Mahua Art Gallery, founded in 2003, previewed ‘Roots and Shoots’, a exhibition with an admix of young and old artists, with a view to promote good, young talent. The show is a sequel to the one Mahua had in London’s Mayfair, a couple of months ago.
Gallery owner Meenu told Metrolife, “It was our first show in London. People are familiar with the older genre of artists and welcomed the works of new artists, as they were fresh and varied, in sync with the contemporary art scenario. The young artists did very well too.”
The evening also felicitated winners of the H K Kejriwal awards. The Kejriwal Foundation established in 1970 by Harkishore Kejriwal, awards artists with a citation and a purse. Arpita Chandra, has bagged the award again this year. Chaitalli Mallik, Jacob Jebraj, Elancheyhizan, Kishore Ingle and Preeti Agarwal are among the other recipients this year.
Sohini Dhar, Arpana Caur, Viswambhara and Suhas Roy, with their semi-abstract portraitures, Ramlal Dhar’s houses, Shipra Bhattacharya’s tattooed woman, Achuthan Kudallur and Shivani Durga’s abstracts, and Aziz T M’s work infused with sensitivity and fluid elements, were surely worth the visit.
Somnath Maity never fails to draw attention with his structures. This surrealist painter from Bengal is obsessed with urbanscapes. The cityscapes, bathed in celestial light, drew from spiritual sustenance where reality submerges into dreams.
Yolanda Souza from Goa, who has an international following, drew viewers with her portraiture in acrylic, which guests thought was ceramic work. “The secret of this unusual surface cannot be revealed,” says this versatile artist. Dimpy Menon and Elancheyhizan have sculptures, unifying vibrations between folk art and the organic world. Subramanian G, with his collage, stands apart from the oils and mixed media.
Buying art has become popular, not just among collectors, also with the younger generation becoming aware of innovative art forms, the young artists have not had it so good. The exhibition extends an opportunity for those who are venturing into the art culture, discovering works of artists with extension of self, ideologies and identities.
On exhibit till July 31, at the Leela Galleria and thereafter at Gallery, situated on Level III of the Galleria.
