Art News: Flux/Resonance at Visual Arts Gallery, Nov 7-11, 2025

Flux/Resonance

Curated by Nalini S Malaviya

Sonali Bose Chasm I

The exhibition Flux/Resonance brings together ten contemporary artists—Biswa Basu, Kantha Reddy, Malay Saha, Naba Kumar Chakraborty, Nandesha Shantiprakash, Partho Chatterjee, Rathin Kanji, Shridhar Iyer, Sonali Bose, and Yusuf—whose works respond to the currency of our times through a conceptual lens. Curated by Nalini S Malaviya, the show interrogates the cyclical nature of decay and renewal, offering a visual and philosophical inquiry into the elements that shape our urban and emotional landscapes.

Malaviya frames the exhibition around the paradox of collapse and regeneration. “The narrative of decay is a complex process involving degeneration and collapse, while simultaneously establishing the framework for the rejuvenation and re-emergence of newer constructs,” she writes in the curatorial note. The artists delve into this dynamic interplay—flux and resonance—as a metaphor for existence, exploring transformation, incoherence, and the tensions embedded in the built environment.

                                                     

The exhibition navigates the metamorphosis of urban life, probing the interconnectedness between human experience and the cityscape. Themes of technological proliferation, media saturation, and consumerist culture emerge as critical touchpoints, where each artist brings a distinct voice to this collective interrogation.

Rathin Kanji, Seize the night

Biswa Basu deploys abstraction to depict societal disorder, chaos and emotional fragmentation. S. Kantha Reddy fuses mythology, nature, and temporal abstraction in sculptural forms drawn from everyday encounters, while establishing linkages to the past. Malay Saha examines spatial relationships and tensions between objects and human presence in urban settings.

Naba Kumar Chakraborty critiques the proliferative nature of technology and its role in influencing instant gratification. Nandesha Shanti Prakash reflects on the evolving relationship between selfhood and social purpose in contemporary life, and the oscillating nature of life and traits such as resilience. Partho Chatterjee explores chromatic and geometric dialogues between humans and their urban habitats, and the effect of design on these associations.

Rathin Kanji confronts the contradictions of progress—juxtaposing innovation with ecological and cultural decline. Shridhar Iyer captures the cosmic and terrestrial dualities through chaotic yet interconnected visual narratives. Sonali Bose exposes the paradox of digital intimacy versus emotional isolation in her mixed media works. Yusuf offers minimal, metaphor-rich compositions that evoke the psychological terrain of human emotion.

Flux/Resonance offers a space to contemplate on impermanence, contradiction, and the layered complexity of contemporary existence. Through varied visual vocabularies, the artists articulate the chaos and lucidity that define our lived realities, inviting viewers to engage with the subtle interludes of resonance that punctuate the flux of life.


Flux/Resonance featuring paintings, mixed media and sculptural works will be held from November 7-11, at Visual Arts Gallery at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.



For info contact: +91 9434592326 / 9831182657

Based on the press release

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Art News: India Art Festival Bengaluru, December 2024

India Art Festival Bengaluru, December 2024: A Grand Celebration of Art and Culture

Bengaluru: The much-awaited India Art Festival (IAF) is set to return to Bengaluru for its fourth edition, enthralling art lovers from December 19 to 22, 2024, at the Palace Ground, Kings Court. This edition promises to be the most expansive and diverse yet, bringing together an unprecedented number of participants to celebrate art.

Lalu Prasad Shaw

With over 30 galleries and contributions from 350 artists representing 30 cities across India, the art festival will showcase a wide array of artistic expressions, from paintings and sculptures to photography, ceramics, and installations. This year’s IAF highlights the vibrancy of India’s contemporary art scene, providing a platform to explore its latest trends and innovations.

A Feast for Art Enthusiasts

Opening on December 19, the art festival offers visitors a chance to immerse themselves in a rich tapestry of artistic diversity. Over 3,500 pieces of art, spanning oil paintings, acrylics, watercolours, installations, traditional art, and much more, will be displayed at the Kings Court, Palace Ground. The event aims to captivate both seasoned collectors and first-time buyers, ensuring a comprehensive art experience for all.

India Art Festival has consistently fostered a balance between supporting emerging talents and showcasing works by established artists, creating a unique platform for artistic expression. In this edition, young and independent artists will shine alongside eminent names, offering a fresh perspective on contemporary art.

