A rare treat of contemporary Indian artART: The art lovers in Colombo got a rare chance of viewing works of 31 contemporary young Indian artists at the Colombo Art Gallery recently. The exhibition which lasted for four days from 7-11 October, had been brought to Sri Lanka under the Cultural Treaty signed between the two countries. The art works could easily be considered as representing a cross section of the contemporary art in India; there were drawings, paintings, graphics, miniature installations as well as sculptures. Nevertheless, the paintings drew much attention than the other forms of art at the exhibition.
An acrylic painting on canvas titled ‘Nalagiri’ seemed a familiar theme to us - Sri Lankan Buddhists; it would have at once taken a viewer’s memory back to a temple painting very much familiar to him or her - Taming of Nalagiri, the elephant. In this painting, Nalagiri is very much smaller compared to the stature of the Buddha who is standing at ease and touching the elephant’s head with one hand, seemingly blessing the elephant. Here, Nalagiri is surrounded by several other elephant figures. A smaller figure - much smaller than the Buddha is seen squatted before the Buddha in a hapless mood. Background marks the peaceful atmosphere where the deer rest, with the rays of Dhammachakka upon them. The painting is a reminder of centuries long cultural relationship between the two countries in spite of the fact that one is a world super power today. Hanuman Kambli’s ‘Burning Town’ - an acrylic painting on paper harks back to the contemporary predicament of modern cities and towns; they bleed in the centre and they collapse from all sides. Still there are little pockets of humanity remaining, as depicted by the little blue caged human patches at the bottom of the painting. Vaishali Oak’s piece of creation titled ‘Time’ is a work of fabric and multicoloured thread, quite an innovative piece of art. ‘Inner Reflection of the Human World’ - an oil work on canvas has a touch of surrealism in it. Same is true of the ‘Hymn of Buddha’ by Sidharth. Deepak Shinde captures sensuality of a rain forest in his work titled ‘Passion and Pleasure Frolicked the Woods’. A nude woman lying face up, is surrounded by the forest and various creatures, suggestive of worldly desires. Shoba Ghare’s ‘Monsoon’ is an acrylic on canvas which reminds the viewer of the eternal link between the weather fluctuations in the sub continent and its people; a sombre work of art with various hues of blue reigning the canvas. Each piece of exhibit is a masterpiece in its own right; from many hundred of works by young contemporary Indian artists, these 31 works were earmarked for the Sri Lankan Exhibition by Lalitha Kala Academy of India. “Among the 31 artists who contributed their work for exhibition many belong to the younger generation of India. Hence, representation of the modern art in India” says Dr. Sudhar Sharma Secretary to the Lalitha Kala Academy, New Delhi writing the foreword to the booklet titled Art India, issued to mark the exhibition. But it is a pity that many art lovers even those who are in the city missed this opportunity of seeing these works of art for want of planning and publicity on the part of the organizers. Anyway, those who happened to view and enjoy the exhibition must have been glad and grateful to the Indian High Commission for initiating this project. |
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