She’s come a long way from her first solo exhibition in 1991 at the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai, at Crimson, and at Crumps Gallery in UK, where she now lives. Preeti Raja told Metrolife, “Art takes me to inner spaces and places I’ve been and I want to go.”
At her solo exhibition previewed at Crimson gallery last week. She qualified in graphic designing from the Bristol Polytechnic, UK. But life changed for her and drew her towards art when er family moved to the countryside in 1980.
After debuting with solo shows in 1991, Preeti has had one exhibition every year. In her collection being showcased at Crimson, she endeavours to portray “drawings that are layered with objects from the past and present, metamorphosing along their journey. The subjects float within limitless boundaries, figurative co-existing with abstraction”, as she explained.
Talking about the Indian art scenario in the UK, Preeti said, “It’s huge. Indian artists were never in the mainstream. But since the past year, they’ve got a place in the modern history of art. Living in the UK, I find recognition as an artist compared to a few years ago when you were dismissed as ‘an Indian artist’. London being the multi-racial city it is, there’s a huge art movement emerging.”
She continued to say, “People abroad expect to see an artist depict nuances of their environment and art aficionados abroad differ from those in India. Collectors there have always been partial to watercolours, unlike India where oil and canvas have the edge. One finds the post modernistic movement is not so pronounced, figuratives are on the decline. Before the 19th century landscape painters did not go to the countryside to paint. But Claud Monet and the Impressionist artists (1840-1926), explored such visual themes. Semi abstract portraiture became popular in the 19th century.
“We see a change now, interest has shifted from portraiture to landscapes though abstract art has its own section of appreciators. My work has always been textured with pencil and characoal, with the 3D quality prominent. Paper as a medium feels like a fluid dance and the intimacy of pencil makes me explore virtual spaces.”
The guests, over cocktails, expressed delight in the watercolour washes and the realistic play of light and shade.
Ann Warrior spoke of movement in the surfaces and subjects strung together by time and space, Nowzer and Sillo found the work more thematic. Uma Rao, Sultana Hassan, Rekha Rao, Girish Karnaad were among the art collectors gathered at the preview. Preeti said she was truly delighted by the response.
On exhibit till September 15 at Crimson Art Resources, Hatworks Boulevard, Cunningham Road.
