Bringing alive contemporary folk and urban contemporary art

Known for presenting thought-provoking and groundbreaking exhibits, Anubhav Nath, Director of Ojas Art Gallery has come up with 'Ascending Roots', an exhibition of indigenous and urban contemporary artists, which is conceptualized by Rahul Kumar.

The show, which will be on view from September 7 – 30 at Ojas Art Gallery, will host 70 artworks in various mediums like paintings, lithographs, sculptures, intaglio, drypoint, drawings, watercolours, acrylic on canvas and oil on canvas by 10 revered artists including Ashish Kushwaha, Abhishek Verma, Deepak Kumar, Jignesh Panchal, Mahalaxmi, Mayur and Tushar Vayeda, Mayank Shyam, Shahanshah Mittal and Sher Singh Bheel.

Bringing alive both contemporary folk art and urban contemporary art, the exhibit celebrates young artists handpicked from each of the categories. The common binding theme lies in the beauty of the absence of any theme. The works will represent the most preferred subject by the artists themselves thus giving the spectators an insight into a fresh perspective.

The purpose of any art is to express, to tell a story. Contemporary-folk artists create works with the same fundamentals at the core but have adapted to the plethora of modern day material. This has, in turn, made room for the artworks to move beyond the impermanence of drawn-on-the-walls to an object, a painting on paper or canvas. Art today is multi-dimensional derived from themes that are the urban or global phenomenon. In contrast, urban-contemporary art is always a reflection of an individualistic expression. The works take upon the global trends but with an individualistic take and with varied media and reconditioning techniques.

Speaking about the exhibit, Anubhav Nath, Director of OJAS Art Gallery, says, "Ascending roots is about exploring the cross-pollination of thoughts and emotions, media and techniques, and style and imagery across the two categories. It is an invite for the spectators to ponder if the boundary lines separating the groups be erased."

I feel it is important to bring the two genres of art under one roof. To allow the works to be seen next to each other. We decided not to add the load of theme for the show. It is now up to the viewers to find if and how there are connections, says Rahul Kumar, Curator of the show.