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Parwaz: An ode to sparrows, the environment, memories...
As the saying goes, “a certain traveller who knew many continents was asked what he found most remarkable of all
As the saying goes, “a certain traveller who knew many continents was asked what he found most remarkable of all. He replied: the ubiquity of sparrows.”
Artist Sunaina Bhagat, 24, who hails from Pathankot, says, “Sparrows have always been close to me for multiple reasons – my father used to call me ‘chidiya’ and their extermination deeply affected me as I was attached to them as a child. Also, a few years back, while visiting Karnataka, I came across a newborn sparrow that was about to drown. I rescued it and formed such a bond with it that I felt it didn’t want to leave me.”
And this bond with the tiny creature is evident as it’s a recurrent theme of most of her art works.
The young artist, who has completed her MFA from Government College of Arts, Chandigarh, with specialisation in printmaking, has some of her works, created during Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi (CLKA) Open Hand Art Studios residency, on display at Parwaz, an art exhibition being organised at Le Corbusier Centre, Sector 19, Chandigarh.
“The sparrows in my works are a symbol of freedom, joy, happiness, and existence of self,” she says.
On her aquatint and etching self-portrait, titled Infatuation, she says, “It’s my interpretation of life. When I moved to Chandigarh to pursue BFA, I embraced the freedom but also felt a constant pull towards home and my family and that dilemma of whether to let go or stay in that safety net is what the piece is all about.”
Another etching, titled Aapada, has a baby bird’s skeleton on a notebook with masks in the surrounding which, she says, represents the struggle students had to go through to continue their education amid the pandemic.
On her residency and CLKA providing her this platform, she says, her interactions with artists of different mediums and from different backgrounds has helped her learn and explore a lot and CLKA providing this change is the first stepping stone to reaching newer heights.
CATCH IT LIVE:
What: Art show ‘Parwaz’
Where: CLKA Open Hand Art Studios, Le Corbusier Centre, Sector 19, Chandigarh
Timings: 11am to 6:30pm
On till: August 8, 2022