Special Exhibitions and Events

Chandra Battacharya

A key highlight of this year’s India Art Festival is the curated exhibition, "Shaping Horizons: Karnataka’s Iconic Innovators," masterfully curated by Prof. K.S. Appajaiah. This remarkable showcase celebrates the pioneering works of 30 distinguished artists, including S.G. Vasudev, Gurudas Shenoy, M.S. Murthy, M.J. Kamalakshi, C. Chandrashekhar, J.S. Khanderao, V.G. Andani, Sudha Manohar, Hemavathi Umamaheswar, and others. Together, these luminaries have profoundly influenced and shaped Karnataka’s art landscape, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural fabric of the region. This exhibition is a tribute to their enduring legacy and a celebration of their visionary contributions to the world of art.

Laxman Aelay

IAF Creative Excellence Awards

The India Art Festival (IAF), a premier platform celebrating contemporary art and artists, proudly reintroduces its IAF Creative Excellence Awards in this edition. Established in 2011, these prestigious awards honor the creativity, innovation, and dedication of artists participating in the festival. Open to both independent artists and those represented by galleries, the awards recognize outstanding talent showcased across IAF editions in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.

Each award includes a memento, a certificate of appreciation, and a cash prize of ₹50,000, presented to two selected artists. The winners are chosen by an independent jury comprising two esteemed figures from the art world. The awards will be ceremoniously presented during the opening ceremony of the India Art Festival on December 19, 2024, at 11:30 AM at Kings Court, Palace Grounds, Bengaluru. This initiative underscores IAF's commitment to nurturing artistic excellence and celebrating the diverse talents that enrich the contemporary art scene.

Fusion Shows

Amit Bhar

Every year, the India Art Festival offers an enchanting convergence of music and visual art, blending the universally beloved medium of sound with the evocative, often intricate language of visual expression to craft an immersive sensory experience. This year, the festival elevates its cultural repertoire with captivating fusion performances and live painting sessions featuring renowned artists P. Gnana, Manjegowda, and Eby N Joseph, accompanied by exceptional musicians Subramanya Hegade (Sitar), Prasanna Ballal (Mandolin), Shrinidhi Katti (Flute), and Sandeep M (Tabla).

These dynamic collaborations will transform the festival into a vibrant cultural hub, offering audiences a harmonious interplay of art and music on December 20, 21, and 22, from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM. This unique synthesis promises to captivate art and music enthusiasts alike, enriching their festival experience with creativity and inspiration.

Film Screenings

The other highlight of the India Art Festival, Bengaluru, is the screening of the enlightening film, "The Eternal Canvas – 12,000 Years Journey through Indian Art." This cinematic masterpiece offers an immersive exploration of India’s rich artistic heritage, tracing its evolution from prehistoric cave paintings to the vibrant expressions of contemporary art.

Through captivating visuals and compelling narratives, the film provides a panoramic journey across millennia, celebrating the profound creativity and cultural legacy of Indian art. Visitors are invited to experience this visual odyssey on December 20, 21, and 22, with screenings scheduled from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM each day.
This feature adds a dynamic dimension to the festival, offering an educational and inspiring experience for art enthusiasts and history lovers alike.

Praveen Kumar

Artistic Pavilion and Global Participation

This year’s Artists’ Pavilion will feature 300 independent artists presenting their works alongside 100 established artists represented by galleries. Participating galleries include Bengaluru-based Space Edge, Sara Arakkal Galerie, and Gallery Charvi, along with prominent names from Mumbai, Delhi NCR, and beyond, including international galleries like Gnani Arts (Singapore) and Artconcept (Dubai).

Participating Art Galleries:

Bengaluru : Space Edge, Sara Arakkal Galerie, Shiny Colors Art Gallery, ReIGNITE EDTECH PVT LTD, Akanksha Art Gallery, iArt Gallery, ASR Art Studio, Gallery Charvi

Mumbai: House of Emerge, Rhythm Art, Studio Monica Ghule, Studio Pankaj Bawdekar, Nitya Artists Centre, Bouquet of Art Gallery

New Delhi & NCR: Gallery Pioneer, Pastel Tale, OPS Art Gallery, Uchaan, Artecious World Art Gallery, Aura Planet, Artehut, Merakii Art House, Eminent Art Gallery,

Gnani Arts, Singapore, Artconcept, Dubai
Artsbreeze Art Gallery, Hyderabad, Pichwaiwala Narendra Art, Udaipur, Smita Art, Kolkata
M Narayan Studio from Pune.

