All of us have a private place in our houses, don't we? A place where we would comfortably settle in to think, to take important decisions, to read books or to let the mind immerse in a multitude of thoughts. And private places don't necessarily have to be closed — it can even be the hall where everybody else will have their own business while we still feel secluded in our world. It's these places that artist Shrikant W Kolhe has explored in his works, which are on display at Prakrit Arts, R A Puram.
Chairs are the common subject in Kolhe's paintings. With books on a variety of subjects on earth scattered around and a cushion placed on the chair, the works make you feel the presence of a virtual person in the scene. Well, some may even make you think that it was you who just walked away from the chair and looking at it from distance now.
Interestingly, the chairs have a Gandhi cap placed on it too and books with titles like Lokpal, though the artist says it doesn't indicate anything about the Anna Hazare movement.
The paintings are mostly black and white and the artist has used light brilliantly to make the paintings look realistic. A Maharashtrian now settled in Hyderabad, this is his sixth solo exhibition and his first in Chennai. He has displayed his works in a number of group shows across the country.
Kolhe says he has been exploring the subject of chairs and tables. He also makes an attempt to give every series of his paintings a new theme with a noticeable addition to the subject — like the Gandhi cap in his latest series.
Life's Corner's is open to the public at Prakrit Arts, # 102, Greenways Road Extn, R A Puram till July 31.