“I am my own experiment. I am my own work of art.” — Madonna.
Naina Maithani Kulkarni not just paints to live, but she also lives and breathes art everyday, and her whole world revolves around art. Hailing from the mountainous regions of Mussourie called Garhwal, she proudly calls herself “The Mountain Girl” or the ‘Pahari’. Her abstracts have not only earned a lot of admirers but the manner in which she shows her art is so peaceful and soothing to the eye, almost soulful, is an achievement in itself. At her first solo show, every work of hers is a documentation of her experiences and memories encountered through her journeys into the tranquil trails of Garhwal. Though Naina has been exhibiting her works in several shows, this year has indeed been a breakthrough year for her in terms of opening up for a bigger audience. What makes her a good artiste is, the fact that she is constantly learning, often conversing with artistes, art curators, etc in a bid to excel, and this show proves that her art has come a long way. The artist shares, “Mountain Musings is my childhood diary, an almost intrinsic, eye-catching journal that captures the different moods of these mighty, towering yet angelic mountains from my eyes, experiences and elicitations.
A complete pictorial of the old mountain and its story, the echoes of winds carrying fragments of clouds, chasing butterflies, thousands of periwinkles, numerous dawns and dusks I witnessed during my mountain days Though I don’t live there anymore but home will always be Garhwal. I am glad that I can depict and carry the magic of these mountains now with my abstracts. Through Mountain Musings, I once again relive, remember and cherish my homeland, Devbhoomi, as we call it.” The eclectic abstracts by Naina reflect little pieces, memories, snippets of heaven collected, compiled and portrayed from her quaint yet inspiring homeland. As she add, “An ode to my source... my roots. I hope that it connects each one of you to the fairest thing in nature — Mountains, the divine Himalayas.”
A painting on display
Her works juxtapose the contemporary abstract with a sense of calm. A journey which unfolds various secrets and a story which is worth a narration. True to the title Mountain Musings, the artiste’s inspiration stems from little stories and experiences she encountered living in the lap of the clouds.
The exhibition is on till July 4 at the Sublime Galleria.
— The writer is an art expert and curator.