Event Details

• Dates: December 19 to 22, 2024
• Venue: Kings Court, Palace Ground, Gate No. 5, Bellary Road, Near Mekhri Circle, Bengaluru
• Timings: 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM
• Tickets: Day Pass ₹299, & Season Pass ₹499 available on BookMyShow.com and at the venue

- Excerpt from press release 

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Also read,

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Art News: MAP, Bengaluru Appoints Harish Vasudevan As Acting Director

Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru, India announced the appointment of Harish Vasudevan as Acting Director on September 9th, 2024.

Reflecting on the continuing development of the museum from its roots as the first digital museum in India, and the successful opening of its building in Bengaluru in February 2023, the appointment is designed to prepare the organisation for further growth.

In over three decades of experience, Harish has held several leadership roles in multiple geographies, with companies like Ogilvy & Mather as well as IBM. He is also a published author and teacher. Over the last six months Harish has been consulting with MAP on Marketing and Operations.

Besides working with all the Heads of departments across Education, Collections, 
Conservation, Inclusion, Marketing & Communications, Design and Development, Harish 
will be further supported by Dr. Arnika Ahldag, Head of Curation and Exhibitions at MAP.

Commenting on the announcement, Abhishek Poddar, Founder and President of MAP said “As we looked at our plans for the future, we were looking for someone with the skills to develop the organisation, while also strengthening the brand. Harish has just the right combination of expertise and experience to build on the foundation that MAP has laid over the last few years.”

“The first time I entered MAP I fell in love with it. I am honoured to get a chance to lead this fabulous team as we get ready for Phase 2 of MAP’s impressive journey as India’s first new museum to open in a decade.”, says Harish Vasudevan — Acting Director, MAP.

- Excerpt from press release 

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• Exhibiting Art in Non-Gallery Spaces
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Art News: Wilderness Escapades by Krish Iyer

Reconnecting with the past

Bangalore based artist Krish Iyer presents his recent suite of paintings that reimagine sculptures of Khajuraho temples, which decades ago, had set him on a path of creative expression. Iyer revisited the site recently, which is located in a densely forested region, rich in natural flora and fauna. In the temple art and architecture with its iconographic symbolism and its philosophical and spiritual moorings, Iyer has found a way to reconnect with the past, and re-envision it in his art, in a contemporary context.

Painting by Krish Iyer

The large format paintings in ‘Wilderness Escapades’ reference these sculptures and the underlying premises, to create a spatial interplay of light, colour and texture to suggest the form, postures and gestures of the stone statues in a quasi-representational style. The artist’s interpretations are moored around the historicity of the temples, their geography - located as it is amidst forested land and wilderness, with their beauty and splendor remaining undiscovered for centuries. And, their subsequent desecration by invaders, all of which weave an intriguing narrative of mystery and mystique, of magnificence and ruin, of worldwide fame and remoteness. The art and architecture of the Khajuraho temples combined with their religious, cultural and historical significance form an intrinsic part of their allure. Numerous stories, philosophies and other intangibles lie beneath the surface of the stones, creating sagas of seduction, lure and enigma.

Krish’s canvases explore these histories, the abstracted notions of human potential, philosophies of living, corporeality of the flesh and temporality of life. The visual semantics are anchored in formal aesthetics, with defined line drawings marking the canvas, while the abstract expressionist approach at later stages lends critical layers of texture, and simultaneously recontextualizes historical content.

Painting by Krish Iyer

The tactile surface of the works emerges from heavy textures, layers of dripping paint, and several applications of thick acrylic paint using the impasto technique. The palette knife and other tools transform the canvas, to add depth and dimension, to strip off extraneity and to emphasize salient features of the physical form. Transcendence, man and nature (re)union, the cycle of life and rebirth, and joy of living are some of the key principles that are depicted at Khajuraho temples, and it is these that Krish seeks and attempts to portray in his works. The deliberate obliteration of details in the figures, and the structurally accurate forms that replicate their defiled state, are incandescent with the ironies of transience – both natural and as outcomes of anarchist interventions.

