It is difficult to curtail creativity within the boundaries of the canvas when artistic minds set to work. From using different mediums to creating different shapes, the six artists- Aishwarya Sultania, Arvind Patel, Basant Bhargava, Rajendra Anandrao Patil, Sharda Patel and Nileshkumar Shidhpura, did it all at the recently concluded exhibition titled ‘6by6’.
Displayed at Lalit Kala Academy, the exhibition curated by Nileshkumar Shidhpura, was titled ‘6’ because, “Six is a powerful number,” explains Nilesh who wanted to showcase, “six artistic languages of six different artists.”
Basant Bhargava and Rajendra Anandrao Patil’s are abstract works in black and white on canvas while those of Arvind Patel are watercolour drawings of ordinary daily life objects on paper. The rest have explored other mediums such as acrylic mirror, glass, wood, metal and textile.
Delhi-based artist, Aishwarya’s work titled ‘Free to want what you want’, is done on acrylic mirror. She had drawn images of talk bubbles to represent the interrelationship between subjects, text, materials, mediums and human beings in society. “Everything around us is within boxes. I wanted to emphasise on freedom to speak, out of the box. To be free to dare and have the courage of conviction,” is what the young artist vouches to have created.
All this is done on acrylic mirror because she likes “to use the element of reflectivity. It gives movement to the work,” she explains. To a viewer, however, her artwork is vibrant and gives a fresh aspect to the ways in which art can be expressed. Even her installation of ‘anar and mirchi’ was equally fascinating. It compares and contrasts the properties of both. “Both have seeds yet one is soft and the other is hot. The work is based on the relationship and interplay of the two and how one compliments the other, despite both being so diverse,” says the foodie in her while romances with her installation.
The virtual reality is captured by Nilesh in his work ‘Search Now’ made with kiln fired glass, wood and metal. Shaped like folder icon in computer and SIM card in mobile, Nilesh’s work deals with contemporary life and the relationship between technology and nature. “Our life is the celebration and combination of these two most important aspects of life today,” he says adding that “we as human beings can neither ignore nature nor technology. Technology enhances life where as nature is the soul of life. The balance between the two is necessary,” which one can find in his works.
To display this balance, he makes use of materials like ceramics, casted glass, metal, copper, wood and steel and transforms his ideas into engaging visuals. The titles too are inspired from today’s technology- ‘Made for Each Other’, ‘700MB’, ‘Search-now’, ‘Click here’, ‘700MB4L’ and ‘Virtual Reality’.
In contrast to the above, the artworks of Sharda Patel titled ‘Threads on Cloth’ are a celebration of her childhood experience of growing up in Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
Curator Nilesh explains, “Pursuing different crafts is a household activity in Gujarat. This is depicted in Sharda’s works which are a combination of art and craft such as embroidery on cloth.” The drawings on paper display the traditional hand embroidery done by Sharda, which turn to become more simple and symbolic in her recent works. She combines thread work with water colour and oil colour but her command lies in handling different mediums which comes to the viewer through simple forms.