It is excitingly vibrant and colorful at Art Positive gallery in New Delhi these days because of “Art Spotting IV,” an exhibition which gives a glimpse of the visual art world while capturing the essence of the evolving art scene. Installations, sculptures, 3-D artworks and canvases all find a place at “Art Spotting,”which narrates stories in all their glory and forms. The exhibition is going on through August 30.“Art Spotting” is not crowded with veterans but by new emerging artists who bring with them a whole new outlook, sense of perception and eye for exploring new domains by experimenting. The works put on display are by Anupam Raja, Devajyoti Ray, Dhara Mehrotra, Diana Mohapatra, Elanchezhiyan Pichaikkannu, Imran Liyakat Ali Khan, Kanchanmala Ghosh, Loknath Sinha, Manisha Jha, Megha Katyal, Paul Bhonsle, Shola Carletti, SuritaTandon, and Umashankar Pathak. They depict a wide range of topics through their works and engage the viewer with emotional, spiritual, socio-economic and political discipline.Anupam Raja’s works, which are a combination of Expressionism, Surrealism and Abstraction, are inspired by his own experiences, memories, journeys and revelations. Devjyoti Ray’s paintings are completely untouched by the conventional art-school styles. He uses offbeat colors and shapes to create his body of work that can be easily associated with the term pseudo-Realism but Ray has his own unique style of visual imagery. Inspired by nature and inner spirituality, Dhara Mehrotra’s paintings bring about a world which is metaphysical and familiar at the same time. She juxtaposes nature with real world to make them a single entity especially by using waste materials.Diana Mohapatra sees the world by keeping her body at the center; her perception of the other is through her own body, mind and emotions and one can gauge that by looking at her work. Her works represent the politics of a female body that has been a long-standing discourse in all world cultures from ancient traditions till date. Sculptor Elanchezhiyan Pichaikkannu uses bronze to produce dynamic sculptures from “Nandi”to forceful bull fighters. Displaying an array of works, installations, videos, and paintings, Imran Liyakar Ali Khan’s works are spread all over the place. He hasn’t limited himself to canvas but the whole space is a part of his venture.Extremely dramatic, contemporary and bold paintings by Kanchamala Ghosh are on display. She explores the male and female form while concentrating on monochromatic and realistic studies of them. Her canvas is vibrant with the use of light and shade at the same time. Loknath Sinha’s sculptures are a depiction of real-world characters, like a woman walking a dog or an inspector yelling at a thief, made up of wood metal and color. A viewer can instantly connect with sculptures that exhibit urban lifestyle and metropolitanism.You can only marvel at Megha Katyal’s work. She narrates stories through her works and talk about relationships in contemporary times. Her works portray her existence in social and political environments. She uses threads, strands, needles, stitches, knits and weaves to show how intricate human relationships are within the sphere of society. Paintings and worldview have evolved for Paul Bhonsle. At the beginning of his artistic journey, he was inspired by human relationships, nature and spirituality but eventually he started questioning spirituality, ritualism and blind faith in religion; more specifically Christianity, which is evident in his works. Shola Carletti works are abstract paintings with splashes of red, golden, blacks and purples.Her day-to-day life is art; it’s what inspires her to create something that passes off as pop art. Surita Tondon’s canvas is bright, colorful, vivacious and extremely bold where use of neon colors flash to evoke erotic imagery that stages a confrontation between “the world of accepted and celebrated icons of seduction historically and the need to introspect the sense of reality that lies beyond it.” On another level, she is constantly trying to bridge the gap between art and reality. Umashanker Pathak’s paintings talk about social reality; the struggle of migrant day-laborers that is laced with urbanity.“Art Spotting,” as a concept to promote and recognize emerging artistsfirst saw itsexpression in 2010 and back then the curator of the first “Art Spotting,” Sushma Bahl had said, “Art Spotting hints at the direction in which contemporary Indian art is heading as it moves apace in rhythm with the fast-changing world scenario. Its varied creative modes, mediums, palettes and appearances on the one hand reverberate through cultural roots and on the other, engage with new age ideas, encounters and issues ranging from personal to political. It embraces committed young artists from smaller and semi-rural Indian cities as well as from larger metros with enough space, scale and scope to enable each one to articulate his/her creativity in more open, innovative and bold expressions.”-“Art Spotting IV” is open till August 30 at gallery Art Positive, F-213/C, Old M B Road, Nai Basti, Lado Sarai, New Delhi.
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