Despite the precision of line drawings that form the basis of the works, Iyer’s methodology is essentially non-mimetic. The gradual yet decidedly gestural transformation of the painting surface as a pictorial array of subconscious thoughts and patterns rescinds identifiable characteristics and accentuates the metaphorical import.

After a successful career in commercial art, Krish has returned to painting with this solo exhibition - to pursue subjects and themes that resonate with him. A chance encounter with the Khajuraho temples almost three decades ago, stayed with him through the years and a strange yearning drew him back to them recently. This series originated from the revisit, marked by an innate desire to reconnect with nature, and to allow subconscious thoughts and emotions to surface and transform on canvas. With this exhibition, Krish attempts to break the invisible shackles that have contained his creativity all these years and to realize his inner potential.

Nalini S Malaviya
Art Critic
March, 2023                                                                                                   

- Catalogue text

The exhibition 'Wilderness Escapades' continues from March 20-26 at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore. For further details contact 9900094466. Visit Wilderness Escapades (krishiyer.in)

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• Art News (Bangalore) - Reimagining: (Un)Reality and Space
• How To Write An Artist Statement
• 6 Tips On How To Approach An Art Gallery And Find Gallery Representation
• Exhibiting Art in Non-Gallery Spaces
• 5 Reasons a Good Catalogue Text is Essential for Your Art

Art News: India Art Festival in Bangalore

India Art Festival attracts over 30 galleries and 400 artists for its second edition in the city

The 2nd Edition of India Art Festival (IAF) in the city starting from December 08 – 11 at the Palace Ground, Kings Court, Gate No. 5, Bellary Road, has grown in scale and size this year, bringing cutting-edge contemporary art to the city, presented by over 30 Art Galleries and 400 artists, coming from 40 different cities across India, Singapore and USA.

Opening on December 08, the 2nd Bengaluru edition of IAF will bring all forms of artistic expressions in the art fair including painting, sculptures, photography, ceramics, installations, offering insights into current art trends in India and Asian diaspora.

Aditiraje Bhonsle

Founded in 2011 by the publishers of Indian Contemporary Art Journal, IAF is the only art fair held annually in three metro cities and which has mounted 22 editions so far at Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru.

Whether, it is a seasoned art collector, or a new art buyer who want to acquire the first piece of art, the India Art Festival with 4000 pieces of art across 100 booths, on display at the Palace Ground is a perfect place to fall in love with art. At IAF, the art collectors are spoilt for choices to choose from many mediums and styles - oil paintings, acrylics, water colour, original prints, installations, drawings in myriad styles dealing with varied subjects including landscapes, figurative, abstracts, cityscapes, seascapes, urban and rural scenarios, portraits, nudes, semi-nudes, religious art, traditional paintings, murals, warli art and many more.

The master artists displayed by the galleries include Sakti Burman, Yusuf Arakkal, Lalu Prasad Shaw, S G Vasudev, Laxman Aelay, Gurudas Shenoy, Laxma Goud, Jatin Das, Jogen Chowdhury, Manu Parekh, N S Harsha, P Gnana, Seema Kohli and many others.

Yusuf Arakkal

The Artists’ Pavilion with individual booths by independent artists is so designed as to create a dialogue between the viewers and the art maker, and the artist. It also encourages dialogue between the art market and the artists directly. Here the sale and purchase of the artwork is on an open platform and the buyer or collector can approach an artist and the choices are numerous.

Vinita Dasgupta

This kind of freedom is rarely possible as both the artist and the buyers benefit from this arrangement. India Art Festival Director Rajendra says, "the process of democratizing ‘art viewing and buying’ initiated twelve years ago in Mumbai sort of became a movement; the growing interest in Indian contemporary art slowly made this movement spread to New Delhi and Bengaluru covering significant length and breaths of our country."

Apart from 200 established artists exhibited by art galleries, more than 200 independent artists are displaying in the ‘Artists’ pavilion’ at the art festival. The subjects broached by the artists vary from personal experiences to intense narratives.

Dhyana Das

 'Tripurasundari’, a feminine mystique of the goddess by artist Dhyana Das and Kalyani Ravishankar’s ‘Radha-Krishna’, both blend the nuances of classical paintings and contextualize them within Indian religious sensibilities. 

