Of all things artistic

Art has a way of appeasing the mind and soul. Tracing this line of thought, the Art Junction at The Lalit in the national Capital, unveiled a group exhibition featuring the paintings of eight artists. The art show features the works of eight women: Dr Bahaar Jain, Simple Mahonty, Jyoti Singh, Neeta, Saudamini Mishra Anand, Sujata Malhotra, Varsha Mathur and Dhara Mehrotra.

Many of the paintings displayed in the exhibition have drawn inspiration from the daily lives of women. Simple Mahonty has tried to capture the vibrance of  ‘Chhat puja’ and the expressions of devotion on the faces of the women that is the essence of the festival. Dhara Mehrotra’s creations celebrate the beauty of nature, and are fine demonstrations of the Installation technique employed to transform space using art. Varsha Mathur’s eye catching split paintings in monotones emphasize the dimensions of the canvas.

Jyoti Singh’s interpretation of Shiva on the canvas is something different altogether.”I feel that Shiva is the epitome of rebellion. He is not one of those stereotypical gods. He has shunned the societal impositions and lives a life of his own choice”, she said.

Naresh Kapuria, the multi faceted artist and the curator of the exhibition has an unmistakable aura of genius about him. Kapuria, who has spent decades honing his skills in the field, expresses the need for more platforms that promote artists with diverse domains.  

“I want to integrate art and people. It has been my endeavour to provide a platform for artists where they can wield their magic brush on canvas with absolute freedom”, he said. Kapuria is the winner of the Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres award by the French Government and has also received the Award of Excellence by the government of Romania, Order of the Crown by the government of Belgium and Charles Wallace Trust UK Award and Triennale-India Award. The exhibition will be open to the public till September 24.