AAINA, a reflector has the vigour to proclaim the paramount insight of humans, their perceptions and subliminal notions. It beholds the magnificent course of delineating the lives’ locomotion into a static impression and skillfully witnessing it. kindred as a mirror, Visual arts additionally assumes a comparable part in expressing the inner vehemence.
Uttam Sajane, Mukta Pusalkar & Chatan Shetti at Jehangir Art Gallery-2021
The artworks being displayed in the exhibition by three young and adept artists communicates the significance and annotation of episodes they lived concatenated with compositions they created. They bought the moulding of life turmoil and experiences into the idioms of art. Notwithstanding the creation of images from the concepts of society onto the canvases, they have shown the connotations of life in their particular manners. The unique aspect of the body of art created by the artists is their focal on the techniques and articulation of thought.
Breaking the conventional standards of the art sphere, these artists have fearlessly and boldly put their personalities in the form of visual expressions before the world. A genuine artist doesn’t restrict his emotions and thoughts to one channel outlet, instead, they let it flow on canvases in the forms of philosophies and symphonies.
UTTAM SAJANE
Head - Pastel on paper 8x60 in
The works of Uttam Sajane unfurl the dramatics of Human psychology. He began painting accepting face as the structure, reshaping the old representations and acquiring alterations in the conduct of looks. In his verdicts, Humans are the assemblage of multifaceted tendencies, even a single mortal contains varied inclinations, searching for so is artistic proficiency and a form of rest. Utilizing energetic tones and intense strokes, Sajane attempts to recognize the equivocal nature of humans. “These paintings and forms help me to find myself and discern the sufferings around me” proclaims Sajane.
MUKTA PUSALKAR
Acrylic on canvas |7"x 7"
Footing on the second mark of the triangle is Mukta Pusalkar, whose works pinnacles in sentiments and feelings rather than musings and hunts. Implementing sensible and realistic epitomes, her works assemble as a visual journal. Happening a mother, her works usually incorporates silhouette and gestures of toddlers and juvenile. Brimming with sophisticated but radiant tones, Pusalkar proffers her paintings ardour, vivacity and intimacy altogether that threads the viewer with the stands of emotions, temperaments and enunciation of presence. Celebrating the depth of motherhood, she fabulously infuses the motifs and essence of her two-year-old daughter into the spaces she evokes, to which she affirms “being a mother, there’s an imperceptible, yet astonishing focal motherhood present in the recent works. Whether it is my child’s observation of an unknown world or her agility, the more I paint my daughter, the more I understand that it is me who learns to see the world through her eyes, more than the vice-versa.”
CHETAN SHETTI
Acrylic on canvas| 48"x 108"
Chatan Shetti, a seeker and explorer of his inner persona, is in the diligent journey of scrutinizing for the reactions within himself. With the abstract dialect, Shetti deals with dynamic intellectual and hypotheses of life. The discerning selection of pigment and colors indulged with abstract applications and smearing of mediums appends like notions of existence in the plain sphere. His works are an amalgamation of apprehensions, intuitions and a pursue for denotation of self-consciousness. Inner intensities, quarrels and agonies are personated in his art, he yields structure to metaphysical-ties of life. For an artist, it becomes vital to perfume the emotions and cavernous senses onto the colors poured. In shetti’s quotations “I paint the feel of uneasiness in my wit and mind, I try to express my thoughts and subconscious through lines, colors, textures while exploring wide mediums. I never limit my inner self to display my intra and extra murals.” What discrete his work is that it dispenses his spectators with a feeling of liberty to decipher his work in however they need to. With no desire to limit people, thoughts and feelings, his work takes you on an excursion of your decision.
Cherished with the eminent psyche, these artists provoke the viewer to consider the novel perceptions, to not ration their feelings, taking the musings on a way that has been neglected, where implications and preconceived notions are cipher. They courageously ask them to dive deep and to examine the inner self, scavenge for the meaning of life, and when they realise, that the only meaning of life is freedom and self-realization, they will find the art in every possible situation.
With their distinctive artistic lingos, thoughts and compositions, their insights and vision for, self and life are homogenous.
They see the life like a reflection and their paintings like an AAINA.
FROM THE CURATOR’S DESK
“I'm placing a mirror before you, for you to envision yourself.”
‘AAINA’, an exhibition manifesting three young artists whose paintings are at liberty from subjects and concepts but ignite a sense of rawness and purity.
It is always stimulating to get connected to the crude thoughts that are narrated in visual forms, thoughts that reveal the nexus between the artists and their experiences. The three artists notwithstanding their young talent have depicted the works in such an honest form that I call them ‘pure as nude’. In the belief of Picasso, the more it is personal the more it escalates to the world, finding it true I perceive that these works hold a reflection of lives like a mirror, a mirror that has witnessed every natural detail and has been a silent watcher.
