मुंबई आर्ट फेअरच्या तिसऱ्या पर्वात ३५० कलाकार सादर करणार ‘मूर्त -अमूर्तकला संगम’...

मुंबई आर्ट फेअरच्या तिसऱ्या पर्वात ३५० कलाकार सादर करणार ‘मूर्त -अमूर्तकला संगम’

• देशभरातील चित्रांचा रंगोत्सव
• २८ ते ३० ऑक्टोबरदम्यान नेहरू सेंटर येथे

मुंबई २०२२ : मुंबई हे देशातील सांस्कृतिक केंद्र असून कला महोत्सव, कला दालने, वस्तुसंग्रहालये हे या शहरातील जीवनशैलीचा अविभाज्य घटक आहेत. मुंबईत कला महोत्सव  कोरोना पूर्व काळापासून  लोकप्रिय असून या माध्यमातून उदयोन्मुख कालाकारांना प्रसिद्धी मिळते आणि त्यांना या क्षेत्रातील प्रस्थापितांसोबत एकाच व्यासपीठावर आपली कला सादर करण्याची संधी मिळते. मुंबई आर्ट फेअरच्या तिसऱ्या  पर्वात ‘‘मूर्त -अमूर्तकला संगम’ या मध्यवर्ती संकल्पनेवर आधारित कला प्रदर्शन आयोजित करण्यात आले आहे. या प्रदर्शनामध्ये प्रस्थापित कलाकारांपासून ते उदयोन्मुख कलाकारांपर्यंत, वय किंवा पात्रतेचे कोणतेही बंधन न ठेवता आणि लडाख ते कन्याकुमारीपर्यंतच्या कलाकारांच्याकलाकृती या प्रदर्शनात पाहायला मिळणार आहेत. या वर्षीच्या रंगोत्सवात ३५० कलाकार एकत्र येणार आहेत आणि देशभरातील वैविध्यपूर्ण चित्रांचे प्रदर्शन भरविण्यात येणार आहे. निसर्गचित्रे, व्यक्तीचित्रे, अॅबस्ट्रॅक्ट, वास्तवदर्शी चित्रे, शहरचित्रे, धार्मिक चित्रांपासून ते वैयक्तिक अनुभूतींपर्यंत विविध शैली व विषयांवरील चित्रे त्यांच्यात सखोल दडलेल्या अर्थासह येथे पाहता येणार आहेत. नेहरू सेंटरमध्ये २८ ते  ३० ऑक्टोबरदरम्यान हे प्रदर्शन भरविण्यात आले आहे.

या वर्षीच्या मुंबई आर्ट फेअरमध्ये वैविध्यपूर्ण कला, विविध प्रकारची माध्यमे, शैली आणि विषय समाविष्ट असून चोखंदळ कलासंग्राहकांना या कलकृती निश्चित पसंत पडतील. मुंबई आर्ट फेअरचे संचालक राजेंद्र पाटील  म्हणतात, “मुंबई आर्ट फेअरमध्ये अप्रतिम चित्रे आणि शिल्पांसोबत इतही अनेक कलाकृती पाहायला मिळतील आणि या महोत्सवामध्ये असलेली कलाकारांची उपस्थिती चोखंदळ प्रेक्षक, खरेदीदार आणि संग्राहकांच्या दृष्टीने महत्त्वाची ठरणार आहे. अमूर्त कला शैलीचा उगम मुळातच निसर्ग चित्रांमध्ये दळलेला असून या ठिकाणी आपल्या काही अप्रीम अमूत शैलीतील चित्रे पाहता येतील जी निरखून  पाहिल्यास मूर्तस्वरूपातीलच  निसर्ग चित्रांचा आभास करणारी अशी आहेत ”

