action in Ramesh Kandagiri’s acrylic on multiple layer of rice paper pasted on canvas as according to him he paints the ‘act of experiencing’ of existence to an extent where both the ‘experience-r’ and ‘experienced’ are lost. For him abstraction doesn’t mean ‘no real’ or ‘devoid of representational forms’ but it means ‘more real’ rather…to the extent of ‘para-real’ which means intuitive ‘empirico-transcendental’ understanding of deeper realism beneath the surface towards the occult or the atomic element even. Ramesh sets himself to his self imposed voyage of revisiting abstraction in an equanimous zone in his own ‘innermost self’ between his own pulse and impulse as liberated from all established notions of abstraction. Ramesh’s uncanny pictorial space is not an embellished surface of a closed plane but ‘act of experiencing’ of infinite cosmic space rather with unpredictable momentum of energies which he attains through transcendental meditation on the ‘occurring in the instant’ during the conjunction of idea and medium. Here is where this Zen practitioner believes the ‘innermost self’ of an artist is transformed.
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| Recent work by Rajasekhar Pendurthi |
Rajasekhar P. is a brilliant example of how a positive time-travel towards an artist’s nostalgia can endow both essence and element to his thought and expression. Thus became the memoirs of Rajshekhar’s childhood his source of inspiration. His figures, be it men celebrating ‘cock-fight’, an introvert adolescent deeply engrossed in his thoughts, an old women vending fishes or three fishermen at work, apart from declaring his unparalleled territory of skills in rendering the corporeal reality yet humbly establishes the diligent care in handling his medium which ultimately is his personality trait. One will not disagree with the fact that the meticulous vision of the backdrop of his subjects plays a surrealistic role for his realistic figures; perhaps this is an open secret and strong undercurrent inherent in this silent visual narrator that alarm with premonition a breathtaking range of oeuvre might be released by his adroit hands in future.
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| Recent work by Sandhya Shankar Patnaik |
Sandhya explores her ‘feminine self’ through coeval incarnation in many individuals while sensuality becomes salient trait in terms of lucid chromatics as the metaphor of feminine grace as if being thawed up through chilly predicaments of feminine social identity. Thus her bright canvases speak about her elated self and her vivacious returns to her surroundings. She has a flair of exploiting the chromatic greys in combination with various chromatic hues to evince typical tenderness through meticulous colour texture; the calm process of doing this is typical of feminine resplendence. Sandhya’s compositions are though innocently simple however tickles deeper sensibilities. The human figures in her compositions whether it is a sitting sensuous-shy lassie, lovers in amorous state or a flamboyant next door damsel all seem to be delving into deep self absorption endeavouring to locate the self in various individuals.
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| Recent work by Karaka Venkat Rao |
Venkat Rao’s pragmatic concerns about social life have inspired him to react to the environmental disasters caused by very human follies as he playfully draws his satire on the ongoing blind stylization of life with reference to techno-modernism. Venkat’s angst reaction to the human’s savage flaws has miraculously transformed his form into gargoyles; partly human and partly animal form. But his compassionate concerns to human have flipped his verdict on them turning them into gorgeous gargoyles rather; just unlike the Gothic horrific gargoyles. Metaphorically as if this compassionate artist has pardoned even their fatal flaws. However, well justified is his this conditional pardon with a lesser punishment to his gorgeous gargoyles that despite being sculptures they are positioned in a confined space; this is perhaps metaphorical of metropolitan human’s convoluted life. Often Venkat prefers arranging his sculptures even with no pedestals which certainly is intentional in order to share the viewer’s space. Thus a close relation is established between the sculptures and the viewers’ life. He uses materials like bamboo, paper, resin and fabric to construct his sculptures. Most interestingly he paints the sculpture giving it a semi-realistic appearance. But most of his methods can be viewed as an influence of sculptural forms of traditional Temple craft of Andhra Pradesh.
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| Rcent works by Vasant K. Velapuri |
Vasant K. Velapuri’s sculptures depicts his journey towards himself; his struggle to realize the omnipresent within himself. Devotional path to self realization has influenced him and his sculptures. Experiments with various shapes and forms helped him depict the spiritual introspection and relate himself to the real by deviating from the unreal. The real-unreal dichotomy is so conspicuous in his sculptural assemblages as he juxtaposes the meticulously handled real-unreal form with day-to-day real devotional commodity. However his real-unreal dichotomy, which though has a devotional flavour yet projects arrestingly occult form, thus displays a spiritual-religious narrative often with portrait of sadhus (sages) in deep self absorbed trance. These creative bizarre collectively admit that if only art is ceased by an economic slowdown then it is not art but something else and not at all autonomous. Thus it is established that autonomy of art endows spontaneity to artists with a reward of position as “The Sempiternals”.
By Artist Ramesh Kandagiri
Exhibition details: 23rd to 29th Dec 2015-11am to 7 pm
Art Gate Gallery- 1st Floor (above Satyam Collection) Chheda Sadan 115, J Tata Road Churchgate Mumbai, India