Uttam Sajane’s works unfold the realities of humans, their behaviours and emotions. He seeks that human is as deep as a black hole and have varied forms of conduct. Incorporating facial forms, he divulges and unmasks the demeanours of living and the ambiguous nature of mortals. Retaining himself as a base, he configures the ongoing developments and evolution happening inside the mind and body. In my expressions, I comprehend the bare verities of people around me through his paintings.
Mukta Pusalkar, being a mother is anchored to the sentimental embodiments. During her pregnancy she went through episodes of emotions, some may term it as fluctuating moods but she transfigured it into a daily visual diary. We can see the soft vision in her realistic and tender works. For me, the diurnal experiences she had or having has given her and her paintings a fervent aura.
With a self-contained and reserved essence, Chetan Shetty subsume intense expressions in his abstract paintings. Amalgamating questions and hunt for the inner self, intellect and psyche of life, Shetty is in the persistent course of searching for the responses within himself. It sometimes becomes complex to unveil the experiences and interrogations of life onto the canvas, yet his works effortlessly delineate his thoughts. I discover his works full of profound revelations of life, self, rest and connections altogether.
Divergent in their artistic dialects, contemplations and methods of presentation, these three artists share a trait in common and that is the way to discern and show life. The understanding they gather with enormous emotions adjoin is what makes them proficient. The bold way to apply colours, braveness in brush strokes and confidence in displaying their notions, tug us towards their works. I identify the importance of life through their artworks.
Collectively, the exhibition tends to the significance and gaucheness of existence and inner visions, self-proclamations and articulating the subconscious, laying them on Canvases is constantly associated with individual reasons and unuttered musings, it turns out all the more vigorous when feelings and sentiments are added to it.
To perceive your internal inspirations and insights I’m placing an “AAINA” before you.
Curated by HEENA SK
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AAINA - Group show - An Exhibition
MUKTA PUSALKAR I CHETAN SHETTI I UTTAM SAJANE
Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai 28 Dec.2021 to 3 Jan. 2022
On the whole, the surmounted space, in a concealed manner bring about two kinds of subject positions in the Indian art world. First the confrontational and the heroic- outsider to the mainstream and its institutions who upheld a subversive revolutionary identity, and the second that verge on the self absorbed, whose reclusive symptoms manifest often through a disquieting expressionism by using the mode of abstractionist formalism.
Avadhesh Yadav On the door watercolour on paper 30 x 30 in 2021
To elucidate about distinct categorizations, we somewhat come upon some other kind of strain for any foreclosure to it as we have seen before has already proven disastrous and an incomplete study. an entire generation of gutsy, anxious and aspirational artists came into their own in a heroic attempt to find a language. We however account for the uncritical rather intent reading of the present, are we in urgent need of a critical apparatus, one capable of reinventing the possibility of a meaningful engagement with the irresolute and exciting works of the present. The artists in this exhibition are thrown into the middle of whole process of art making - a critique of stasis. They do not begin at the beginning or end at the end. Instead of drawing out the character this exhibition titled ‘An Intersection of The Timeless Moment’ mainly makes a selective attempt to re-embrace some of these artists that helped in producing a body of invigorating abstract- expressionistic language in Indian Contemporary Art.
We are delighted to announce a public art initiative titled "Mumbai Billboard-Bus shelter project" in collaboration with MCGM, the Urban Heritage Committee of Rotary Club of Bombay (RCB) and Priyasri Art Gallery. The project envisages to revitalize the creative spirit of the city through the announcement of the prestigious designation bestowed upon Mumbai as the UNESCO Creative Film City. Bestowing Mumbai with a prestigious honour is indeed a big achievement! We did like to announce through a way that would receive an equally overwhelming response from our beloved Mumbaikars. After all, this award is a tribute to every Mumbaikar! Mumbaikars will experience 15 billboards on the buzzing street of South Mumbai from Mantralay to Worli sea-face to Nariman-Point, where 15 bus shelters will turn into 15 alternative art spaces, featuring works of 15 established and young artists whose lives have been carved in the city of Mumbai. Another exciting feature for this public art project will be a QR code, which will exist on the bus shelters, which the onlooker can scan and take the art home. Aim of ‘Mumbai Billboard-Bus shelter project’: This project shall not only announce this award but will also be an art installation that will acknowledge the poetic spirit present in every one of us—the spirit reconnects an otherwise divided world. The Exhibition is installed and ongoing on the streets of Mumbai.
