A group exhibit by 30 artists delves into contemporary issues of social relevance such as feminism, ethical treatment of animals and spiritual harmony
The water colours on this canvas precisely capture the spirit of Ganesh visarjan. The painting presents several men in different hues, leading the Ganesh idol across the city streets to its final immersion. In another artwork, a tortoise floats opposite a green background while its carapace is served as the surface of city skyscrapers. These paintings along with several other pieces at the exhibition delve into contemporary issues of social relevance such as feminism, ethical treatment of animals, spiritual harmony and so on.
Nature, for instance, is explored through mutually symbiotic relationship between the flora and fauna. Urbanisation and industrialisation have exploited the natural layer of our ecosystem, and its awareness becomes paramount to awaken our collective consciousness. As each artist touches upon subjects such as these that have paralysed the society, their canvas becomes a window to explore the possibilities.
Titled Panorama, it’s a group exhibit of over 30 city-based artists who will bring a varying range of interpretations of raging contemporary issues at AIFACS. Curated by Priyanka Banerjee, Panorama, literally meaning an unbroken view of a subject, not only celebrates the talents of the fresh and the new but also makes a compelling case for contemporary art in the city.
Some of the participating artists include Mridul Chakraborty, Kashi Nath Bose, Ganesh Panda, Biplab Biswas, Nilay Sarkar, Preeti Gautam, Shikha Bisht, Naseem Khan, Prince Chand, Shamsun Nisa, Rajeev Semwal, Sheikh Abdullah, Rashid Khan, Darshan Sharma, Meghna Agarwal, Rohini Jain, Hamlet Shougrakpam, Shalini Varshney, Amit Kumar, Sadaf Khan, Neeraj Mitra, Ankita Ahlawat, Hariom and Shipra Gupta among others.
Says curator Banerjee, “Just the way a panorama represents an entire world view, this exhibition is a wholesome view of the thoughts of its many diverse yet like-minded artists. These artworks emote through vivid strokes — some are muted and some vibrant — and together they create a surreal experience.”
Dabbling in a diverse range of media, from watercolour, oils and pen and pencils to mixed media and sculpture, the artists bring to their canvas emotions that reverberate with social significance.
Mridul Chakraborty depicts speed in the lives of human beings while Rohini Jain’s paintings portray pigeons both symbolically and in abstract forms. Meghna Agarwal uses a variety of media to express ideas like power and permanence, while Nilay Sircar takes inputs from his surroundings, finding familiar elements across time and culture to create a new visual vocabulary and express the nuances of culture, folklore and history. Preeti Gautam chooses feminism as her subject to raise awareness about crime against women.