A melange of works by various artists, Blossom showcased paintings and sculpture which combined the various elements of nature with an abstract theme. Curator of the exhibition Poonam Singh Kohli talks to Ila Sankrityayan about the concept
Entrenched in Indian heritage, the Maria James art works of Roop Chand unquestionably imprison your psyche. His thoughts were communicated through the play of luminous colours coming alive on his canvas. Fusing the splendid themes of love and peace, he made his masterpieces stand out. In the same manner the artists of different theme and style gathered together on the same platform to showcase life in all its simplicity, complexity, and beauty in the concept of blossoming as the rich bold colours of flowers sprout from every branch of tree.
Blossom, that concluded recently at the India Habitat Centre, was replete with many works on the concept; nature. Works of Chander Shekhar, Dalip Chandolia, Gazal Alag, Mahesh Kumar, Narayan Mandal, Pankaj Saroj, Pankaj Sharma, Poonam Chandrika Tyagi, Sangeeta Murthy, Shuchi Krishna, Sunil Dutt Marngain, Suniyata Khanna and Sweeni Khurana, apart from that of Roop Chand, were showcased at the exhibition.
“like a tiny seed planted in the earth slowly grows up from underneath breaking top soil and wheels itself as a large tree with roots, branches and flowers that also bears fruits in the same way the artists of the show came out with rich colours and bold drawings that talk about harmony, prayer, romance and nature,” elaborates Kohli about the concept of the show.
Kohli, herself a well-known artist and sculptor, feels it is imperative to give a platform to contemporary, upcoming as well as to well-known artists. She feels that promoting art and artists will go a long way in making their works more visible and will attract wider audiences.
She shares further about a few artworks of the show, “Dalip’s paintings were infused with happiness and joy. The motif of the bird was symbolic of peace and serenity and brought with it the hope of dawn and new beginnings. Bright colours were used consciously to instil a feeling of energy and vibrancy in his paintings”.
It took about two months for Kohli to materialise the concept. “Nature has always been an important presence in my life, from the very beginning. As time went by I realised that it had put down roots inside me in a deeper way than I ever thought. We can’t explain how some ties are. I feel the need to think of nature, to talk about it. It makes me feel so good. Many representatives of the contemporary art scene shared this idea with me. I have only collected their experiences and put them on the platform, which supports themes of nature, landscape and relationship between human beings and nature”.
She continues, “Art is the way of living, feeling and thinking for me. It is closely embedded into my life and can’t be disentangled. It is influenced by our lived experiences, as I mentioned, but it works in the opposite way also. It, in turn, influences my perceptions of the world and surroundings. Creation, and more specifically creation through the abstract art, is the sublime freedom to express oneself. To be an artist means to me to gain that ultimate and sought-after freedom”.