The exhibition at Galleryske (August 20 to September 22) brings works by an interesting young artist. Chinmoy Pramanick from Baroda in his sculptural installations takes a broad look at the human condition determined by the insatiable and destructive desire for objects of instant gratification. His ambitious project oscillates between expressiveness and verbal statement, partly resulting in powerful imagery and partly getting diluted in the literal.
The best is the central piece with an oversize bronze figure of a typical Indian macho man. The realistic cast of a bulging middle-aged frame incorporates a heavy static instinct of accumulation with an undercurrent of aggressiveness. The man seems to be sated as well as somewhat passively bewildered by the profusion of brass cut-outs at his feet which represent mundane things of fulfilment. Although often sharp, they seem limp and one realises that they suggest having been carved out of the man’s thighs, leaving them perforated and weakened. Indeed, the spectator can empathise with the interpretation of objects of materialism as “Germs”. The sense of being surrounded by and set in a structure and history of amassed objects is enhanced, since the figure is placed behind a shop’s rolling shutter that carries slide images of domestic possessions which one has to operate to enter.
The corporeal state of an individual is forced to have a universalised vision as a flow of life dedicated to this pursuit. Five low relief panels illustrate its progress from lovingly ingested symbols of materialism to its lethal effect and death still clinging to possessions.
 The elegant precision of this work in stainless steel refers to the allure of commercial products, while the ample presence of such emblems-objects as scissors or knives reveal the violence inherent both in the objects and in the human urge to have them. The coldness of the metal thus complements the hoarding compulsion that remains indifferent to anything else. That compulsion to acquire all at once finds a metaphor in the multi-vitamin capsule. The sculptor contrasts and complements the mass of such tempting capsules that spill out of a dish on a dainty table with the single enlarged one that becomes an incubator of commercial desires from childhood toys to embodiments of financial and sexual might.
The glistening capsules are aggressive but under steel and brass, they turn to bullets. If the two initially discussed works have a good amount of evocativeness, the latter is surface-bound, a little loud and limited to a word-based content.
Despite few drawbacks, Chinmoy’s seriousness and the scale of his address are remarkable.
Safe gamut
Independent India, the Ati Gallery exhibition at Ista Hotel (September 7 to 9) presented paintings by 26 artists born after the country became free. The abstractions that dominated the show were mostly of the middle ground. Despite being often cultured and technically sound, they came through as primarily decorative. Better ones belonged to Krishnamachari Bose, Gurdeep Singh, Nupur Kundu, S  Harshavardhan, Rm Palaniappan and Vilas Kulkarni.
Among the few figurative canvases which displayed concern with issues was the realistic image by Pratul Dash and the mediaic urban scene by Goerge Martin p.j., while Viveek Sjarma’s homage to Gandhi.
The other figurative painters oscillated between vague sweetness and predictable stylisations.
Formalism
The Crimson gallery is presenting Preeti Raja, a mid-generation artist living between London and Mumbai (Hatworks Boulevard, September 5 to 26).
The painter shows  her preoccupation with layering of surface and objects, with their flatness, shadows and ambiguous position in space to evoke their journeying through the duality of time and motion but these elements hardly reach the intended profundity or subtlety.
The works are well executed but are rather formalist, sometimes a little loud. One may prefer the subdued still-life-like works on paper with charcoal which have lightness and sensitive animation.
Metaphors
The five recent alumni from the Ken School of Art who exhibited together at the CKP (September 4 to 10), seem to be  bound by the orthodox paradigms taught at their institution and very hesitantly try to break away into more contemporary ways.
An effort towards the latter can be seen in Krishna Kumar’s canvases, whereas Prakash V, Swetha and Chinthan offer forced, design-like compositions with planar shifts, mannered distortions and superimposed images that verbally convey metaphors. Jaganath may be more sincere painting genuinely felt realistic interiors and mundane objects that suggest human presence and mood.
Facile
Ganapati P Hegde is taking an easy path painting indulgent and predictable images of god Ganesha’s powers, cosmic associations and his influence on life (Gallery-g, September 7 to 15).
Despite the mythic, scriptural and philosophic references, his blend of fairly realistic imagery with its abstracted and stylised versions against symbolic geometry and pure abstract areas appears to be commercially oriented to please the undemanding audience. The intense, bright colours that verge on the garish and the patterning composition do not help here.