Exploring forms

Silk becomes canvas, colour and relief in artist Sujata Mehta's new series of paintings, reports Damini Purkayastha.

A s artist Sujata Mehta walks out of the unknown, it is her husband Devendra who holds her hand, tells her it's time for the world to see her art, where shadows on silk tell stories about life and creativity, while soft pastel colours speak of a search.

Her exhibition, The Unknown, opened this week at a ceremony attended by veteran artist Shobha Broota and GR Iranna.

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"White is where I am now emotionally," said the artist, as she walked us through her work. The journey began with a black canvas until she discovered dry pastels. Red, pink, orange yellow - bright colours map her second artistic phase.

"Every colour has a different mood and I was exploring my own self at this stage. Painting was meditative as I massaged each colour on to the canvas."

Beginnings
A Delhiite since birth, Mehta did her economic honours from Hans Raj College, but after graduation she had had enough. "I was revolting," she laughs, "I wanted to do anything related to art at that point." Her decision led her to Broota, under whom Mehta found her calling.

"Even today, she [Broota] feels that I am growing, and now I am coming into my own, stylistically and creatively," said Mehta. A new medium Her medium, fabric, according to Mehta, is the softest medium one can find. She uses the texture of the fabric and works three dimensional motifs on to it, using the same fabric. "You could call it an installation, but I prefer to call it 3D art."

She has also used carefully made cotton balls in one particular work. "I learnt that from my oneyear-old son. He was so fascinated by these cotton balls, almost like they were toys."

The Unknown is on at Triveni Kala Sangam till July 23