In another instance, artist Karthik Kamath, Sonali Surana and Tejaswi depicts embodiment of renunciation, Buddha, the enlightened one in his splendid aura with wavy hair curls & the monastic robe covering both shoulders and arranged in heavy classical folds. 

Sunitha Krishna, Smita BP, Kalyani Sinha and Tripti Pandey indulge in an artistic imagery using religious images, cultural symbols and motifs that touches the spiritual chord of the viewers.

Artists Gaurav Dagar, Jyothi Prakash and Prakash Bal Joshi beguile the viewers with their abstract composition using pure forms & colours, whereas artist Muthukrishnan Ramalingam and Rajitha Bonthala chose the middle path of semi-abstract idiom to present their visual stories.

Wildlife, animal and bird paintings is one of the oldest art forms found since ancient times in the cave art. Animal and bird art have come a long way since then in technique and imagination and occupies major part of the contemporary art space in India. Artist Isha Valentine’s symbolic deer with antlers, Priyanka Sehgal’s Sunbird, big cats and elephant by artist Apurba Das, Shakila Ananth and Sudha Anandampillai displayed in the art festival is a fusion of art elements found in Bundi style of traditional art with contemporary times.

Akshata Shetty

The black and white paintings displayed in the art festival by Akshata Shetty, Beena Surana, Om Thadkar, Preeti Baliga, and Priyanka Maurya prove that the paintings need not have to be always done in striking colours to create visual splendour! Viewers are bound to be mesmerize by the unfolding visual drama of muted blacks, ash greys, dark flashes, starry whites with harsh shadows employed in the work of Om Tadkar in his galloping white stallion, whereas Priyanka Mauraya’s dreamy flowery land and symbolic portraits of all sorts by Akshata Shetty and Preeti Baliga creates powerful viewing; these paintings can go with entire range of minimalist modern décor & interior to create aesthetic ambience around living spaces. 

Since ancient times to modern times, from fertility goddess to modern-day multitasker, artists have always enjoyed exploring the subject matter of women folk in art. But when the subject is explored by female artists herself, it assumes different significance like artist Geeta Yerra, Parul Sharma and Swati Burde who are exhibiting in the art festival. 

P Gnana

The figurative works by Ravi Verma and Vanita Gupta along with Atul Todi and Jayaram Krishna’s figures emerging through geometric patterns on closer look is an added in attraction for viewers. 

The notion of beautiful and sublime with sharp contrasts of light and shadow is exemplified in the landscapes by Poornima Deepak and Reema Ravindran whereas Deepshikha Bishoyi, Mridul Garg, Pooja Muthuraj, Shankari Kundu, T V Sairam and Vidhu Pillai prefers suggestive style of abstract landscape which focuses more on expressing emotion while still capturing the essence of a landscape. Seena Mani’s cityscape, Aditiraje Bhonsle, and Kasturi Dutta’s flowerscape are different genre in landscape painting in the art festival that would leave a lasting impression on the viewers. 

Among several others noticeable works by master artists, the artists pavilion present a fresh face of India Art Festival at the Garden city. India Art Festival, with mammoth art collection of all sorts of art under one roof is a one stop mega art jamboree for art enthusiasts in this week to enjoy art without getting tired in hopping around art paces in city!

The participating art galleries include Akanksha Art Gallery, Charvi Art Gallery, Green Footprint

Laxman Aelay

Art Gallery, H Art Gallery, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Sara Arakkal Gallerie (all Bengaluru), ArtDesh Foundation, Artvista, House of Emerge, Nitya Artists Center, Studio Pankaj Bawdekar, Studio Rustgrey, Studio3 Art Gallery, The Bombay Art Society, thecurators.art (Mumbai) , ArteHut, Eminent Art Gallery, Gallery Pioneer, Nifa Art Gallery, Gallery Vision Art (New Delhi), Pastel Tale & Uchaan (Gurgaon), Gnani Arts (Singapore), Kalabhawan (Agartala), M Narayan Studio (Pune), Pichwai by Beyond Square (Udaipur) and Subodh Fine Art Studio (California, USA) among others.

