Kavita's paintings reflect the liveliness of Indian 'Mohallas'

In a world which is increasingly urban and alarmingly stressful and isolated, Kavita Chopra Dikshit's new series of artwork gives a glimpse of Indian Mohalla – cramped spaces within which life unfolds in all its colours. 'Mohalla' – Kavita's first solo show – captures the vibrant, colourful, noisy rhythm of lives that flowed into each other, an interconnectedness that created joy with a layered unfolding of life. The exhibition will open on February 5, at Open Palm Court, India Habitat Centre.

It yearns for the romance of lost time, another world where community living was the order of the day. Neighbours were friends and it was a world of open doorways and conversations over walls. Where there were many little stories and nothing was a secret, where the days were slower and life in the closely knit community overflowed with charm and exuberance that nostalgia made even sweeter.

Kavita has experimented with oils, acrylic, and mixed media, though her preferred medium remains oils on canvas.

Kavita's art tells you a little bit about her. The realist who doesn't flinch in painting abandoned urban spaces and the poet who seeks beauty in that grime. She is the person who finds comfort in the ordinary, in the clothes drying on a line, in the familiarity of graffiti, while simultaneously at ease with the spiritual. Her abstracts are contemplative, the simplicity misleading, until you notice the purpose in the brush strokes.