वास्तवाऐवजी भावना, संवेदना, कल्पना आणि विषयभावांवर भर देत विविध कलाकार आणि शैली एकत्रित आणणे हे मुंबई आर्ट फेअरच्या तिसऱ्या पर्वाचे उद्दिष्ट आहे. या कला प्रदर्शनात कलाकार अॅबस्ट्रॅक्ट कला, निसर्गचित्रे, वास्तवदर्शी चित्रे, बौद्ध धर्म इत्यादी विविध विषयांवरील कलाकृती सादर करणार आहेत. जल्पा पटेल, प्रकाश बाळ जोशी, अंजली प्रभाकर, नेहा ठाकरे, नीलिमा दानी, नीलेश उपाध्याय, पूनम खानविलकर, आर सोलोमन, राहत काजमी, यांच्यासारखे कलाकार मुंबई आर्ट फेअरमध्ये सहभाग होणार आहेत. चित्रांसोबतच डॉ. शंकर शर्मा, पूर्वी लोहाना , मीना राघवन आदी चित्रकारांनी घडविलेले भारतीय पारंपरिक कलांशी नाळ जुळलेल्या अशा कलाकृतीसुद्धा प्रदर्शनात पाहायला मिळणार आहेत. काही कला प्रशिक्षण संस्थासुद्धा या प्रदर्शनात सहभागी होणार आहेत. कलाशाखेच्या विद्यार्थ्यांना दृश्यकलेचे प्रशिक्षण देण्यासोबतच व्यावसायिक कलाविश्वात शाही प्रवेश देण्यासाठी ते मुंबई आर्ट फेअरमध्ये समूह प्रदर्शन भरविणार आहेत.

काय:  मुंबई आर्ट फेअर तिसरी आवृत्ती

कुठे: नेहरू सेंटर, वरळी

कधी: २८ – ३० ऑक्टोबर २०२२

प्रवेश मोफत

——–Naarad PR and Image Strategists

Dr. Anusha Srinivasan Iyer: 9820535230.

Siddhant Gill: 9833775230.

मुंबई आर्ट फेअरच्या तिसऱ्या  पर्वात ३५० कलाकार सादर करणार ‘मूर्त -अमूर्तकला संगम’

 

Mumbai Art Fair Making A Grand Comeback After Two Years Of Pandemic...

Mumbai Art Fair, a contemporary Art fair for independent artists is making a grand comeback in the Art Market after two years of pandemic with 350 artists exhibiting in 130 air-conditioned booths at Nehru Centre. Mumbai Art Fair is designed specially for independent artists who look for affordable options to exhibit their artworks in the metro cities and reach to the wider arts audience and potential art buyers.

More than 3500 paintings in various mediums such as oils, acrylics, water colour, pastels, charcoal with sculptures in stone, metal, and photographs by over 350 talented artists, few of them young, upcoming, mid-career as well as established are selected for presentation in this edition of Mumbai Art Fair. The diverse mix of landscapes, abstracts, figurative art and spiritual paintings, semi-nudes, rural and pastoral scenes, cityscapes and paintings on varied subjects  in myriad styles and numerous soft, bright and rustic hues are displayed at MAF, at the ground floor, discovery of India building, Nehru Centre from 28 to 30 Oct 2022.

Mumbai Art Fair (MAF) is bringing wide variety of ‘art choices’ in a very economical budget not only for seasoned buyers, but for budding art lovers. Art scene is changing slowly in India and art is no longer reserved just for high-end corporate and art collectors but today’s new millennials too started visiting art exhibitions to look for artworks to create inspiring and soothing ambiance around their living spaces.

This year MAF attracted diverse participation by many new faces among the regular participants working in different styles broaching plethora of subjects. In this year, regular names in the art fair circuit like Sayed Zuber Baker, Nishi Sharma, Anjali Prabhakar, Antra Shrivastava, Niyati Amlani, Neha Thackeray, Vineet Kaur, Beena Surana, Jalpa Patel, Vishal Sabley, R Soloman, S Vinitkumar, Sriparna Sinha, Soumen Kar, Om Tadkar, Naishita Reddy, Alpa Mistry, Rajitha, Manoj Swain, Rahat Kazmi, Prakash Bal Joshi, Prithvi Soni and others are set to mesmerized viewers by their varied creative output, rich in aesthetic content.

The works of Janhvi Bhide, Moshe Dayan, Praveen Naresh, Sachita Aditi, Yashvi Goyal, Dileep Kosode, Gursimaran Kaur, Ishita Malpani, Jenaifer Daruwalla, Kailas Kale, Mona Jain, Nakesha Bhosle, Neha Ruia are the kind of simplifications of reality in which artists have eliminated the details from recognisable objects leaving only the essence or some degree of recognisable form, representing things that aren’t visual, such as emotion, sound, or spiritual experience.  The artworks of Neha Thackeray, Pooja Ray, Rachana Miglani, Rahat Kazmi, Rajat Kumar, Rishail, Sateesh Dingankar, Shehbaaz Khan, Shruti Solanki, Suryakant Rajapkar and Vinitkumar lingers on the border of abstraction and semi-abstraction.