India Art Festival will be on from 08 to 11 Dec 2022 at Kings Court, Palace Ground, Gate No.5, Bellary Road, Near Mekhri Circle, Bengaluru from 11 am- 8.30pm on all days.

For further details contact: 9820737692

Excerpted from the press release

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• Art Scene India presents Convergence
• Art News (Bangalore) - Reimagining: (Un)Reality and Space
• How To Write An Artist Statement
• 6 Tips On How To Approach An Art Gallery And Find Gallery Representation
• Exhibiting Art in Non-Gallery Spaces
• 5 Reasons a Good Catalogue Text is Essential for Your Art

Cut Pieces by KP Reji at The Guild

The Guild presents “Cut Pieces”, a much awaited solo exhibition of recent works by Baroda based artist K. P. Reji at The Guild, Alibaug. 

The show is the first presentation in the silver jubilee year of the gallery. Reji’s works are known for their witty take on the state machinery and its multiple modes of ordering of lives of people. In this recent body of works he takes a new direction in exploring this. The meticulously constructed canvases offer a newer language, and furthermore, newer narratives in his repertoire. “K.P. Reji’s oeuvre, marked by its frontal narrative overtures and enigmatic subterranean, political sites, propels us to think about the need to define beauty in a new ontological setting. This drive is evident in his move, on the one hand, towards an allegorical mode of narratology, and a counter-move to suspend the narratorial through the ‘decoratively-real’ exteriors and interiors, on the other. In an intriguing manner, many of his works present themselves to us as allegories on practices, and works of art; as an artistic rumination on representational dilemmas of narrative idioms. 

These representational dilemmas stem from an artistic contemplation and reasoning regarding the nature of the political in the discursive universe of what can be broadly called aesthetical practices. Reji’s artistic propositions often remind us, in a Freudian analytical way, that the experience of beauty is bound up with, or is a form of mourning; it is a life-affirming act even though what one is dealing with is the most abominable. His works can be read perhaps as a pharmakon, which ex-poses the melancholies of our time; or better put, in-stances inertias that cloud our thinking and action. In a way, it presences the element of the violence of the sublime—at times, through the fracturing and fragmenting (and tearing) of form, materiality, proportion, and even composition, for the sake of the aesthetic encounter. The constant reinvention of unforeseen potentials of the affective fields of percepts and language Enables this body of work by Reji to enact the redistribution of the sensible, and thereby, open up newer possibilities of the political and the aesthetical. 

In the overall schema of this exhibition, both the phenomenology and politics of perception are evoked through the spectral presence of multiple acts of blinding. It seems that the coming together of these works proposes that only in blinding perception can the claims of colour and line be restituted, and with them, finally, the authority of the fragile and harassed human body.” – Excerpt from “Beauty as Pharmakon”, essay by Dr. Santhosh S

The exhibition continues till April 5, 2022

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• Art Scene India presents Convergence
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• How To Write An Artist Statement
• 6 Tips On How To Approach An Art Gallery And Find Gallery Representation
• Exhibiting Art in Non-Gallery Spaces
• 5 Reasons a Good Catalogue Text is Essential for Your Art

Tattvamasi by Artist Mohan Shingne

Spurts of Enigma: Nikhil Purohit writes on the art practice of Mohan Shingne 

An artist with formalist fervor operates both as an agent and a vessel for creation. Contemporary Indian art today is a mix-bag of several ideas from world art merged with indigenous aesthetic blends. It liberates an artist like Mohan Shingne to cross the roads with ideas of modernist abstraction and impulsive sculptural responses to a medley of found objects imparting meanings to resulting objects.

A nuanced rendition through self-experienced perspective is the notion one ought to look for the works of Shingne rather than novelty. The artist has a dedicated hybrid practice. Firstly, of making sculptures with a conscious thematic of collaging shapes and found objects. Secondly, of paintings worked out as a process of self-exploration like an ardent devotee revealing the inner workings of a contemplative mind. He holds an intimate attachment to his role as an art educator besides following sculpting and painting as primary modes of expression.