History proves that art and culture have aided in restoring the peace and stability of society. And this public art installation, interacting with every Mumbaikar on the street, will hopefully reinforce their indestructible never giving up spirit. Mumbaikars have persevered through various trials, including the current pandemic, but they have never given up fighting for peace, harmony, and joy. In a way, the current calamity has indirectly buttressed the „many in body, one in mind‟ spirit of the city dwellers. Art in Mumbai has various formats ranging from commemorative sculptures to iconic murals on the façade of eminent buildings of the business district. Though the public engagements with art have enhanced in recent years, viewing, and experiencing art remains to be a niche affair for laymen. Making contemporary art accessible would be possible if the art is brought into the domain of daily commuters. The strength of Mumbai‟s industriousness lies in its working-class that remains to connect with art being immersed in their formidable duty of running the city tirelessly.
Participating Artists
Al-Qawi Nanavati
2. Anant Joshi
3. Baiju Parthan
4. Bose Krishnamachari
5. Brinda Miller
6. Meera Devidayal
7. Nayanaa Kanodia
8. Nuru Karim
9. Priyanka D‟souza
10. Sooni Taraporevala
11. Sunil Padwal
12. T.V. Santhosh
13. Tanya Singh
14. Teja Gavankar
15. Vikram Bawa
Site of ‘Mumbai Billboard-Bus shelter project’: The buzzing south Bombay Bus Shelters- across 15 sites from Mantralay to Worli sea face to Nariman-Point. Collaborators for the ‘Mumbai Billboard-Bus shelter project’: The outreach is initiated by the Urban Heritage Committee of Rotary Club of Bombay (RCB) and supported by MCGM in collaboration with Priyasri Art Gallery. Timeline of the past Billboard Projects around the world: The first billboards were invented in the 1830s in Europe, to advertise circus acts. The 1860s saw a major shift in billboard advertising. In 1889, the Paris Expo revealed the first-ever twenty-four sheet billboard format, which became the standard format for billboards across the world. Today, Billboards showcase public art for a capitalist society that turns billboards into public art sites thus beautifying the urban and metro cities. In recent times in Los Angeles, many non-profit organisations have hosted a series of “open-air exhibitions” on LA‟s billboards. The goal is two-fold: To help emerging and underrepresented artists break through traditional career bottlenecks by raising their profile with the public and the arts community, and to bring art to city streets making it as accessible as the numerous billboards we view every day. Al fresco, making contemporary art is at its most accessible. This project thus questions the inquisitiveness of the laymen, standing in the circle of an air-locked space, viewing the floating artworks, divorced from the context of their making and the errors accumulated in their daily life.
About Priyasri Art Gallery:
Founded in 2004, Priyasri Art Gallery has been extremely responsive to the evolving language of art and nurturing a gamut of artistic practices and expression. The gallery is dedicated to its role of exhibiting modern, contemporary and experimental artworks; besides focusing on showcasing young artists, we also represent more established artists like Akbar Padamsee and masters like Jogen Chaudhury. Priyasri Art Gallery also provides artists with a studio facility in the art hub of India – Baroda. Called AQ@Priyasri, the artist studio in Baroda has been providing studio space and housing for young artists since 2003, and has also launched a separate printmaking practice.
Writes Corry Bell, “Ok now (not tomorrow), we have again two versions on this business of Art. One says this: Art is creativity, curiosity, new things happening in your mind and life. It’s an emerging surprise, it’s even a shock; it's liberation. The danger it confronts is death by Museum, the imprisonment of the curators frame. To avoid it, it needs to keep on the move, nomadically in step with new resources and technologies. The other voice says: Creativity and Curiosity belong everywhere. But there is one strange thing with this species, and that is the way it can wrap its hands and heart and eyes around a piece of inert matter and coax it into life.” “Gallery Priyasri” seems to address both these voices through a voice of its own.
About the Gallery Space In the bustling Mumbai midtown art space, Priyasri Art Gallery is a cozy 2500 sq. feet contemporary art gallery neatly nested on the seafront in Madhuli, Worli. Its 7x30 feet French windows look out onto a stunning view of the Arabian Sea that shapes the identity of the city.
About The Founder Priyasri Patodia has a B.S.C in Textiles from Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda, Gujarat. She has a diploma in Hindustani vocal music from Kirana Gharana. She has completed training in sculpture under Jagannath Panda, M.S.U, Baroda, Gujarat. She has completed a certificate course in Philosophy and International Marketing at the Harvard Summer School in Cambridge, Boston. She has received a Certificate in Human Resources from the National Training Laboratory, in Washington, U.S.A. She has a Certificate in Marketing from Northwestern University in Chicago, U.S.A.