Lord Ganesha, the symbol of strength and power is portrayed by Chandrika Paurana, Madhuri Devlikar, Manoj Swain, Shivani Banerjee, and Sona Kapur, in their distinct style whereas artist Banani Kundu, Bhoomika Detroja, Hansa Bhatt, Jeenu Madan, Kinjal Gehlot, Prachi Selot Samota, Shubhangi Mehta, Sreenath Thampi, Suvarna Chawande, Vidya Shivramkrishnan and Yogita Kogle highlights creative life force through the depiction of their favourite divinities and faiths in the lines, colours and forms. Artist Naishita Reddy, Dollar Mandal, Gaurav Dagar, Ramesh Kumar, Santosh Lanjekar and Suraj Shukla are presenting realistic figurations with vibrant inventiveness through their works displayed at Mumbai Art Fair.

Akansha Punjabi, Jagadish Ray, Lata Malani, Shruti Srivastava, Darshan Mahajan, Archana Sharma, Neha Agrawal, Niyati Amlani, Pratibha Goel, Seema Oza, Shalini Gupta, Sonal Salekar, Sushma Oza, Vineet Kaur exhibiting at MAF have dealt with distinct colour to illustrate their visual ideas in ‘figurative’ genre, sometime in simple forms but making complex reading, creating strong narrative content.

The paintings of artist Anindita Biswas Roy, Basudeb Pradhan, Jayashree Gole, Rahul Naskar, Rakesh Sonkusare, Sriparna Sinha, Mousumi Sircar will make the viewer feel that they are right the middle of their painting; such is the mesmerising treatment given by these talented artists to their nature-scapes that viewer feel as though they can breathe the very air of the painting and reach out and touch the landscape as if it is real. The slightly different variant of abstract landscapes, cityscapes, architectural grandiose,  and flower-scape paintings by Atul Bhalerao, Chetan Bhosle, Padmini Bhatia, Rinni Patel, Sandeep Parkhie, Vittal Moppidy, Vyoma Parikh, K B Shikhare, R Soloman,  Radhika Bawa, Ravi Waybhat, Deepal Bhat, Hena Prasun, Shirish Ambekar, Anupama Thakur, Anuradha Bhalla, Ashdeep Babra, Diptina Kothari, Nidhi Sharma, Poonam Khanvilkar, Raksha Jesrani, Rohini Lokhande, Jasjit Sidhu and Neena Mehrok are the added attraction in the Mumbai Art Fair for the viewers.

The inspiring force behind the works by B Meghmala, Deepak Mukherjee, Monalisa Parikh, Namrita Nagra, Paridhi Jain, Sayali Nagarkar, Sudha Ramkrishnan, Vikram Bhatti, Vinayak Nigam and Vishal Sabley is their belief and faith that prompted them to create an impressive and wondrous works of art which generates mystical aura and spiritual vibrations around them. The amount of detailing in sculptures by Devel Sharma, Pankaj Gadakh, Soumen Kar, and Sujit Kumar Mukhopadhyay

is simply phenomenal and these sculptures are surely going to be an extra attraction in the art fair.

The Baroque animal painting tradition originated around seventeenth century in the western art world have found many followers across the world who portray animals, sometime using landscape as the background. Artist Alpana Dangi, Anna Kurian, Dipti Kumar, Rushan Shah and Shankar Rajput seems to be mesmerised by the beauty and power of different animals such as horses, bulls, elephants and stags. The other artists who got fascinated by wildlife are Haripriya Kulkarni, Jalpa Patel, Poonam Juvale, Praveena Parepalli and Saket Arbhi; their artworks are the visual treat for wild-life lovers visiting art fair. Viewers can select beautiful paintings from a charming variety of flying bird paintings executed dexterously by Anrita Basu, Bhaduri Shah Baria, Sanjivanee Bhoir and Shankar Pamarthy.

Richness and depth can be achieved in the subtle manipulation of light and shadow without colour. A world without colour is nonetheless rich in texture as the artist Akshata Shetty, Beena Surana, Chaitali Bareja Sharma, Ena Tondon, Insiya Patrawala, Kanishkar Mehra, Khurram Amir, Krish Nandi, Krupali Gondhalekar, Madhavi Bhaskar, Nikhil Usare, Raj Kumar, Rupali Mhatre and Vijay Kumawat explore a variety of themes and styles in a monochromatic pallet. The common thread that binds the works of Christina Ravi, Deepa Siddharth, Doyel Sinha, Kirthi Shetty, Kumaraswami B, Manju Das, Alpa Mistry, Namrata Bagwe, Priyanka Singh, Samridhi Sharma, Swarnajeet Kaur and Tara Isa is their female protagonists presented in various context and situations.

