Poonam Sarin of Ati Art Gallery, New Delhi, previewed a collection of paintings, third of its kind in the City,  at Ishta to commemorate India’s 60 years of independence.

“Love for art is subjective. People in Bangalore were not so appreciative in the beginning. But I find more youngsters showing interest in acquiring art, though 50 per cent of them buy it as an investment. There is no dearth of art lovers in the City,” says Poonam. Aarti, her daughter, adds, “You are considered old at 60, but India is at the dawn of progress. This collection of painting represents the changes taking place in the country.”
Colourful abstracts with dexterous knife strokes by Gurdeep Singh and Dinesh Kumar’s 60”x60” work on  vibrant red background are all interesting. Kavita Jaswal and Namita Malik’s work reflect various stages of the human mind with circles of green and orange representing growth. 

Bose Krishnamchari’s use of colours and Kavita Nayar’s collection named “Woven Dreams of Love” reflect the dreams of independence. Artists who have displayed their collection of paintings include Nupur Kundu, Partha Shaw, Harshwardhan, Sangeeta Gupta, Subrata Kundu, Vikas Kulkarni, Ashish Patnik, Santan Dinda and Seema Kholi among others.

Among the artists, Pratul Dash and Siraj Saxena were present at the preview. Siraj had exhibited his collection in Bangalore last year. “I am inspired by nature and cannot relate to man-made forms,” he says. Pratul had his first solo exhibition in Italy in 1995. “As an artist of emerging India, my art reflects the uneven vertical growth India is witnessing and human exploitations in the country,” he explains. Pallianppan’s conte crayon on treated paper stood apart from the oils and acrylics. Guests were impressed with the art. It’s good news that Bangalore is finally waking up to good art.