Creative melange

Painted in vibrant hues, 16-year-old Yashvi Chevli’s canvases beautifully capture the essence of various Indian states like Kerala, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. So, while ‘Garvi Gujarat’ shows the famous Somnath and Ambaji temples, the state’s famous garba dance and the Girnar Hill in the background; ‘Royal Rajasthan’ comprises of camels, elephants, forts, ornaments and kathputlis, a form of string puppet theatre native to the desert state.

“When given a choice, artists generally tend to choose landscapes or Buddha as their subject. Moving away from the regular, I decided to highlight our rich and vibrant culture in my works,” says Chevli, whose works are exhibited in the capital as part of ‘Alankriti’, an art exhibition by nine artists from Sai Raj Art Academy in Surat, Gujarat.

The show, which has given the artists a platform to exhibit their works in the national capital, features works by Sunita M Jajoo, Rakesh B Gohil, Jigisha Jitesh Chevli, Nikita V Jariwala, Ishani Sanghavi, Dinkal M Dalwala, Ankur Prakash , Dhruvisha Bhagatwala and Yashvi. Most of the artists have experimented with oil, water colour, acrylics, knife art, rangoli work and mix media to create their works.

Gohil, who organised the show, tells Metrolife that the work of each artist was studied before they were selected to be a part of the group show. “I wanted to showcase talent from Gujarat in Delhi. I selected those students who agreed to work hard and be regular,” he says.

Featuring 68 works – each reflecting the artist’s hard work and talent – the show features landscapes, object painting, everyday scenes and even Tanjore work.

Explaining her works – which depict a violin; a pack of cards; and Buddhas, Bhagatwala says she paints everyday objects which are “creative and simple in appearance,
yet have a deep complexity about them”.

The show is on until January 19 at Gallery A, All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, 1, Rafi Marg.