HYDERABAD : Art has always been resilient in terms of responding to adversities, calamities and political turmoils across geographies and ages. Each time the response thus received highlights the tenacity of human race to survive through crisis daring to live through the traumatic times. Covid-19, one of the worst pandemics the world has ever seen, has forced art exhibitions to halt but the gallerists and artists haven’t given up continuing to paint and exhibit their works on digital platforms.
That’s how Relief Art Gallery is showcasing a group exhibition online titled ‘Status Quo’ by five artists. But are there specific timings to view the exhibition or can one just log in to their website and view the same? Says curator G Vignesh, “It’s on the website. This show of paintings, prints, and, drawings is an attempt to promote and sell the artworks of these young emerging artists, which is going to support their art practice in their studios during this lockdown.”
The participating artists are Amlan Dutta, Biswajit Roy, Gayatri Halder, Karthik V and Sandipan Acharjee. In the artwork of Sandipan Acharjee titled ‘Introspection’, the five workers with their backs to the canvas convey quite clearly the trouble they are going through. They, perhaps, are migrant workers getting ready to go back to their villages as four of them unhold metallic bars of an unconstructed structure atop which a fifth one is walking with a huge sack on his head.
But whose burden is that? The worker(s)’ or the system they are working for without even being aware of the same. The painting by Biswajit Roy is in black and white. The canvas highlights the plight of migrant workers, some of them empty-handed, some holding a lantern. And in the middle of this painful chaos stands a little child, his face smeared with fear which sums up the artwork itself. On till July 6 .saima@newindianexpress .com @Sfreen