With a humble upbringing in a family of goldsmiths, Mohan’s small and life size sculptures carry the craftsmanship and flair for detailing with a remarkable finesse. Poetry for him becomes a source for insinuating his feelings towards the inanimate world around that catches his attention. Words seem to be a storeroom to accumulate his notes for later visual conversions as idioms. It allows to gain a sense of Zen like feeling to learn how objects- mostly rustic, aged, and redundant become one with his psyche and finally at an immersive moment the object is released into a sculpture or flat surface. With a share of hardships in his early life the phase gifted him with a connect toward wordless conversations with things around. A link that has lent subtlety to his paintings and harmony to his 3D objects.

All this process hints at romance with formalism, yet Shingne finds gaps to escape rigidity in practice and breakthrough from monotony by experimenting with the found objects, clubbing them together. He happens to follow a formula of an uncanny juxtaposition where “Form + Form = Form, Form - Form=Form”. Perhaps the equation is an inert one where the principal element always stays. A philosophical take where the utilitarian thought in the object is discounted to abate a metaphor with mysticism.

 

The set of new achromatic works made during the nationwide COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period instills mixed feelings of emptiness, seclusion, loneliness, remorsefulness, silence, hope, and perseverance. The general theme of the series in dark shades with subtle textural notes has rectangular divisions annotated with few rhythmic curves breaking the grid formation. This releases the built-in tension formed after continuously watching the work. These works almost remind the ravishing paintings of veteran artist Jeram Patel, though the method of covering the space takes a different visual course. The underlying organic forms are nothing but triggers to melody.

One sculptural collage arouses satire and amuses us. The cylinder works were made by him before the onset of second wave where one could barely imagine how the situation could turn to be grave medically. Hailing from the goldsmith’s family these cans are part of his families’ occupational supplies. Mohan made use of these empty cans to revise their identity by introducing commonplace objects. The juxtaposition can only be admired by the viewer for the ease of mix-match where the two unrelated objects of a can and those of a buttermilk churner, a bowl, and an oil lamp respectively are bonded together. The experimenter within the artist allows spurts of delight and ecstasy.

Faithfully abiding by the tenets of formalism Mohan’s works continue to entice enigma.

Tattvamasi by Mohan Shingne, a Solo Show of Paintings and Sculpture continues till 10th December 2021 at Shridharani Art Gallery, New Delhi

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• Art Scene India presents Convergence
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• How To Write An Artist Statement
• 6 Tips On How To Approach An Art Gallery And Find Gallery Representation
• Exhibiting Art in Non-Gallery Spaces
• 5 Reasons a Good Catalogue Text is Essential for Your Art

'Ghan Phut' by Shraddha Rathi at Kalakriti Art Gallery

Nostalgia in Wood

Pieces of ancient carved wood have been transformed into art installations at the solo exhibition ‘Ghan Phut’ by Bangalore based artist Shraddha Rathi. These strike a nostalgic note at Kalakriti Art Gallery in Hyderabad. Celebrating revitalization and renewal, the art works are as much symbols and remnants of melancholy and heritage as an ode to the centuries old craft of exquisite wood carving.

Shraddha describes the artworks as ‘the contrasting confluence of modern day concrete blocks and a century old piece of carved wood which reveal the impermanence of life today and the strength of yester times’.

Born in 1974, Rathi studied performing arts and architecture. A practicing artist for more than fifteen years now, her initial paintings drew inspiration from her architecture and classical dance background. From hyperrealistic paintings of exquisite carvings and sculptures of ancient India she gravitated towards abstraction and installation art. She experimented with installations in wood and metal that combined paint and text to create a play with the display space as well. A series of functional wood pieces formed interactive art that could engage the viewer at another level. The gratitude bench with text related to gratitude engraved on it was the highlight of this show held a few years ago.

 

Recently, when Shraddha came across carved reclaimed wooden pieces that were more than a century old, her formal background in architecture and her desire to draw attention to the magnificence of these pieces, which are often discarded as architectural waste, inspired her to transform them into art installations. She worked with carved pieces that were originally parts of structural elements of havelis and wadas, to uncover and reveal the beauty of each cubic foot of wood. 

Through an elaborate process of reclamation and renewal, Shraddha has attempted to locate these visual markers of culture and history in a contemporary context. She feels each piece is unique and has a story to narrate from its rich and eloquent past.

As she says, “Ghan phut celebrates the unusual convergence of the past and the present, through stories that come alive with reconstruction and revitalization.”

The exhibition is online here at Kalakriti Art Gallery

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