A four-artist exhibition in Delhi this weekend, combines graphics, colour therapy and fashion under one roof. Curated by Vikram Sethi, senior artist and graphics designer, Malay Karmakar’s work stands out even as it keeps company with the works of Archna Jaideep Singh, Neena Talwar and fashion designer Swati Puri. Singh’s nudes and abstract work express her passions of life. Talwar, a veteran painter, works on charcoal on paper. Puri is known for her art designs on fabrics.
Karmakar trained as an artist at the Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. Six of his acrylic paintings – some in paper, the others on canvas -- are part of the ‘Timeless Moments’ exhibition.
The ‘Introspection’ paintings are particularly thought-provoking. A sharp juxtaposition of colour and geometric forms, they tease the viewer and suggest various ways of interpreting them. Don’t go to them looking for a ‘story’ though. “My paintings are meant to depict moods and emotions, and I suggest them through vibrant colours and asymmetrical forms,” says Karmakar. He adds, “I don’t believe in story-telling. I love to use textures and I take inspiration from the environment around me. To me, painting is like classical music where colours and forms create moods like raagas do.”
The flute-player painting (this is a mesh of forms from which a man playing a flute seems to emerge), also part of his Introspection series made in 2015, is another eye-catcher. How did he conceive this? “The starting point was a flying man with a flute when flying ducks gather around him,” is the artist’s enigmatic reply. In another painting in this series, a man looks on at the scene unfolding before him as the sky hangs over his head. “Here, the person is not the centre of attraction. For me, the main thing was the cloud taking the shape of a girl,” he adds.
{{/usCountry}}The flute-player painting (this is a mesh of forms from which a man playing a flute seems to emerge), also part of his Introspection series made in 2015, is another eye-catcher. How did he conceive this? “The starting point was a flying man with a flute when flying ducks gather around him,” is the artist’s enigmatic reply. In another painting in this series, a man looks on at the scene unfolding before him as the sky hangs over his head. “Here, the person is not the centre of attraction. For me, the main thing was the cloud taking the shape of a girl,” he adds.
{{/usCountry}}Archna’s work also express the abstract. “In my female nudes, I paint the eternal woman in her most natural form transcending boundaries of geography, culture and time.”
Must-see
What: Timeless Moments, a four-artist exhibition
When: July 30-August 6, 10 am-8pm
Where: ITC Sheraton New Delhi hotel, 1st floor, near the Pan Asian restaurant, District Centre, Saket. Contact: 42661122