A new gallery in Noida exhibits the work of several artists. Curator Pratibha Agarwal told Priyanka Joshi that her mission is to provide local people an opportunity to explore art
Till now, art exhibitions were limited to either posh galleries of south and central Delhi or Gurgaon. Noida has been more famous for organising big music and game shows. But now, art is finding takers here too. A newly-opened art gallery in Noida’s sector 44, Art life Gallery, recently exhibited over 125 artworks at a show called Spring Medley.
Pratibha Agarwal, curator and co-promoter of gallery, said, “This month-long show features upcoming and established artists from various parts of the country. Our mission is to instruct, inform and inspire local talent and buyers by providing a high quality source of visual art and create an exciting venue where artists can exhibit and sell their works. I want art lovers from Noida to be able to access good artwork.” Dr Mahawer, an artist and co-owner added, “The primary aim of holding such a show is to promote art in Noida where there is hardly any art gallery.”
Delhi University’s vice-chancellor, Dr Dinesh Singh inaugurated the show. He said, “As a child, I enjoyed painting but I never saved any of my artwork. I used to tear the pages because I felt I had not justified my work. But my wife feels that I understand art. So now I preserve my work.”
The paintings mainly used oil on canvas, acrylic, mix-media and charcoal on paper and focused on spirituality. Artist Garima Rani painted Benaras in blue green colour. Though she has never been to the city, she feels that one gets spiritually inclined even looking at the lanes and ghats. She applied mix medium technique on her work. The beauty of the painting is that she has applied kantha textile technique to give an embroidery look.
Another artist, Anita Vardhan, depicted women power in her paintings. “I relate to this theme and feel strongly on women liberation. I have used vibrant colours as I love brightness. It gives you a feel of life,” said she. Another artist Kanika Singh from Delhi University sketched a woman in white dress, sitting on the parapet of a window with the light catching her from the side. The lightness of palette and handling of paint is comparable in both works.
One of the most eye-catching works was of Yogacharaya, an accomplished sitar player, and artist Acharya Biswajit who drew a flute on a colourful canvas. They sketched Krishna in dark colours and the background was in light blue.
Biswajit said, “I believe in spontaneous painting, a process that increases the intellectual, creative and spiritual development of the human being, and this painting is very close to my hurt.” The show is on till April 23.