KOCHI: Mesmerising scenic beauty of village life, agrarian activities and the flowing rivers become the recurring subjects in Venjaramoodu-based artist Aswany Kumar’s first solo exhibition ‘Colours of Nostalgia’ being held at the Lalitha Kala Akademi art gallery of the Vyloppilli Samskriti Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram.
Born into a peasant family in Thycaud, Aswany was always interested in farming and observed the ever changing natural surroundings with the focused curiosity of a child. “During my childhood, my fascination for art led me to draw images of farmers and agricultural activities on the walls of my house using charcoal. Seeing my interest, my family encouraged me to pursue a career in art,” says Aswany. The artist completed his diploma from the College of Fine Arts, Thiruvananthapuram. As a fine arts student, he was largely fascinated by the works of Vincent Van Gogh and Salvador Dali.
Some of Aswany’s oil paintings displayed as part of the exhibition are evidently inspired by the rough strokes of Van Gogh. The theme of surrealism found in the works of Salvador Dali has influenced Aswany’s other works. “I am also inspired by folk art forms. One such example is a work that alludes to Sarpam pattu, a ritualistic dance performance,” adds Aswany, who is currently an art teacher at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Vattiyoorkavu.
Though the artist has worked with acrylic and oil paint mediums, he says, “Being a teacher, I have become more inclined to pen and ink.” One of his series titled ‘Childhood Memories’ consisting of about 10 paintings is done using pen and ink.Some of Aswany’s recent works such as the ‘Borne Chemistry’ series is inspired from a period when the artist was hospitalised after suffering a fracture which resulted in his fascination to study about bones.
His work ‘The Traveller’ which was recently exhibited in an all-India art competition and exhibition at Chitramayee State Gallery of Art, Hyderabad, is also a part of ‘Colours of Nostalgia’. According to Aswany, the frame portrays a traveller’s mind and his relation to sea. The exhibition includes 32 paintings done in acrylic, oil as well as pen and ink mediums.
Besides participating in many group shows held in Kerala and other states, Aswany has won many accolades such as the the Emerging Artist Award -2020, MSME and the PCM Online Teacher’s Award 2020-21 contest in the category ‘Prominent videos’. Colours of Nostalgia will conclude on February 20.