JOIN USAn exhibition of paintings containing humour and depth of thoughts is sure to attract people of all ages. Titled ‘In Between Heart and Mind’, artist Gurmeet Marwah’s new series of artworks explores the societal hypocracies and have been driven from the current political atmosphere.
“There are certain fixated ideas about what art is, I move beyond them and work freely,” says Marwah.
He doesn’t want to bind himself with technical restrictions. He has worked with charcoal, acrylic, oil, watercolor, lithograph, etching, and linocut. He prefers woodcuts, which is very time consuming. “But I love the results,” he adds.
Some of the artworks are inspired by his personal emotions and others reflect societal issues. For instance, on his paintings depicting cows, he says, “The cow has today become a spectacle, a lot of politics is happening around it. While on one hand people are claiming to worship it, on the other hand you can easily find numerous cows scouting for food in garbage and eating plastic.”
Marwah has also used the image of Gandhi in his artworks titled ‘Gandhi with Gang 1, 2’, ‘Prayer’, and ‘Love at any cost’.
“Gandhi was a simple man but today a lot is being said and done under his name. Gandhi in his lifetime tried to keep away from politics. Today, his name is being used politically, which is the irony of this age,” he explains.
At the personal level, he has also been influenced by the conflicting emotions felt by humans.
His art work also uses animals as metaphors to express certain emotions.
“’There is always a conflict between heart and mind, which I have tried to portray that in works like ‘Unlimited Desires’ and ‘Desires Sizes’,” says Marwah.
He says, “I believe in tackling hard subjects in a fun way. For example black comedies deal with difficult subjects in a humorous way. Similarly my work tackles darker issues in a lighter way. I use satire to covey certain issues.”
He is next working on a series based on war, influenced by the current political atmosphere in India and Pakistan.
The exhibition In between heart and mind is open at ART KONSULT, 3 ground floor, Hauz Khas Village till October 15 from 11 am to 7 pm.