Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Emerging Indian Artists on the Horizon

IAnD Exclusive

By Pari Syal
Photography: Courtesy the artists

Friends of Pradarshak ,India pavilion at LDF13
Friends of Pradarshak, India Pavilion at LDF13 

Five Mumbai artists muster up their best foot forward for an international showing as part of the India Pavilion at Southbank Centre during the London Design Festival 2013…

In a milieu, where contemporary fine art is being known through stalwart names in high profile art circles, there is the flip side of the coin, where emerging talent is making waves on a widespread footprint.

Friends of Pradarshak ,India pavilion at LDF13
India Pavilion at LDF13

Talk of affordable quality fine art and a host of emerging artists fit the bill. Five such artists, affiliated to Gallery Pradarshak, Mumbai, under as part of a group called “Friends of Pradarshak” muster up their best foot forward, to showcase two selected paintings each from their repertoire at the India Pavilion. 

Opening up to constructive critiques, the artists are Eknath Giram, Sanjay Raut, Arun Awasarmol, Sangeeta Babani & Ramesh Deshmane. 
  
Friends of Pradarshak ,India pavilion at LDF13
Eknath Giram

Using Krishna and his tales as his central theme, Eknath Giram communicates with a visual narrative of muted shades and subtle tonal variations that anoint the canvases with a depth of understanding and lend tangibility to the works of art. His paintings reflect the moods, episodes from the life and times of Krishna or other imagery that is associated with the narrative of Krishna. His style is expressionist semi-abstract figurative.

Friends of Pradarshak ,India pavilion at LDF13
Sangeeta Babani

There are no straight answers and that is the beauty of life, is Sangeeta Babani’s firm belief and this philosophy is celebrated in her canvases with an exuberance of colour and emotion. Characterised by an ambiguity, simultaneously introspective and impressionist in nature, her paintings come alive with vibrant hues and multiple thoughts. Interpretation becomes subjective and distinct from one viewer to another. The artist celebrates her journey to the unknown, leaving the onlooker to pursue his.

Friends of Pradarshak ,India pavilion at LDF13
 Sanjay Raut

After successfully weaving a narrative through his extensively appreciated series on BalBhikshuks – monk children, the strength of Sanjay Raut’s brush work is now experienced through a watermark-like background, that enhance the rich appeal of the large expressive eyes, blissfully happy faces and corresponding yellow ochres, ultramarines and oranges that adorn his canvases. The underlying thought exemplifies simplicity that is the cornerstone of life per se.

Friends of Pradarshak ,India pavilion at LDF13
Arun Awasarmol

A striking feature of Arun Awasarmol’ssemi-abstract figurative characterizations is their indelible connect with Indian culture.  Cherished childhood memories that instill him with a deep sense of commitment to his art form (his grandfather was an art teacher), and the equally strong Indian mythological influence on his formative years forms the crux of all his paintings. The artist’s repertoire inadvertently instills a renewed respect for many-a-forgotten Indian traditional values.

Friends of Pradarshak ,India pavilion at LDF13
Ramesh Deshmane

Ramesh Deshmane has systematically evolved from a series of liner drawings that were singularly characteristic of a beguiling rhythm and spontaneity, to the mature flowering of a colourful expression. His is a very progressive growth not influenced by any particular ‘ism’. His choice of the ‘Man-Women Relationship’ as motif evolves in its numerous connotations under the artist’s conception of a romantic juxtaposition in a riot of colours, maintaining a skilful application of chiaroscuro, expressing joie de vivre at its best.

For periodic updates on the India Pavilion log in to our Facebook events page  https://www.facebook.com/events/173727956148520/  Like our page and spread the word.

1 comment :