Coffee & colour

Colour Burst, an initiative of Kadamb Art, brings art and artists out of galleries and on to the open space

Gurnaaz Kaur

A wealth of stunning art, capturing beautiful moments, intense thoughts and many an experience, is on display outside Hotel Aroma. Titled Colour Burst, it is an initiative of Kadamb Art to provide a space to tricity artists where their art is not restricted to galleries.

Calling it a Weekend Gallery, NeenuVij, the curator of the show, hopes to make it a regular affair for the city. “Between Manmohan Kohli, the co-organiser, and me, we were thinking of doing something new and different for artists. Last one year has been full of anxiety and frustration. As much as we are all trying to get out of that low phase, we all need each other’s support and colours really do help, so we thought why not make art accessible to people,” she explains. Neenu, an artist herself, reached out to some of the most senior, eminent artists of tricity in the debut show since she believes they are the ones who have brought Chandigarh on the world art map. The Weekend Gallery hosts arts of 18 artists, including Prem Singh, Navpreet Kaur, Bheem Malhotra, Prabhinder Lall, Madan Lal, Satwant Singh, Aradhana Tandon and Anand Shende among others.

Under the radiant sun, walk among the paintings, a whiff of coffee and the hustle bustle around takes you to an imaginary land of vibrant hues. Some landscapes in bright shades of orange, pink and green; a play of figures as abstract art, spiritual experiences in pastel tones, geometrical shapes in acrylic and so much more… each of the 25 arts on display have a story to tell.

In his over-33-year-old painting, senior artist Prem Singh has shown a woman who is one with nature and is praying for peace. “I had visited Delhi in 1984, right after the riots. It shook me completely and I couldn’t pain for a few months after that. Finally, in 1985, I started this series on post riots and this one is among the last few paintings dedicated to that time. When a person becomes helpless, they pray to the Almighty. The woman in the painting has a prayer in her heart and she is hoping to get out of the situation,” he says.

Metaphorically, we have all dealt with a difficult phase of self-isolation and distance and somewhere working towards bringing life back to normal. Appreciating the initiative, Prem Singh says, “It was after so long that we all met. To be among artists and lovers of art was a happy feeling. Through this Weekend Gallery, Neenu has literally taken art to the people. And that’s how it should be. Art is meant to be seen and shared.”

There are two round canvases, each with a woman in bright colours. Madan Lal has symbolically explained the current mode of communication through these paintings from his series Swings. “My colour palate is urban Phulkar. It is inspired from my culture and that shows because our roots in Punjab are so full of life. The animal is symbolic of the help we need in interaction today because we have reached a point where direct communication has taken a backseat and we take help of a medium. A lot of people will be able to relate to it.”

In this course of revival of life, these artists are out there to hold your hands. Each week, hopefully, new artists will join hands and help everyone walk together.