2015

The Eternal Icon by Ratan Saha

In the world of material excess and in the times of our artists searching for the glossiest and costliest of materials, in Ratan Krishna Saha, we find an artist who seeks the most traditional yet unexplored materials that are deeply inlaid with the meanings of our country’s rich traditional and cultural complexions. Bangles made of brass and copper that have now almost become the part of our cultural memory than a daily thing to live with and live in, make a coming back in the ambitious sculptures of Ratan and he manipulates these materials and their meanings with the dexterity of a master sculptor and brings forth a series of sculptures that exemplifies his pet theme, the bulls. Art critics, lovers and collectors have acknowledged and appreciated Ratan’s takes on the form of bull, which he connects with their cultural, economic, social and political connotations. Like a musician who explores the tonal varieties of the same raga in different pitches, Ratan too goes to the unforeseen ways of seeing a bull form and presents an awe inspiring body of works.

An ambitious sculptor and an artist with a vision, Ratan Saha by adopting bangles for his latest body of works at once brings traditional culture and the contemporary culture on the same body of sculpture. It is a very aesthetical way of bringing femininity in the whole scheme of sculptures that use bull, the dominant male form as the key vehicle of his creative ideas. When the femininity suggested by the bangles and the materials is used for making the bangles along with the bull forms in his sculptures, then it becomes the meeting point of the word and meaning (vak-artha), Shiv and Shakti and also Purusha and Prakruti.

(14 - 24 December 2015 )

The Ecstasy of Art (Part 1 & 2) - 15th Anniversary Show

If I were to choose between the power of writing a poem and the ecstasy of a poem unwritten, I would choose the ecstasy, it is better poetry. – Kahlil Gibran

Ecstasy is a trance-like state in which a person transcends normal consciousness An artist cannot reach the state of ‘ecstasy’ unless he is completely dedicated and in love with what he creates… that is when he feels an inner ecstasy; the real delight that comes from the soul and saturates the whole being. This state is a call to re-articulate the imaginary. It is about the limitless interpretations of a creative thought. For an artist, it is very important to think openly about the terms and contexts of aesthetic creation, to develop concepts based on experiences from live both lived and imagines, even hoped for. Every artist conveys the echoes of his state of ecstasy through his artistic expression that is determined to undo the limits of all possibilities.

‘Ecstasy’ in spiritual language very beautifully defined as the blissful state of mind. It is the state where one casts away his ego and self, and gets out of what he has been identified as. Standing out of all this, and being just a pure witness, an observer of the whole structure in which you have lived. Similarly the ecstasy of art is stepping out of ones own creation and enjoying it with a different perspective. An artwork made with pure dedication, mirroring the emotion in the artist’s soul, can induce pure pleasure in the beholder.

Ecstasy lies in every detail of the form, colours and textures that go in making of art. Only then art reaches its pinnacle and these elements captivate your senses making you ecstatically enthralled.

Great art is pure joy!! And our 15th Anniversary show is a showcase and celebration of joy and happiness. Let’s traverse the journey of Ecstasy from the artist’s heart to the collectors home.

(Part 1: 4 – 28 February, Part 2: 4 – 28 March 2015)

Landscape of Life - Kalpana Shah

Nature is the best philosopher in life. In silence it lays witness to everything happening around. And teaches us that awareness and sensations are more important than reactions. Clouds dance around, the wind blows gently, the rain falls sporadically, but the meditation of the mountain continues, unaffected. At the same time, the beauty of the mighty mountain would diminish without the changes in the sky’s colours, the sunrise dancing on its peaks, the clouds and mist romancing its cliffs accompanied by the music of rainfall and the whistling of the wind which sounds like an orchestra on Earth.

The Sun gives power while the Moon embodies love and peace. Poetry can be found even in the tiny nuances of nature such as in the mischief of the moon when hiding behind clouds. My imagination has no boundaries when I am one with Nature and connected to the Universe. Only through Art, Music and Poetry can one create a heaven on earth.

Life presents different colours and shades at its various stages. Starting from childhood and leading up to adulthood, each age has its share of ups and downs, charms and woes, pleasure and pain. I call this unending drama of events and experiences: the Landscape of Life. Inspired by nature, I keep painting the canvas of life both in my dream world and in reality. Therefore, I choose to paint my landscapes of life as a tribute to love, to the elements of nature that encompass all that is needed to survive in this creation.

– Kalpana Shah

(22 December 2014 – 20 January 2015)