The third edition of India Art Festival witnessed various artists using their canvas as a mode to spread peace, create awareness and display their creativity. By Team Viva
The India Art Festival brought together 39 art galleries and 470 artists from seven countries and 30 cities across the world under one roof at Thyagaraj Stadium. The third edition of India Art Festival (IAF) was open to all forms of artistic expressions, including painting, sculptures, photography, ceramics, textiles, installations and offered an insight into current art trends from rural parts of India to the metro cities. On its growth, art festival director Rajendra said, “India Art Festival has developed a good visitor base, including art buyers, collectors and lovers within a short span of time. If exhibitor galleries and artists get good response in terms of sale, they are bound to participate every year; it shows the acceptance of the mixed module of art festival with galleries and independent artists by Delhi’s liberal art community.”
‘life series’ by Nawal Kishore
Nawal Kishore says, “I came up with the concept to pay my gratitude towards women who play a crucial role in our lives as a mother, daughter, sister or wife. The women in these paintings give a message of combining the physical existence with love, harmony and togetherness,” shares Kishore, who was inspired by the rising sun to use a vibrant colour palette. “The colours in the sky during sunrise exude positive energy, depicting joy of life and a new beginning. The use of primary colours portrays me as a simple human being.”
On the painting titled, The rhythm of life, he says, “Without education, we cannot achieve our goal which is being discussed by a bunch of friends and an angel. I try to stay rooted in my culture and thus paint ethics, morals and value in my work without which there will be a chaos.”
Wait for me by Dev Rani Gupta
The concept of the artwork revolves around a lady who is deep in thought after seeing a bird relaxing on a branch and which will fly after a while into the wide sky, leaving all the worries behind. She resembles every woman whose inner soul is waiting to fly like a bird, forgetting all her responsibilities, restrictions and barriers imposed by society. “I have made paintings of man and woman using geometrical forms which are especially inspired by Madhubani painting as I have learned in my native region. But in Madhubani paintings, we generally use fine lines all over the painting which are known as Kachni style. In this style, fine lines are created in painting with finest details and double lines are used to depict the outlines. I sometimes use the Bharni style too where the black outlines are filled with vibrant colours. They do not use shade light effect which I do as an innovation. Second, the human figures in my works are completely abstract. I have kept a breathing space which is generally absent in my style,” says Gupta.
Gaiea by Sharmila Thapar
Free-flowing colours, blending into each other, following no definite contours, create an abstract backdrop for the human and natural forms. People, flora and fauna effortlessly merge yet stand out individually, giving a clear message of unity in diversity. This is what describes Sharmila Thapar’s canvas.
The painting titled, In Harmony is a fusion of two cultures. “When I was living in Beirut, I saw the similarities between the Indian and the lebanese culture in terms of family, education, colours, food and music. I frequently met with the lebanese doing yoga and learning Indian music. So, I decided to depict traditional lebanese women with traditional Indian sitar. This fusion of two symbolises harmony between cultures and people, promoting tolerance, acceptance and respect for others.” Gaiea is the Greek Earth Mother Goddess, symbolising all that’s good in femininity, nature, fertility and spirit, Nature is benign, beautiful, gentle, giving and accepting. It nurtures and promotes ecological balance. It is diverse and complementary, at the same time, ever-changing and yet predictable. It’s complete and still continues growing.
For Thapar, having lived in various countries has given an in-depth insight into the basic human need for peace and love. No country is totally at peace, some internally and some due to external causes. One should strive to move forward against all odds, obstacles and irritants. The challenges of life should be taken as tests that once surmounted, can only mean success. The message and vibrancy of colours depict and describe my emotions. life should be joyously and positively welcomed.
Order in chaos by Shreya Shailee
This series highlights the rise of intolerance and the growing phobia of outsiders on the global platform, exploring the victims — their detachment and hopelessness, captured using textures and the bold structures depicting them in their most vulnerable state.
The theme of the painting draws its theological inspiration from a concept in physics called ‘law of Entropy’ which says that if there is an isolated system, the randomness of the system grows over time. “I believe that if you pay close attention to any random event, we find a pattern and all the chaos sorts itself over time. All it requires of us is to just wait for the right time and place,” shares Shailee who has also explored social, emotional, and psychological dysfunction in the society through her artwork. “Within two decades we have already witnessed bloodshed in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. We have hardly recovered from our previous wounds and now there is a speculation of another one. Even though we are far away from the scene of the crime, our consciousness is affected by the news. We have segmented the society in all sorts of ways —religious, political inclination or be it business consumerism behaviour. In a nutshell, we all wear pretentious cloaks to hide the true need that underlines all the segments — to love and be loved. That is the reason I believe the society has become so dysfunctional and emotionally crippled.”