The use of geometric forms to create rhythmic patterns and fluid forms in the works of Annarapu Narendra, Jyoti Sharma, Mohit Jangid, Nirja Shah, Prachi Gala, Princy Jain, Uchit Turakhia and Vaishali Chanda is an experiment in illusion art that trick the eye and mind to perceive images different than what they are on the pictorial surface. The assemblage by Rohan Kunthale, Serigraph by Trishna Bhati and woodcuts by three generation of artists in Dubey family, black & white photograph by Sangram Naik, and surreal compositions by Aditi Khandelwal, Kaushal Parikh, Kunwar S S Punwar, Madhu Kuruva, Naveena Ganjoo and Subarna Bagchi compels the viewer to take a second look at them. Female nudes when done by female artist acquire the different dimension; this is demonstrated in the works of Meenakshi Shukla and Payal Moni.

Portraits displayed in the Mumbai Art Fair by Nilima Dani and Vineet Kaur and stylised works by B Narahari, Kashiram Pinjare and Saurabh Dhingare are the specimen of matured handling of subject with witty use of colour composition. Plethora of artworks by artist Anita Mukherjee, Atma Shyam, Bharati Hingane, Devvrat Singh Sengar, Divya Menon, Ramashankar Mishra, Shankar Sharma, Kanan Khant, Karishma Surve, Manjusha Kanade, Meena Raghavan, Navin Agarwal, Nikita Dani, Pinal Panchal, Rubina Hasan, Shalaka Patil, Shruti Kasana, Soni Singh, Sreenivasa Ram and Supriya Kaluskar are the form of tradition art or at least inspired by our traditional arts like Pichwai, Warli Art, Gond Art, Mughal style, and miniature art styles. Artists exhibiting in the Mumbai Art Fair Hiya Juthani, Nayana Patel, Nilesh Upadhyay, Pavani Nagpal, Praveen Kaveri, Purvi Lohana, Rhea Narkar, Seema Oza, and Shivani Patidar approach reality through the use of seemingly abstract looking colour patches and shades to create something as comprehensible as if it is real but still has dreamy quality to it akin to pseudo realism.

The enchantingly luminous water colour pieces by Gitanjali Shah, Mukta Kadam, Niyati Amlani and Shyam Karri combines the reflection of the white paper along with its texture exploiting the translucent tenderness of watercolour; the effect is wistful! Though Mukta Kadam do not fall in the temptation of using water colour’s qualities to boost its visual appeal but takes her artworks much more beyond merely what is overtly visible; they need multiple readings to dig deeper in her visual connotations. Artists Anjali Prabhakar, Antra Shrivastava, Bandana Kumari, Bhamini Sarda, Rajitha, Eshmeet Thapar, Jyoti Singh, Medha Nerurkar, Neerja Kujur, Preeti Shaw, Priya Kataria, Purnima Walunj, Riya Nahata, Sayed Bakar and Vinod Venkapalli visually communicate and symbolize fundamental truths of their subjects through the symbolic compositions.

Mumbai art fair is a sort of dawn for the independent artists; it forms a hub, a burgeoning estuary for the creative alignments of every kind; do come and be part of it in some way or the other. After the long pandemic, art fair works as a crucible of hyperactivity and generates enough energy to make a difference in the current art market.

–By Minakshi Patil

Exhibition        : MUMBAI ART FAIR
Venue : Nehru Centre, Discovery of India Building
Dr. A . B Rd, Worli, Mumbai

Date                : 28 to 30 Oct 2022
Timing :           11am to 7.30pm

——–Naarad PR and Image Strategists

Dr. Anusha Srinivasan Iyer: 9820535230.

Siddhant Gill: 9833775230.

   
Mumbai Art Fair making a grand comeback after two years of pandemic

Najma Akhter’s 11th Solo Show Lyrical Abstraction – Bangladesh At The Core Well-Received At The Jehangir Art Gallery Mumbai...