In 2003, she established an art center for painting and printmaking in Baroda called AQ@Priyasri. In 2004, Priyasri Patodia established Priyasri Art Gallery in Mumbai. A recent project in April 2019 that Priyasri was involved in was the Façade and Landscape Lighting project for the CSMVS Museum in Mumbai. This large-scale lighting project was initiated by the director general of the museum, Mr. Sabyasachi Mukherjee, and it was executed by The Rotary Club of Bombay (RCB) under suggestion of The Environment Committee which is chaired by Ms. Priyasri Patodia.
LOCKDOWN DIARIES Priyasri Patodia was effectively able to support NGO's - WSD, AMTM, PAWS, IDA for feeding the strays because due to the lock down the strays were not able to find food and people were not able to go out and feed them. She will continue to do so until the lockdown ends. She got installed as a Chairperson for the Environment Committee 2020-2021 for the Rotary Club of Bombay. She has undertaken to work for : - Smile Foundation to support the contract sanitation workers who do the dirtiest of the works like picking up medical waste, going down the drains and picking up garbage from residential areas and hospitals. - The second project she has taken up this year is for working with Chirag Rural Development Foundation which is a rural integrated programme aimed at lighting villages inIndia through Solar Power to make the
About Rotary Club Of Bombay:
Rotary is a global organization of business and professional men and women who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.
The Rotary Club of Bombay (RCB), which came into existence on 19th March 1929, is India's premiere Rotary Club and has been in the forefront of community service activities for over 90 years. Chartered with just 38 Members, today it has more than 320 Members and is among the oldest and largest Rotary clubs in Asia.
The late J.R.D Tata, Aditya Birla, Nani Palkhivala and Dhirubhai Ambani were Honorary members of RCB. Today, on its prestigious list of Honorary members, there are eminent personalities such as Adi Godrej, Ajay Piramal, Anand Mahindra, Deepak Parekh, Keshub Mahindra, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Laxmi Mittal, Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, Mrs. Rajashree Birla, Rahul Bajaj and Uday Kotak.
RCB contributes substantially to the community by supporting a number of educational, medical, environmental and vocational activities that impact the lives of the underprivileged and disadvantaged people in and around Mumbai.
Since its inception, Rotary has been driven by its commitment to community service. RCB directly impacts men, women and children, every year, influencing thousands of lives, through more than 30 committees engaged in various avenues of service. Every rupee that RCB spends reaches the beneficiary multiplied several fold, as it leverages, in addition to the money, the value of time spent by the Rotarians and their partners in service.
RCB takes justifiable pride in the work done by its following flagship projects:
In Talwada, a rural hamlet about 130 kms from Mumbai :
the Pherozeshah R. Vakil Eye Centre which has been serving the community for more than 4 decades; and
The Ajit Deshpande Medical Centre (ADMC), which was established in 1999, has served over 750,000 patients since inception. ADMC provides completely free healthcare in numerous specialties like tuberculosis, dental surgery and pathology to adivasis and farmers in Talwada and the Dahanu area.
the newly established maternal and child care ward.
the Anusaya Devi Taparia Junior College which is newly refurbished by RCB.
The path-breaking Bhavishya Yaan (BY) programme which is run by RCB in 6 municipal schools in Mumbai has even been replicated by some other clubs in the Rotary District. –as one of RCB’s most lauded and successful projects over the past 10 years, BY has benefited thousands of children. Speak to any child in the various Municipal Schools across Mumbai and they will tell you the hope and joy this literacy program has brought them. BY provides after school computer and English language skills to under-privileged children, dozens of who have gone on to postgraduate degrees.
Project Anand Yaan - bringing joy to over 120 senior citizens at 2 Anand Yaan centres, in Byculla and Dadar, RCB is dedicated to holistic eldercare centres, because we believe our elder population, on whose backs this country was built, deserves love, respect and a safety net.
Our Urban Heritage projects, in collaboration with The Asiatic Society of Mumbai, include the construction and renovation of two conservation laboratories, restoration and digitization of old and valuable books, manuscripts and maps. Art, musical and cultural performances are organised at the historical Durbar Hall.
Established an Integrated Village Development in Gumbadpada and Warghadpada, in Mokhada Taluka of Palghar District, Maharashtra, by setting up Solar Hub to pull water, store the same in tanks to serve the villages’ irrigation needs and provide safe drinking water as also solar power to light their homes and facilitate education.
Our other Projects include the Vocational Training Centers and the Night Study Centres in various parts of the city, providing employment opportunities and educational facilities to the underprivileged.
