“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
— Henry Ward Beecher.
Seldom have art shows showcased artists from different backgrounds and with diverse themes. The art show titled Outside Inside Out has all the elements to make it a blockbuster. Some artists who are part of the group show have often created their own mark and space in the art world. In the early 1990s Ricky Martin’s famous song Outside Inside Out caught the fancy of many music lovers. The current group show at a star hotel, is a sure shot stunner. With artists like Farhad Hussain, Bharat Thakur, Lochan Upadhyay, JMS Mani, Laxman Aelay and Arun Bain one can expect a plethora of talent in a single platform.
Harisha Chennangod is also showcasing his works at the exhibition. The curated art show is showcasing exhibits by Lochan Upadhyay as their showstopper. Contemporary modern day artist Lochan Upadhya’s art poses many questions concerning the modern urban society. His major interest lies in making objects out of objects (mostly waste from consumer products). His artwork in the show Ghumakkad Ghar or mobile home, poses several questions between art objects and non-art objects, as to how value is added to an object the moment it is placed in the institutional context. Lochan’s sculptures/objects are a byproduct of his rural and urban experiences.
His nomadic home shelters namely the Ghumakkad Ghar are reminiscent of a temporary shelter or mobile house for nomads. Considering he is a nomad himself, his nomadic life is well reflected and documented in the installation. Farhad Hussian’s work strives to blend vibrant colours in all his paintings which portray hard realities of human relationships. His bold portrayal of modern society, which is culturally vibrant is seen in almost all his series. Dr Bharat Thakur, the world renowned yogi has been aggressively and consistently painting for the past few years.
What sets his work apart is his ability and capability to transform from the abstract to figurative, from acrylic to dry pastels to pens, so seamlessly and effortlessly. For the works in the show, the artist has displayed two paintings which can be disguised Sadhvis from the Himalayas.
Thanks to his intense proximity with the mountains, his paintings transcend his journey and encounters with the spiritual and the mystic life of the aghoris and sadhvis. An art show with such diversity will raise a lot of eyebrows. This one shouldn’t be missed.
— The show started on June 29 on at the Taj Westend.
The writer is an art expert and curator.
