Conventionally, group art shows are based on a theme decided by the curator, and then worked upon by the participating artists. But shows like Panorama 15 are an exception, where the curator does not impose his/ her thought on the artists. As the name suggests, the show will display works by 15 artists across India.
Participating artists include Amit Kumar, Anju Bhatia, Biswaranjan Bhunia, Chandana Bhattacharjee, Mahender Rai, Manti Sharma, Meghna Agarwal, Namita Gaur, Nirupma Misra, Pallavi Prasad, Pankaj Bharti, Pooja Mudgal, Punam Rai, Rashid Ahmed, Renu Umrao, Shalini Varshney, Suhas Das, Tapan Das, Uma Bardhan, Upasana Sharma, Vatsala Ranjan and Zahida Khanam.
“I never impose my thoughts on artists but give them a free hand to follow their creative pursuits. The word ‘panorama’ means a wide view, and so we have [received] contemporary issues and issues of social relevance like cruelty to animals, deforestation, industrialisation, global warming, species nearing extinction, etc., as themes,” says curator Priyanka Banerjee, also an artist.“But you will notice that the underlying theme in each of the works is nature,” says Dwarka resident Tapan Das, whose two mix media works are on display. The self-taught artist specialises in portraits and landscapes but is now moving towards abstract art.
Das is not wrong. Most of the works on display talk about nature, overtly or covertly. Be it Amit Kumar’s ‘tigers’ or Pallavi Prasad’s ‘sunflowers’, Dr Zahida Khanum’s nightscapes or Rashid Ahmed’s tribal art.
Indirapuram-based artist Mahender Rai too, has been inspired by nature and his works on display are paintings of blooming flowers. “This is to tell people that if a painting of flowers can bring in so much of happiness, imagine what real flowers can do to your life. We must conserve nature at any cost,” says Rai, a veteran artist with over two-and-a-half decades of experience.
Artist Poonam Rai’s work shows a boy holding the Tricolour, which arouses a nationalistic fervour. Perhaps, this is her way of telling the importance of freedom in our lives. Rai was pushed from the terrace by her in-laws and got paralysed. But she chose to strike back with full determination and started painting. Rai now supports budding artists and is an inspiration to many.
Panorama 15,
August 11 to 15,
Open Palm Court Gallery, IHC