Najma Akhter’s Lyrical Abstraction: Bangladesh at the Core was on display at the Jehangir Art Gallery 3 from Oct 18-24. The exhibition  exploreed nature and human settlements through abstraction as a method.         The artist presents the lyrical aspect of Bangladesh through the free-flowing strokes and texture as a context in this  exhibition. Bangladesh is known to be a green and fertile land for centuries. It is a riverine country. Rivers create new lands and wash away localities to be rebuilt by the resilient people. The landscape is constantly evolving creating a multitude of visual possibilities that an abstract painter would translate and transfer to the surface of the canvas. This abstraction differs from the west or the grand tradition of abstract expressionism, although connected.

For the uninitiated, Najma Akhter is a modern artist from Bangladesh and is one of those few whose forte is abstract painting. She was born on February 14, 1959. An MFA from the Institute of Fine Arts, Dhaka University, Najma Akhter has exhibited around the globe her expressive paintings, which mostly are acrylic on paper or canvas. Originally a student of Oriental Arts, an area where too she received great appreciation. She started experimenting with abstract visual language in 2003 and toured with her vibrant collection to a number of places like Penang, Malaysia to Patras, Greece. She has been a member of the jury of an international art expo in Sofia, Bulgaria. The artist is also an assistant professor of secondary and higher secondary level fine arts at the University Laboratory School and College. Institute of Education Research. Dhaka University.

Najma Akhter used to write distinctive art reviews for reputed dailies before concentrating solely on her paintings. Her works are in collections of a number of organisations (including government offices, National Museum, Shilpakala Academy, Banks and diplomatic missions) and private collectors, at home and abroad. Najma has received runners-up in Bulgaria’s prestigious International Mixed Media Exhibition and Poet Abdul Hai Mashreky Gold Medal and Shilpacharja Gold Medal.

Najma Akhter’s 11th Solo Show  Lyrical Abstraction – Bangladesh At The Core Well-Received At The Jehangir Art Gallery Mumbai

MUSICAL VIBES 5th Solo Exhibition Of Paintings By Well-Known Artist Yadnyesh Shirwadkar In Jehangir...

From: 18^th to 24^th October 2022

“MUSICAL VIBES”

5^th Solo Exhibition of Paintings

By well-known artist Yadnyesh Shirwadkar 

VENUE:

Jehangir Art Gallery

161-B, M.G. Road, Kala Ghoda

Mumbai 400 001

Timing: 11am to 7pm

Contact: 9820144640 / 9920144640

www.shirwadkar.com

MUSICAL VIBES

Recent work of a well known artist, Yadnyesh Shirwadkar is showing  in a solo art show at Jehangir art gallery, M.G. Road, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai 400 001 from 18^th to 24^th October 2022 between 11 am. To 7 pm. This series in acrylic colours on Canvas exemplifies subtle nuances of the rhythm of music and its relevance / sanctity in life in order to enable a human being to enjoy the nectar and elixir of eternal divinity in apt perspectives of visual arts.

Yadnyesh Shirwadkar had his art education upto B.V.A. at M.S. University, Baroda. Then he received advanced art education at University of South Wales, Sydney, Australia leading to  Graduate diploma in Art (print making) followed by Master of Arts (Painting). He showcased his thematic work on Music and its relevance in human life in many solo and group art shows at leading art galleries at Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Sydney, Ratnagiri etc.  He also participated in many art camps arranged by Gujarat State Lalit Kala Academy followed by similar participation in several art workshops / camps and related art activities. He often received good public response and appreciations from the present art world for his presentations, in various art galleries and exhibitions organised by charitable trusts/ foundations etc. His works are in collection of many renowned art collectors – both Indian as well as International.

The present series envisages his apt illustration of the very essence of Music viz. Harmony and Rhythm and its omnipresent relevance/ sanctity in the life of any human being for his peaceful and meaningful existence in this world. Music has its own characteristic uniqueness that enables one to forget his worries/tensions leading to a peaceful and joyful life. It is due to the generation of numerous ingredients of musical aroma and rhythmic symphony that spreads in the universe owing to the sonorous and divine musical verses and notes that captivate human souls leading to their eternal divine pleasure and joy of ecstasy.  It is, in fact, one of the therapeutical means to overcome vivid physical and mental stresses and ailments for human beings that leads to harmony and symphony in their very existence in this world full of materialistic values having agony and stresses.

