Ganesh Gohain uses assorted material like neem twigs, brooms and bottle gourds for his show. He tells K Bhardwaj that the work stems from his imagination of natural elements
As the glass doors of gallery Art Motif open up, a 3.5ftX5ft abstract work titled Poem composed of acrylic silver and white, welcomes you. Next to it is another bigger work titled Silver on Yellow.
As you walk inside, you get more such abstracts, in colours like yellow, silver and white, depicting elements like brooms, bottle gourds, datoon (neem twig) or black berries.
A cursory glance leaves you perplexed till Ganesh Gohain gives an explanation. Gohain is largely recognised in the art world as a sculptor, but over the last few years he has worked on large canvases. On display at this gallery, is his body of work called The Round.
He explained how he imagined a few things ‘round’ and shared his perspective of looking at things. “My works are drawn from my experiences. It’s all about how my day starts and finishes at night. My imagination of nature and its elements leads to these abstracts. I have a habit of asking questions to myself which can be seen in my pieces,” summarised the artist.
Self Portrait-II shows a bundle of neem twigs. Another work features a few brooms. “Twig cleans our teeth and brooms our houses. When I look at my country today, I see lots of dirt and turmoil. Be it politics, education or any other field. So much needs to be cleaned. These objects represent that thought. Perhaps we have to begin at the individual level. There is so much inside that has to be screened and cleaned. I hope people get this message and do something,” he said.
Born during 1967 in Guwahati, Gosain graduated from Govt College of Art and Crafts (Guwahati). later, he completed his post diploma in Sculpture Specialisation (First Class First with Distinction) from the Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University, Vadodara.
He was invited to a French Institute in 1998-99 on French government grants. In this exhibition, the artist has displayed selective works of the last two years. One of his portraits shows potatoes. “People think of their own images when it comes to portraits. I think of something else. According to me, it is our thoughts that decide what we are. Once as a child, my mother told me I look like a potato. So I used potatoes to portray myself,” said the artist.
Gohain doesn’t believe in multiple colours. “Being a sculptor I use less colours. Sculptures don’t require colour, nor do abstracts,” he said. The exhibition concludes on May 11.