Today is the last day of Soulmate, the group show at Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre, which promises to not just enliven your soul but raise your spirits. Presented by Nifa Art Gallery, on display are 120 artworks by 30 senior artists from India, and few from Dubai and Singapore. Their artworks in various mediums like oil on canvas, acrylic texture work, mix media paintings and sculptures in bronze, showcase facets of Indian mythology, culture, religion and even nature. Few of the works, like those by Dubai-based artist Anjini Prakash Laitu are abstracts. But one thing that binds their works together is the underlying thread of connecting with the soul.
“As the title suggests, these works connect with the soul, in a happy sort of way. That’s what art should do — be visually appealing and make the viewer feel happy. This is what I had communicated to all the participants, all senior artists who hardly needed any pointers from me,” says curator Renu Khera.
All the displayed works reflect the signature style of the artists. Highlights include Prof Manoj Kumar’s paintings on nature, R S Shakya’s paintings of tree leaves, Bhasker Rao’s landscapes, Nawal Kishor’s portraits of women, Murali Thrigulla’s portraits of automobiles, Subhendu Das’ shadow work and MS Vasu’s meticulous pen drawings, among others.
“It took me three months to present this show. Few works like Sanjay Chaturvedi’s dancing figures was done especially for this show,” notes Khera, proudly. Most of the artists connected with Nifa Art Gallery through the social media websites, and the remaining through phone calls. Laitu, a septuagenarian, who is exhibiting for the first time in India, says he contacted the gallery over Facebook. “I sent them 10 works, of which four were selected. Since I am exhibiting here for the first time, I wasn’t aware of the likes and dislikes of Delhi people,” he says. A member of the prestigious the Emirates Arts Society Dubai, Laitu has participated in over 25 group shows in Dubai.
His abstract works in rich blue, yellow and red are eye-catching. “I don’t plan anything beforehand. I just pick up a brush and begin painting the canvas. Thereafter it is colours that guide me,” says Laitu, to which Shakya agrees. “Colours just seem to call each other,” he says. Kumar reveals he doesn’t use browns or sepia. “Making these colourful paintings depicting water, sky, stones, etc. is something that takes all my blues away,” he adds.
Thrigulla, whose paintings of automobiles are breathtaking, complete with scratches, alterations and modifications, says the wear and tear remind us of the time we’ve spent with the vehicle. “I like to capture those minute details. It’s as if I am designing a person’s portrait.”
Kishor, who professes empowerment of women, says, “Women have made their presence felt in all spheres of life. They are no longer confined to the home and the hearth. And this is what I try to communicate through my work.” While the medium is different and so is the subject, each artist has bared their soul through the selected artworks. Exactly the job of a soulmate, we’d say!