PUNE Aditya Shirke, an artist from the city, has done paintings on large, 16ft canvasses, with unconventional tools such as household mops and brooms.
Through this paintings he has illustrated his vision for 2021. These experimental paintings were created and exhibited at Karkhana, an art-co-lab, designed and owned by Studio Mars.
Shirke has created five different paintings portraying various themes.
When asked what inspired him, Shirke said, “The last year, 2020, has been a dark year for us. The idea in these paintings is hope that this year will turn into a dark horse. A dark horse in a race is the one nobody bets on, but still wins. We hope the coming year will be like this.”
To create these paintings Shirke used mops and household brooms of all sizes, instead of brushes.
He didn’t put the canvas on a stand. He laid it down on the floor and used these instruments to paint out his ideas.
“I started working on this idea in the last week of December. It took me two-and-a-half days to complete these,” Shirke said.
One of the paintings is called “Airborne”. It captures the moment when a horse gains momentum and its torso gets lifted off the ground. The horse’s body in this painting is uplifted. This horse is a race horse and has a blinders which helps it focus. Through this painting Shirke has highlighted the importance of the ability to focus this year.
{{/usCountry}}One of the paintings is called “Airborne”. It captures the moment when a horse gains momentum and its torso gets lifted off the ground. The horse’s body in this painting is uplifted. This horse is a race horse and has a blinders which helps it focus. Through this painting Shirke has highlighted the importance of the ability to focus this year.
{{/usCountry}}Another painting is named “Cherry Blossom”. The idea of this painting is drawn from Japanese and Chinese cherry blossom brush paintings . This indicates calmness. Emphasising the importance of calmness in mind.
These paintings are acrylic on canvas.
Shirke emphasises the need for such experimentations. “Initial impulse of humans is to make a mark. Through experimentations we can be instinctive and intuitive. A broom is such an unusual tool to paint with. While using it, all layers of civility go away. We can act instinctively,” said Shirke.
Shobhna Hadap, founder and creative director of Studio Mars, underlined the need of such spaces for experimental art.
“A lot of artists do not have such avenues where they can experiment with their art. We encourage all kinds of creative explorations and promote ingenious artists. In Europe such co-work spaces are common. Artists should have such avenues,” Hadap said