Also in continuous existence have been committees working towards Women Empowerment, Healthcare and Medical Services, improving the Environment and Water Resources, Solar Lighting, Animal Welfare and assistance to Cancer Patients.
RCB is proud to state that 100% of the donation amounts are utilised towards the cause, as all administrative expenses are borne by our Club members.
Bhim Singh Hada popularly called Artist of the Maharajas is a reputed artist from Jaipur who has a mastery and skill in creating realistic work in oil and other mediums also. He is a self-taught artist but has been blessed with artistic talent and aesthetic instinct and command over the medium and techniques used for aesthetic adornment of his works with the expected visual effects at the strategic arenas. He has so far showcased his works in many reputed art galleries at Mumbai, Manama, Jaipur, New Delhi in solo and group art exhibitions and has often received good public response and appreciation from the present art world at various venues and art galleries of national and international reputation. He has been awarded for his outstanding contribution to visual arts by many reputed art promotional institutions at several venues.
The Woman at my Ancestral door, Oil on canvas
His works are in the proud collection of several reputed art collectors all over the globe, the noteworthy among them being the Royal family of Bahrain, Malaysia, Rajasthan and several eminent personalities of India. The works are also in collection at Alsisar group of heritage hotels, Jaipur, Ranthambore, Shahpura Haveli and heritage house, Jaipur, Laxmi Vilas Palace, Bharatpur, Mandwa House, Deogarh and many other palace hotels. The high point of Hada’s career is painting a portrait of Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom with King Hamad of Bahrain, which was gifted by King Hamad to Queen on her 90th Birthday.
The present series showcases his latest works in oil on canvas in a realistic style that illustrates the true culture, heritage, music and architecture at several historical places in Rajasthan in his own style and technique. The various works present Amber Palace, Jaipur, good picturesque view observed from Aravali range of mountains, Elephant Ride, Royal processions, various dresses/draperies and ornaments worn by ladies in that region, their emotional mindscapes and social lifestyles, old buildings, forts, various places of historical importance which gives a glimpse of royal heritage and traditions in vivid regions. Not limited to forts and palaces, Hada has painted vivid life of Rajasthan its wildlife, temples at Mandor, folk musicians etc. He has not only depicted the royal culture of Rajasthan, but also its traditional heritage at strategic arenas in his works which are not only amazing and picturesque but also pleasant and visually mesmerizing. He has truly presented a realistic kaleidoscope of Rajasthan via various vignettes of art, culture, traditional heritage, music, natural beauty at several places, architectural details of many old buildings, castles and forts of historical relevance and importance using his visual language of expression incorporating apt colour combinations, icons/motifs and several ingredients of thematic significance in proper perspectives of visual arts.
Bhim Singh Hada
Recent work of a well-known artist from Jaipur, Bhim Singh Hada in oil on canvas in a realistic style will be displayed in a solo art exhibition in AC Hall No.3, Jehangir art gallery, M.G. Road, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai 400 001 from 28th December, 2021 to 3rd January, 2022 between 11 am. To 7 pm.
Jehangir Art Gallery is an art gallery in Mumbai. It was founded by Sir Cowasji Jehangir at the urging of K. K. Hebbar and Homi Bhabha. It was built in 1952. Managed by the Committee of Management, the entire cost of this mansion was donated by Cowasji Jehangir.
Located in: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya
Every Individual perceives and constructs things in his perspective and the desire for expression is a natural part of human culture. An artist projects what he gains through knowledge and experience to build a connection with the beholder. In this process of understanding the painters navigate through inner/outer spaces of experiences to the actualization of the material forms and structure. At first glance of a spectator, while looking into K.K. Gandhi’s painting is a kind of refreshing experience. As his paintings are immersed with the natural landscape, colourful forms, figures, open spaces which provide a sort of soothing to the mind and soul. And invites journey to the spectacular landscape of artists Homeland, which is always gravitating attention of all lovers of arts and beauty.
K K Gandhi
Mr. Gandhi has completed more than 15 years in the field of art. And he always keeps interaction live with contemporary painters to enhance his understanding of visual language. The realistic style of painting according to the artist is the language of common people and can easily connect. As people are accustomed to looking at physical reality as a powerful tool in imbibing aesthetic pleasure.
Visual narration that painter love to work and express is landscape, the structure of Himalayan mountains, nomadic peoples and past monuments / history of Dogra culture. Working on these subjects Mr. Gandhi feels much connected to his roots. Himalayan series works are rich in intensity, saturated tones, dark hues and bold strokes express artists’ passionate search for meaning into the subject and object conversation into a visual format.
