Art can speak volumes, especially when it is inspired by the locales of India. Benaras.com, an art exhibition will soon be on display at the India Habitat Center. Created
by artist Rita Jhunjhunwala, the paintings draw inspiration from the holy city of Ganges — Benaras, its people, colours, prayers and lifestyle. In the title, the ‘.com’ post Benaras is a contradiction. Says Jhunjhunwala, “.com is just a way of saying that I am seeing the city through a contemporary lens”.
Though in today’s day and age, doctoring images goes hand-in-glove with the art of photography, an artist’s perception is usually spiritually oriented. “There is so much filth I saw in Benaras. But from what impressed me, I have taken the artistic liberty to change those elements. Its the contemporisation of the city.” Jhunjhunwala has been painting for the past 30 years and through this exhibition hopes to convey the beauty, devotion, the hustle and bustle of the cultural capital of India. The purpose of her exhibition is to carry out an interaction between art students and art aficionados. “Exhibition means that people see it and you get to know their point of view. Selling can be done through galleries. If people tell you something, it is very meaningful. I hope that people can build a rapport with my work”.
Exchange of ideas leads to better thinking and better perception. Her early works include figures such as human faces, architecture and ruins of Delhi.Talking about her educational background, she shares, “Though I was a science student, I always knew that art was my true calling.” She is of the notion that artists are God-gifted. “You know it is in you. For me painting is therapeutic and gives me joy” she says.
{{/usCountry}}Exchange of ideas leads to better thinking and better perception. Her early works include figures such as human faces, architecture and ruins of Delhi.Talking about her educational background, she shares, “Though I was a science student, I always knew that art was my true calling.” She is of the notion that artists are God-gifted. “You know it is in you. For me painting is therapeutic and gives me joy” she says.
{{/usCountry}}Catch it here
What: Benaras.com
When: March 20-24
Timing: 10am to 8pm
Where: India Habitat Center, Visual Arts Gallery
NEAREST METRO STATION: Jor Bagh on the Yellow Line