JOIN USA dissolving of boundaries
A colony of national and international artists have experimented with various hues in their creations at the exhibition titled Boundless Boundaries that is being held at the Arushi Art Gallery in New Delhi. The works are thus a perfect interpretation of the complex, cosmopolitan world we live in.
“Good art is the unifying thread... it celebrates life through its many shades,” says Payal Kapoor, Director, Arushi Art Gallery. “The criterion for selecting the artists was contemporary art and contemporary practices using different mediums — it took us one year to curate this show. The pandemic made us introspect and mull over life, dissolving boundaries and telling us in no uncertain terms that anything can happen anytime anywhere without our realisation. Similarly, modern art has no boundaries. Like Picasso said ‘Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life’. Indian and Western artists speak one language today; the quality of the art is what that matters,” she says.
The line-up of artists from across the world includes Abu Oluwaseyi, Rotimi Godwin, Saidou Dicko, Marty Thornton, Lindsey Nobel, Mr Sellout and Christophe Gaignon. They rub shoulders with acclaimed Indian names, including Roy Thomas, Valay Shende, Ganesh Selvraj, Smriti Dixit, Venkat Bothsa, Sanuj Birla, Amarnath Sharma, Mousumi Biswas, Suraj Kumar Kashi and Harish Ojha.
Artist Suraj Kumar brings in an eclectic mix of metaphors in Freedom of Expression and Every Evening for you… the antelope on the woman, the swirling goldfish, the vivid parakeet, the peacock and the angel’s wings on the man... “We are surrounded by art all the time. As an artist, I see it in everything and recreate the same to appeal to the senses, emotions, and intellect of others. I believe that for art and fiction to resonate, they must speak honestly and emotionally. If delivered on the above parameters, your art is remembered for a long time. Subconsciously, myths, mall culture and metropolitan lifestyle attract me. I come from a small town in Bihar, having listened to mythological stories, and dreamt about living in a big city. I used to see the beautiful faces of the gods and goddesses, so you will see women in nature in my paintings adorned like gods. I paint the Indian gods and goddesses with reference to the common people,” explains Suraj. His works exude a sense of positive energy and celebrate bright colours, flowers, elements of nature and patterns. “My aim is to help people break out from the concrete jungles they live in,” he says.
Surrealism exists everywhere for Suraj. “In our homes, folklores, stories and dreams. I grew up on these stories, full of surrealism,” he says. “Slowly, these stories became a part of my subconscious mind and started reflecting on my canvas. When I paint, I feel the characters on the canvas come alive. I communicate through symbols and motifs. Art always tells many stories and everyone perceives it differently. Sometimes the viewer is able to see a story in my art that even I didn’t realise while painting, which is quite surprising and interesting.”
Hypnotic works by artist Abu Mwenye bring to the fore simmering issues of the prevalence of racism. The purposeful inclusion of the colour black juxtaposes the searing transparency of African art. “I am not just trying to tackle the theme of racism: I am making a social-cultural statement with the use of black as a self-awareness of identity and origin,” says Abu. Piercing eyes and hypnotic colours in contrasting yellow and black create striking contours.
Andy Warhol’s pop colours nestle with Venkat Bothsa’s stunning Cow. All Things Are Matter celebrates flyaways and movement through vivid balloons, antelopes, cycles and auto rickshaws. Knitted together, there is a rush of urbania in artist Amaranth Sharma’s works. “When I lived in the village growing up in a family pursuing carpentry, I saw people in transit, always, moving to metropolitan cities for a better life. This made me use the balloon as a metaphor of glamour and attraction towards city life, bringing in cars as a symbol of urban living,” says Amaranth.
Roy Thomas brings forth Confluence in oil on canvas. The amalgamation of characters created by the modern artist showcases snippets from Raja Ravi Verma and Western modern artists.
“I use a wide reference of images from various sources, when I get down to painting, choosing the ones that are linked to my ongoing thought processes at that time. Cross-pollination happens across art, history and current issues as well as through metaphors from my daily life, and its aesthetic and conceptual challenges,” shares Roy.
The show is on till March 20, 2023.