Essence of my soil, acrylic on canvas
One of the paintings of the artist titled “Journey Within” wherein Buddhist Monk is shown walking amid mountains without any attention to materialistic thoughts. His focus is on the vast cosmos painted in Violet, grayish tones. The magnificent aura of the space has captured the soul of the saint as if inviting the soul to merge back into his source. The nothingness, the source of all that is seen and articulated in sense-perception and beyond.
- Rakesh Kumar
Visual Artist
About KK Gandhi
K K Gandhi(Freelance Artist) was born in Jammu. KK Gandhi is an avid artist with 19 solo shows and more than 200 group shows in India and abroad and around 120 National and International Art Camps / Symposiums.
KK Gandhi endeavours with mother nature, heritage culture, Nomadic life and messages of peace and salvation of Lord Buddha. He further mentioned the awards, felicitations and certificates of appreciation which he has received earlier from the various art institutions including the Battle Honor Turtuk Medal from Ladakh Scouts Regt. India Army, Award of Excellence 2020-21 by AM Hyundai, 3rd Delhi International Film Festival, Award of Excellence by Bharat Nirman, Shimla Administration & Jaipur International Art Festival.
Nippon Gallery presents, A show representing 3 prolific and creative artists displaying their experiences and affiliations of life. We appreciate Aishwarya Arvind Parab, Spandan Nath and Anjali Nair for Exhibiting such distinctive artworks that have deep impressions and feelings behind them. Visual Letters from 3A- studio configures the encounters of existence, experiences of life and peculiar vision about the world around. With the paramount skills and artistic aptitude, the artworks are displayed with remarkable ease, sublime colours and delightful forms.
Let's take a glimpse at the inspirational journey of these artists.
Aishwarya Parab
I am Aishwarya Parab, a fine artist and an art educator working in a reputed school in Mumbai. I remember the days when I was around 5-6 years old, my father used to gift me various types of books and stationary. Colouring books, drawing books and even story books to read. I used to try and draw the birds and animals from those colouring books on random sheets. But to be very honest, I wasn't too much into art in my school days. Never participated in any drawing competitions nor was I really encouraged to do art. I always drew the iconic two mountains & scenic river landscapes in my art exams. I was an avid reader back then.
My journey towards art started when I decided to leave my ongoing course of B.Sc. to pursue my career in arts. I graduated in Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from one of the finest art school in Mumbai, Rachana Sansad Academy of Fine arts & Crafts.
Before getting in the art school I never really thought about doing it as a profession. Slowly and steadily my interest in this field grew as I was evolving in every aspects of my life; developing my foundation skills, making new friends and enjoying every bit of the phase. The journey wasn't easy but my goals and focus was very clear. I was becoming more passionate and focused by the time. I realised that art is where I belong to. I was discovering a whole new world of art; from volunteering for art events, participating in art exhibitions, working on wall painting projects and public art installations as a collective, to working with an NGO for 6 months. It's been a wonderful experience!
The clarity in my thoughts and my dedication towards art saved my path to securing the excellence awards and the gold medal in the final year of BFA. In that same year two of my artworks got selected for 41st Monsoon Show which held at the prestigious Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai. It will remain as one of the most overwhelming and a dream come true moment for me.
Making figurative compositions is my favorite kind of genre, where I experiment with the form. From making bold patches of colors to capturing delicate forms in surroundings through the lines, my artworks explore and experiment with the concept of one's relationship with the surroundings as well as with self; dealing with the idea of responses that are created within, while observing the world around. As a keen observer and an introvert, I feel that every response and every experience cannot be fitted into the mould of verbal format. That is where the 'form' takes place.
The series of artworks which will be displayed at Nippon Art Gallery from 17th to 23rd of Dec 2021 deal with the idea of the fluctuations of conscious subconscious mind and the responses within.
Mind, not an organ as such..it may not be defined as one form, still can take up various forms. Mind is something which is quite vulnerable yet so powerful on it's own. The things around us keep on affecting our mind.. positively/negatively and sometimes they end up creating the neutral responses. While talking about the external forces that influence our mind. These artworks talk about the numerous other things happening within us that often create the turbulence.
The form that I have used here to depict the mind is a Balloon, in a metaphorical way. Balloon.. flexible, transparent and something that has the ability to hold up to certain amount. The experiments goes on from making bold patches of colours to capturing the different abstract forms from the surroundings.
As Picasso said, ' To search means nothing in painting. To find is the thing', my compositions are the narrations of small yet significant responses.
