Artist Avijit Mukherjee’s pop art show at designer Deepika Govind’s Khan market store is a fine narration of modern idioms interspersed with natural elements, discovers Navneet Mendiratta
His works narrate a story within a story — an interplay of black and white with a dash of colour thrown in. Fine pen lines sketch out the details with watercolour to fill up and narrate a second story — a style reminds you of tribal folk art. That is Avijit Mukherjee for you. Two of his series —Bird series and Delhi series — are on display at DG Art Gallery promoted by designer Deepika Govind at her Khan Market base in Delhi.
“I grew up with a lot of birds around me at our house near the airport in Kolkata,” shares Mukherjee. “And I have always been drawn to them as they reflect no sorrow and are forever happy to fly, bringing cheer about them,” he adds. That is also the way he remembers his growing up years in a joint family. Having lost his father when he was very young, the onus fell upon his mother to raise her children, which to her credit she did rising above all the setbacks.
The big motherly birds in his drawings are an ode to his mother, as seen standing victorious atop symbols representing hardships. At times feeding her young ones or even holding the brood together. And often, he uses watercolours to fill up this bird with situations and instances that happened at various points in life.
It was sheer by chance that designer Deepika Govind discovered the works of Kolkata-based artist Mukherjee. It was the brilliance of one creative mind that gelled with another and a collaboration was born. And this is only one of the many creative collaborations. Deepika set up this gallery to promote new artists and help them reach as many patrons at an affordable price.
The other series is a political comment and an ode to Delhi’s history. “Delhi to me appeals as a kingdom within a country. My series is a way to append the modern day scenario with the rich inheritance of the past,” he shares.
A work of his depicting a stag taking a leap over a heritage city particularly holds a visitor’s eye. The stag holds in him the present-day Jantar Mantar (done in watercolours) and the city it can be seen leaping over (in pen and ink) is the one that is almost from a bygone era. “I got a chance to visit Jantar Mantar recently and it came to me as quite a shock and all I wanted to do was fly over it so I could skip it!” he laughs.
Another of his work — a chair — holds within it the story of power play that ensues in our political system.
The high point of the gallery is that it sells works at a very competitive prices — very affordable and encouraging. It is always better to have the art in home space than gallery, as Govind feels. Her own collection for the new season brings out pop art style motifs and combines them with lost craft weaves — like the story on the artist’s canvas.