Selves in Parallax
Curated by Heeral Trivedi
On View: 12th Aug.
Question of Identity :
The apple does not fall far from the tree.
When an artist works, imagination wanders around new stories and images;
Some surprises surface, more narrations unfold.
And yet, through all that is new, you can identify the artist.
As if one seems to be looking through a transparent glass,
There is an element to the artist’s personality which cannot be separated.
Memory is a space most visited, and it’s where Raju Bariya and Kahini find themselves wandering. Having been raised in very different landscapes, (one rural and the latter urban) they seem to be like scavengers of mind, trying to salvage what is precious and reflecting on what is lost at the same time. Loss; it’s another part of one’s being. Sajal’s large paper works, dense with marks and spots are an emotional rendition of a sense of collective grief during the dark period of the global pandemic. Through these conscious dots he attempts to link our insignificant existence together and yet singles out each of us as unique.
Whirling around a more complex inquiry into the mind is Arunanshu, whose “Web of thoughts” is a jumble of all information, memory and desires juxtaposed together into a haphazard pattern trying to find connections with each other. Vijay Bagodi claims that he neither conforms to figure representation nor abstract markings. He identifies with people he meets and his thoughts which take different shapes and forms that could have representational meaning or could be read as otherwise.
Thinking abstract too requires a point of germination. Kiyomi’s work originates from finding poetic beauty in banal spaces that she draws the viewer to look at very closely and enjoy the surreal experience of every crack, texture, scratch, and void she has encountered and made it her own. The minimal expressionist path for artist Prabhakar Kolte has similar beginnings. Organic forms transformed into layers of thick pigments; an act which echoes the cityscape of his urban existence.
Artists Vinita and Ajay Sharma, carry forward their centuries old legacy of painting in the traditional Jaipur miniature style often incorporating contemporary motifs and compositions. Thus they weave in personal sensibilities towards subjects that are common to the craft of miniature painting in India, including the use of gold leaf and stone pigments. With meticulous and fine brushwork, the artists work almost in meditation with their small piece of vasli papers and leave us in awe with the finesse of their skill.
On the other hand, Nikita’s references to Nathdwara miniatures come from her ingrained childhood memory of visits to the temple and the feeling of devotion that she grew up with.
Very cleverly she has used her early passions, that of embroidery and textiles with painting to remain as close to herself and her roots in Gujarat and the traditional household she belongs to.
Satirical images of animals and birds in the works of Amit Ambalal and Jainti Rabadia take shape from popular Gujarati mythological tales and proverbs. While Ambalal’s paintings also seems to reflect his contemporary approach towards Nathdwara paintings and its history, both he and Rabadia, carry irreverent humor in their works, that add a lyrical element.
“Homes that we build and those we live in”, are thoughts about domesticity which are closely relatable by those who engage themselves in studies of mundane social life stories and their secret revelations. Envisioned as a wall of family portraits, using organic materials like wood and old books, Heeral places objects like pictures on walls of homes that are impenetrable and camouflaged into brittle poses reflecting the pretentious existence of our urban lifestyle.
Exploring new mediums, Aditya’s preoccupation of imaginatively recording information creates quirky forms of figures such as the amoeba like shadows and plants that appear from other worlds. His interest in reading, gathering, bizarre events, become food for his thoughts and these images an insight into his inquisitive mind.
When Alpesh constructs depth in space, reminds one of a Hockney pool or the colours of a Rothko canvas. Playing with chiaroscuro, through simplicity of composition, the artist uses thread to give subtle dimensions offering meaning to negative spaces and thus completing the landscape.
“Identity” covers a wide context of choices we make.
It comprises of our origins, influences and eventually our conditioned behaviour.
Searching for one’s own persona in art is what “Selves in parallax” is about.
We invite the viewer to identify themselves with these works, as the artist lends his/her vision through their creations compelling us to go up close, and look!
Our mind draws a parallel, when the illustration of the same object appears in a flux from different angles. Hence,“looking” has many ways and the artists here present us with a diverse vista through their imagery or the absence of it.
Text by Heeral Trivedi
Artists:
Prabhakar Kolte
Amit Baraiya
Arunanshu Chowdhury
Ajay Sharma
Heeral Trivedi
Jayanti Rabadia
Kahini Arte-Merchant
Kiyomi Talaulicar
Vijay Bagodi
Nikita Parikh
Sajal Sarkar
Vinita Sharma
Alpesh Dave
Aaditya Rathore
Raju Baraiya
