Untold stories carved in wood

Post a successful tour in Poland, renowned curator and artist Naresh Kapuria showcased his collection of artwork in India. Inaugurated on July 21, at Alliance Francaise, the collection included 26 pieces of wooden reliefs.

Aptly titled Return from The Gdansk Museum, the exhibition first opened at the
Galeria Autorska Jana Suity at Krakow, followed by a display at the prestigious Gdansk Museum, Poland. Talking about the artwork Naresh says, “My artwork represents a journey which every human being undertakes during their lives. Our lives are a bundle of stories – some that are known to the world and the others which remain untold.”

He has carved human faces that have treaded through the journey of life and have ex­pe­rienced unending emotions through this roller coaster ride of life. The theme of the exhibition is Untold Story.

“The artwork does not rep­r­e­sent my journey particularly but that of the common man. Every human being has num­e­rous untold stories.

Even a common man can be a story if his stories are told. He rem­a­i­ns ordinary till the time his st­o­ry is unknown to the world,” he said. Carved and in tones of blacks, deep browns, shimmering gold, bronze and ant­i­q­ue copper, the artworks are an insight into his mind and of his versatility. Various faces on the artwork represent numerous stories of one’s life.

The burnt relief works, as it is called, was created by the installation artist over the last two years during which it also went to London for an exhibition. Each installation atta­i­n­ed the final look after a leng­t­hy procedure of two months.

“Not everybody’s story is told but that doesn’t mean they are ordinary. In the course of building one hero of any field or kind, there are many unsung heroes behind. My work is a tribute to people whose stories go untold and unrecognised,” added Naresh.
From a painter to sculptor to an installation artist, Nar­e­sh Kapuria beli­e­v­es that a true artist keeps evolving and doesn’t get typecast with one form. “I don’t belive in getting stuck with one form of art... so I ke­ep switching (the streams),” he expl­a­ins.