Spandan Nath
I am an Artist, Writer and Filmmaker. I write it in this order because this is the exact order in which I acquired the skills. As a single child, I would be less interested in games and playing and more into observing the world around. My father had a transferable job, and I would have the opportunity to observe, more than just one terrain or culture. These observations soon translated in sketches and at a very young age, Visual Art took over as my only interest. However, as I grew up and the pressures of education took over, I realised I had less and less time to make visual art. It is then that I realised that poetry and other kinds of writing was just another medium for expressing the same expression that I did through Visual Art. Interestingly, writing started giving me the same pleasure that I felt through Visual Art and that led me to finally graduating as Masters in Literature with Honours at the University of Mumbai.
But that did not mean I lost my interest for visual art, rather it expanded my interest in Art itself. As a Masters student I wrote an M.Phil level thesis on Comic book art and Visual art as a form of language. But after this I felt that, I had to explore more in how I can widen my understanding of Art. I was in a dilemma weather to go for a Ph.D for exploring that or something entirely new. Experimenting with a few occupations, I decided to pursue a Diploma in Film Making. Popular Culture had always interested me, and Filmmaking opened up new arenas for me. It made me realise how each frame of a film is carefully constructed and executed. How script is broken down and storyboarding made all the difference in shooting a scene. After being an assistant in a few short films, I realised that the only thing in which I didn't have a formal education was my first love itself, i.e. Visual Art. To pursue this I went to Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh and did a short course in Thangka Paintings. Further, after returning I took up a certificate course in Print-Making at Rachana Sansad Academy of Fine Arts and Crafts. It is there that I met my fellow artists in this exhibition - Aishwarya Parab and Anjali Nair. Somehow our styles and concepts seemed to click instantly and ever since we have been working as a group. The aggregate knowledge that I acquired by being a student of these several fields is what makes me the artist I am today. My concepts and understanding of Art itself has evolved with my journey. I have since exhibited at several group and commercial exhibitions. However, I am much obliged to Nippon Gallery to showcase our concepts and art as a 3 Artist Group, as it is one of the first exhibition where the focus will be only on our artworks, instead of a large body of artworks from a plethora of artists.
I often say that Art is my Qi as well as my Ikigai ...ie. in simple terms Art is my life-force as well as what I was born to do. But more importantly it's my form of self-expression, which has never stayed bound by one medium. Be it visual art, writing or even Filmmaking - they all represent self-expression and art for me. Art is not a single kind of work but it is rather multi-faceted or multi-dimensional. In fact, the series I present before you talks about the same concept of multi-faceted Life itself. If we are looking at a single person, he or she is playing several roles in their life - like a son, a father, a student, a teacher, an artist, a writer ... and you never know how many more. But the multi-facetedness doesn't end here. If we look at a larger scale, to the organisms living on earth, it's the entire world and it's huge. On the other hand if we look at the entire cosmos, Earth is probably even smaller than a speck of dust in the relative context. Then there are multiple dimensions, which if spoken in the context of quantum physics widens our existence even further, but in the context of spirituality it's an overlap of multiple existences and experiences in the same space. The discussion can go on forever. My series, called The Mangekyō Series that will be displayed talks of an overlap of this multi-facetedness. Mangekyo is the Japanese word for Kaleidoscope. Why Kaleidoscope, though? Kaleidoscope is the overlap of reflections from multiple mirrors, and to me multiple dimensions can be best representated through this wonderful device man has created for entertaining but is awe inducing.
The works themselves are hybrids of traditional art like sketch, digital art like enhancing in them with softwares and then experimental processes like cutting the prints and further enhancing them with relief placement and multimedia work on them. This again expresses the multi-facetedness and multi dimensionalness of the concept that is at the core of this series.
Anjali Nair
I am Anjali Nair, mother of two wonderful kids, a fine art artist and an art educator. I have done my graduation in English Literature (Hons) from Delhi University, and have worked professionally in the garment industry both as a Merchandiser and an entrepreneur for some years. Art for me had mostly been a hobby which I indulged in often. It is after my kids were born and while pursuing my Post Graduation studies in Early childhood education, I saw the positive impact art activities can have on children and adult alike, it is then, I started thinking of pursuing Art seriously. Hence, around 18years down the line, I did my Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting) from Rachana Sansad Academy of Fine Arts and Crafts. In my ongoing learning process, I have participated in various art workshops in collaboration with different artists (including Aishwarya Parab and Spandan Nath) while participating in various wall painting projects in and outside Mumbai. My selected works have been displayed in Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay Art Society and other exhibitions, including public art installation for the Bandra fest along with my artist friends. I have been an art educator for over 13 years. I have also conducted number of art workshops for kids and adults alike, including for an NGO, under Save the Children Foundation, India training over 100 Balwadi teachers so as to propagate learning through Art. My repertoire of experiences and a quest and love for experimenting and learning helps me indulge in unique experiences of working with different mediums like painting, printmaking, sculpture and installation art.
