Indianness finds new definitions in mixed media, says Babita Gupta, curator, Songs of India. By Siddharth Choudhary
Being one of the oldest civilisations, it is not uncommon to find the roots of traditional Indian art embedded deep in the roots of our culture. The enormous variety in style, technique, media and themes is a pointer to the richness of Indian art and its evolution. As Indian art takes on the world, artists turn to traditionality to delve into the symbols and expression that are embedded deep in our culture.
Artists from various corners of the country presented their works under one roof to connect the four corners of the country. Babita Gupta, curator of the gallery, feels that it is difficult to see representative art in India under one roof, “We live in a diverse land with different cultures and various ideologies. The multiplicity of existence is what makes the world distinctive and beautiful. Indian artists have traditionally taken inspiration from the philosophical thought that the absolute cannot be created nor destroyed but it can only be felt and understood. Bringing all these elements together through a show is my main idea,” she said.
Art Spice gallery at the Metropolitan hotel presented Songs of India, a group show of prominent 21 Indian artists.
All the works that are being exhibited are very powerful with highlights of their own. While some are technically unique, there are others that catch one's eye because of the strength of the lines, colour schemes, aesthetic beauty and textures.
The gallery was started five years ago to promote dying traditional Indian art. According to Babita, this task was not only difficult but also the dire need of the time of increasing Western influence. “I am a painter myself so I have a personal sentiment attached to the project. It was my idea to collaborate with such great artists under one roof to showcase the vastness of our Indian culture,” she added.
The paintings offer a very wide range of viewership by offering different forms, be it a simple black and white sketch or amalgamation of different colours or intricately designed painting with 3-D edgings. Each work caters to a different topic with nothing binding them together but only the idea of a pictorial representation of Indian tradition. Babita explained, “If you were to look for a single thread of topic that would bind these paintings you wouldn’t find it and that is exactly what is the abstract beauty behind it. Each painter has his own song to sing with the canvas being his instrument. So the only binding factor behind them is that each of them is their own representation of Indian tradition.”
Amongst the fast paced life of the metropolitan city, the simple paintings display a complex structure of Indian customs, opening up a plethora of interpretations even for the simplest of the minds. “The very success of the exhibition lies on the fact that the art that is being presented is not only understood by the viewer but they also relate to it on some level,” she further added.