Yadnyesh Shirwadkar has artistically and aesthetically adorned his various creative works with layers over layers of apt colours through their harmony and rhythmic symphony which, in turn, produce eternal resonance of harmony and symphony of Music in apt perspectives. His deft handling of the theme showing various musicians playing different instruments and their engrossment and total dedication in their performances not only generate a mesmerising and divine musical effect on the listeners in particular and viewers in general but also all music lovers and lovers of art as well. Each work generates an artistic amalgamation of 7 colours and 7 musical notes and their rhythmic coherent harmonious illustrations.  Being eloquent and thematically relevant, his works share an instant dialogue with the viewers due to their lyrical synchronism and sanctity in the relevant perspective of visual arts.

MUSICAL VIBES 5th Solo Exhibition of Paintings By well-known artist Yadnyesh Shirwadkar in Jehangir

Au Fils Du Temps – Over A Passage Of Time – AQUARELLES BY Renowned Artist Subhash Awchat...

From: 13th October to 15^th November 2022

AU FILS DU TEMPS | OVER A PASSAGE OF TIME

AQUARELLES BY Renowned artist Subhash Awchat

 VENUE: 

Art & Soul

11, Madhuli, Shivsagar Estate

Worli, Mumbai – 40018

Contact: (022) 2496 5798/ 2493 0522 / 8080055450

www.galleryartnsoul.com 

What happens when you search solitude within the construct of an artistic practice?

Subhash Awchat’s present series of watercolours is a reflection of time, its structure, not measured by a watch but one that is witnessed when we fall humble into a magnificent landscape. In French we would say “aquarelles au fils du temps” or watercolours over the passage of time.

We now face an artist with age. Loneliness is a facet of time. The pandemic allowed us to face our interiority with great intimacy. Awchat was left alone without access to his acrylics or his canvases.  A pad of watercolour paper was all that he had access to.  A pad gifted to his grandson and for colours he had basic watercolours that were fabricated here in India. The command on colour and form-forming is urgent when the brush touches the paper you need to draw with water or the images turn to smudges. Awchat displayed much ability in handling colour and form. He changed his palette.

Illness in old age is always a transformation. Subhash has spent time near a lake in Bhor on the Western Ghats of Maharashtra. This plateau-esque terrain with valleys and a reservoir is stationary in time. Watercolours from here capture Awchat’s view of the Sky as blue.  He sees homes dwarfed under the horizon of the Sun. His monk-like figures run under colourful buntings that have affinities of form with geometrical abstraction. We realise how he uses space in his canvases; a particular work divided the paper into a palette of pastels. He is not using ochre. Brown is not to be seen, instead, bright Yellows, Pinks and Light Blues fill spaces where he doesn’t find forms.  A social person finally finds in the landscape a form to draw solitude.

– Art & Soul Editorial

Au Fils Du Temps | Over A Passage Of Time | AQUARELLES BY Renowned Artist Subhash Awchat

The RHAPSODY 2022 An Exhibition Of Sculptures By Renowned Sculptor Asish Kumar Das In Jehangir...

From: 11^th to 17^th October 2022

“The RHAPSODY 2022”

An Exhibition of Sculptures by Renowned sculptor Asish Kumar Das

VENUE:

Jehangir Art Gallery

161-B,  M.G.  Road,

Kala Ghoda, Mumbai 400 001

Timing: 11am to 7pm

Contact: 98243 57739

www.asishsculpture.in

Recent work of a renowned sculptor from Baroda, Asish Kumar Das is showing  his recent work at Jehangir Art Gallery, Gallery AC-2, M.G. Road, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai 400 001 from 11^th to 17^th Oct. 2022 between 11 am. To 7 pm.   

Metaphorical Sculptures of Asish Das

Baroda based 56 years old, Asish Kumar Das, is one of the outstanding sculptors working in India today especially in the domain of using human figures and animal imageries. Presently we are witnessing in our country the phenomena of projects like installations and such ventures which require collaboration of creative artists as well as technical persons or undertakings where deliberately assembled artists and traditional craftsmen just put together some hybrid patchwork. Amidst such an environment, Asish Das stands out as a multi faceted sculptor who has expertise in all aspects of the bronze casting processes which continues to be his medium for his fascinating, stimulating, captivating, mind arresting sculptures. His works are as much complicated in terms of bronze casting and finishing processes as much as they are intriguing in terms of conceptualization. For an artist with such in depth and subtle creative thinking, it is commendable to observe how he manages to sustain his creative impulses through the long complex technical procedures involved for its concretization or objectification.

