Ranting of a beautiful mind

Amarjot Kaur 

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Bibekanand Kapri’s robot-like dinosaur made by wielding automobile spare parts creates a fascinating picture of the past through elements of the present. The strange link between eras builds on in some of his other sculptures too and probably he is aware of it. Why else would he use a clock on a guitar’s body while making a sculpture of a musician? 

There’s more to the ninth annual art exhibition organised by the Saksham Sparsh Art Foundation (SSAF) at Punjab Kala Bhawan. It extends layers to textures and diversifies into different themes through almost 70 different artworks. 

“It is for the first time any art group invited 16 artists to exhibit their works at the exhibition,” says Gurdeep Dhiman, a member of SSAF which was established in 2007. “We have been doing a show every year and even exhibited at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Maldives,” he adds.

While the exhibition displays the works of 16 invited artists, it has 32 participants and three students. Aminul Haque from Assam paints the bond between nature and women, while Bijay Chandra Prasad from Haryana plays with textures and several shades of blue. Dattartraya Apte too experiments with mediums and colours. He uses, what seems like a flattened egg-crate, and marked in stripes, making it look like a bird-eye view of a cultivated field. MK Puri’s painting, titled The Apple Story, however, is an enchanting perspective of human nature. He seems to layer, like masks, the faces of people he paints on canvas. SSAF will also be conferring on him an award of honour.

Among photographs, Pratap Dasgupta’s semi-nude picture of a woman brings a defining curve to the frame, while pictures clicked by Ankush Bagga, Ashok Kaushal and Pintu Dhiman spell subtle nuances of people, their culture, architecture and landscapes. The exhibition also features paintings by Prem Singh and Sidharth, along with those by Vijay Bagodi and Yashwant Deshmukh. Chandrima Das of Bengal explores several shades of women, intricately, using ballpoint pen on paper while Kavita Singh draws her idea of woman empowerment through bold, powerful strokes. If you have an eye for detail and good company, Gurdeep Dhiman’s inkjet print on paper may just spark a discussion light, shade, and depth in monochrome; the details in his artwork are both, exquisite and interesting.

Kulpreet Singh’s subtle impressionism with a play on light and depth imposed on textures is commendable, while Mandeep Singh Manu’s digital artworks are breathtakingly beautiful.

On till April 1