An artist paints his emotions on canvas for the world to see, and in the process, bares his soul. Stirring his soul to present his creative pursuits is artist Paresh Maity, who is showcasing his works from the 1990s to the present day, at the exhibition Infinite Light.
“These are 32 years of my work, my entire journey,” says Maity, as one deconstructs how challenging it would be for an artist to put together one’s whole life in a show. “The exhibition will be organised in four cities, till March 2023. During these five months, there will be 450 artworks displayed in all the cities... It’s one of the biggest solo exhibits by any artist in India,” he adds.
Conceived in different media, the displayed works are in varying sizes. But, a sculpture weighing seven tonnes, titled The Pair, stands out. “It signifies the male and the other female. In the making of this, the moment you go with the scale, it becomes the biggest challenge because you tend to get lost,” explains Maity, revealing that he’s showcasing his ceramic pieces for the first time in his five-decade career.
Another highlight is the 45-feet painting, Nirvana, which took Maity six months. “For the last 37 years, I’ve been going to Varanasi. It’s a destination that inspires many artists. So I wanted to create a painting that captured Dev Deepavali on canvas while covering several aspects of the festival, in a massive installation,” he says.
{{/usCountry}}Another highlight is the 45-feet painting, Nirvana, which took Maity six months. “For the last 37 years, I’ve been going to Varanasi. It’s a destination that inspires many artists. So I wanted to create a painting that captured Dev Deepavali on canvas while covering several aspects of the festival, in a massive installation,” he says.
{{/usCountry}}Poet-art critic Ranjit Hoskote, curatorial advisor of this exhibition, says, “Paresh Maity’s art embodies a deep fascination with light as a shaping power, with colour as a ground of being, and with the human being as witness and participant in epic-scale cosmic dramas.”
Catch It Live
What: Infinite Light
Where: Bikaner House, Pandara Road
On till: November 18
Timing: 11am to 6pm
Nearest Metro Station: Khan Market on the Violet Line
Author tweets Anu_95m
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