Asish Das has intense empathy for the natural animal and human forms so that he does not take recourse to distortions, though he modifies the proportions as required to give them the anticipated elongation, slimness or slight attenuation at the body joints. Consequently his animal and human bodies are graceful with discrete modelling, we as viewers could call them ‘lyrical’ or   ‘sukumar’ , corresponding to the ‘Kaishiki Vritti ‘ of Sanskrit language. However they are also ‘serious’ or ‘solemn’, i.e. ‘Gambhir’ or possessing ‘ Audharya ‘ , dignity. Although apparently Asish Das portrays aspiring human beings engaged with daily existential activities in their lives in this world, yet he does not take recourse to oppressed or suffering imageries. The human figures, their faces, limbs, draperies are very patiently modelled in clay and subsequently “hollow casted” in bronze metal using, “the lost wax” process. This technique is often quite complicated when the sculptural form has additional details, such as projecting elements, which require separate channels for pouring hot molten metal during the casting stage.  Even when he portrays elegantly modelled animal forms, they too reflect the human aspirations theme, by transforming their faces into those of humans.

Actually the human aspirations as Asish’s thematic concern, are also implied in several sculptures in which the human figure is sometimes associated with a bird, thus a bird like form with long beak is attached around the waist of a man (see ‘The Royal Flight’).  Or the man is attempting to fly like a bird, thus he rises on his toes, giving an agile stance to the rising figure. A pair of small metal wings is attached to the shoulders (see ‘The Feminine Upthrust’ ). Alternatively a large pair of wings, shaped in wood planks is hinged with the bronze casted upper back, giving an impression of powerful wings (see ‘The Blissful Draught’ ) . Here we may also draw attention to Asish’s amazing sensitivity  of ‘detailing’ such as an exquisite small bird motif with spread out wings, which are delineated on the human torso and the limbs and given buffed polish, so that they shine like gold,  amidst the contrasting greenish colour of the patina. In the “ Vanquishing Thought – II”, the figure stands on the toe of left leg with raised right leg,  as if the figure is  already air-borne. The spread out arms have the gesture of releasing an arrow from the bow. A thin metal sheet covers part of the groin in the front and spreads behind the back as a foil. This metal sheet is perforated with cut outs of the same bird form in fine contours, creating a pleasant contrast with the glittering bird forms on the body. No doubt to render these motifs with finesse requires special skills, which the sculptor has inherited from the fact that he belongs to a family of jewellers. At the same time, this design motif of the soaring bird has a creative purpose which is metaphorical.

Asish’s ingenious command of the balance in his sculptural forms is marvellously arrived at in the manner the human body is placed horizontally in mid space supported by a spiral form in the circular centre of which is placed the three  dimensional earthly globe ( see “ Frolicking with Nature”).  Another unique example is that of a human figure in dynamic upside down position like that of an acrobat supporting the base or the earthly surface with thumbs of each hand. In this case also spiral form serves as the base ( see “ Bonded with Nature”, bronze and aluminium).

The human figure metaphorically transformed by adding some kind of drapery ( as part of a particular type of costume) along with some details attached to it, thus the associated accessories implying a certain expression or a type of specific character, has been explained by Asish himself, as an unconscious reflection of having seen in his childhood in a Bengal village, the folk actors impersonating a typical character wearing appropriate costume and facial make up, such as long hair and beard. The folk actors are called “ Bahurupi”, thus some of the sculptures comprising of nearly full size human form, are like a “ Bahurupi” impersonating a “ character”. ( see “ I Pave  My Destiny  – III”).

The combination of naturalism and simplicity with a certain eternal calmness of Asish’s sculptural works, also remind of similar qualities in the ancient Egyptian monumental sculptural forms. The easy flow of line along the contours of simplified abstracted volumes of the Sarnath Buddha images of the Gupta period ( 5^th and 6^th centuries) is a quality of India’s great classical sculptural style, that has apparently been unconsciously absorbed by Asish Das in his sculptural forms. His handling of delicate surface modelling of the human body along with the equipoise of the human form, links his sculptural forms with the early twentieth century Bengali sculptor, Fanendranath Bose, who had been commissioned more than half a dozen sculptures of Indian male and female workers by  the late Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad. Asish Das’s work, through the last three decades, has grown and matured consistently in a meaningful direction with surprising variations and creative innovations.

———- Ratan Parimoo

The RHAPSODY 2022  An Exhibition Of Sculptures By Renowned Sculptor Asish Kumar Das In Jehangir