The woman on the canvas, draped in a white saree with a red border, shies away from the viewer. The painting evokes a very mystical feeling with a lush green background with a slight reddish hue, depicting dusk, while a few pink lotus buds lends the picture a feminine touch. From another painting a woman looks towards the viewer with solemn eyes. These paintings were part of an exhibition titled After the Rains, where 40 artists had come together to showcase their works.
On of the artists, Sampa Sircar Das’s paintings were inspired by her travel diaries. It traced her trip to ladakh and to other interior villages. “I travel a lot and the paintings on display here are from my ladakh trip that I took from 2005 to 2008. The monasteries and people inspired me a lot and also there was a vast amount of energy which I could feel. I transfer that into the canvas,” she said.
The exhibition was a composite collection of oil paintings, watercolours and acrylic paintings along with a few bronze sculptures. The artists, we found out, hailed from various parts of the country. It was organised to collect funds for cancer patients who cannot afford medical facilities. A socially responsible organisation, Maadhyam works to achieve the twin objectives of promoting art and also to help society with the funds collected. This exhibition was their latest project.
Radhika Mukhija started this organisation when she saw one of her friend go through the cancer. She said, “I love art and I used to collect it but when my best friend went through cancer I realised what exactly I should do. So, from there I decided to start this initiative.”
Mukhija travelled from city to city for the exhibition. She collected paintings from artists who are well known in their respective states. Half of the amount that she receives by selling a paining she gives to the artist and the rest is used to help in treatment of the patients.
laxmi Narayan Naga, from Jaipur, showcased his collection of sculptures which were inspired from society. Till date, he has participated in 70 group exhibition and has had one solo exhibition. He get connected with maadhayam in Bangalore. According to him, “Maadhyam contacted me when they saw my work showcased in Bangalore.”