My experiences have also been greatly influenced by my father being in the Armed Forces...and being exposed to varying cultures. It is in this very vibrant environment with many social interactions sometimes loud and sometimes silent I have grown up…each person coming across to me as a unique personality ..sometimes the characters extending to inanimate objects as well.. ..however connected to each other, with a sense of belonging…is it not that many strive to achieve?
Often these interactions make me genuinely interested in the working of the human mind and how working on our subconscious level, we can reflect on our thinking with a better understanding at a conscious level…. for we are the thoughts that we give power and attention to. As an artist, my work explores and at times reminiscences… the dynamics and complexity of relationship with oneself, others, nature and surroundings….it is these interactions and our ways of thinking that we perceive things on an individual level.
On another level, we, human beings are probably one of the only species that ‘can talk about entire kinds of entities that they have never seen, touched or smelled.’ (Sapiens. A Brief History of Humankind...Yuval Noah Harari). Hence, making stories comes more easily to us, and it is on such accounts that we try to connect with others… with ideas which may also be abstract. It is in those abstractions that I try to find meanings through my thought processes, while indulging in expressive purposes. These thoughts coincide with my views and beliefs, that I try to communicate through visuals…In this paticular series, I have made use of hands as expressions with a mind and character in itself…Sometimes the hands speaks what words may not be able to convey…
Though I usually work in various mediums, in these works being exhibited with Nippon Gallery, I have mainly used watercolour and colour pencils in layers to create a rich and textured effect…
Nippon Gallery gladly welcome you all to the virtual exhibition, wishing the artists all the admiration.
Give us a virtual visit. See you.
Visual Letter from 3A - Studio
by
Artist: Aishwarya Parab l Spandan Nath l Anjali Nair
Note: All images is copyright and if you download or copy from website Nippon IT team will take legal notice.Artworks will be couriered in roll format.
Sandhu feels that art is an exercise in observation whether one is painting a landscape, drawing a political cartoon or making a film
By Sukant Deepak
Ikroop Sandhu
April 22, 2021 (IANSlife) “It’s important for me as a person to comment on social and political issues. Social media is a powerful tool to project my opinions into the world. It is also a great place to find alternate points of view and to engage with people outside of our echo chambers. My tool is drawing, so that is what I use to express myself,” says artist Ikroop Sandhu, whose illustration, re-imagining painter Amrita Shergill’s famous ‘Three Girls’ to mark Woman's Day during the ongoing farmers' agitation went viral.
This BA (Philosophy) graduate from LSR in New Delhi, who later did a course in animation from Vancouver has been following the farmers' protest ever since BKU(Ugrahan) set up a morcha.
“Initially I was an observer, but as things progressed, a friend of mine - Sangeet Toor set up a women led publication called ‘Karti-Dhatri’. She asked if I could make an illustration for their first issue. That got the wheels of my mind turning. I had been thinking about the contrasting images of women farmers astride tractors from this protest versus their docile depiction in paintings, films and literature. In fact, women farmers are largely invisible and categorised as rural women while their active role as farmers is overlooked even today.
Amrita Shergill’s beautiful and melancholic painting of three women came to mind, and I wondered if I could use them as a visual quote in the current dialogue around representation of women farmers. That is how the illustration came about. It was printed for the Women’s day celebration instead, and filmmaker Gurvinder Singh designed the poster. It was a spontaneous collaboration,” she remembers.
Drawing social narratives
Talking about artists’ relationships with protest sites, especially as seen during the CAA-NRC protests and the ongoing farmers’ agitation, Sandhu feels that art is an exercise in observation whether one is painting a landscape, drawing a political cartoon or making a film. That this keenness to observe emerges from curiosity. “It could be that artists are curious people or that curious people become artists. Protest sites with their continual improvisations and diversity of engagement is like a Petri dish for a curious mind. So it makes sense as to why young and old creative people would want to participate and study this human experiment.”
The artist, who moved to Dharamshala from Delhi just before the lockdown is quite optimistic about the future of graphic novels in the country. “We are seeing a plethora of independent publishers who are putting out high quality visual work. As comics go digital, more experimental and interactive work from Indian creators will emerge. I am optimistic about this ever growing readership and the shifts in visual mediums,” she says.
Drawing social narratives
(This article is website exclusive and cannot be reproduced without the permission of IANSlife)
Sukant Deepak can be contacted at sukant.d@ians.in
