Delhi’s #ArtDiary: Cultural and historical milieu turns context for canvas

Influenced by what’s happening around us, art often becomes a creative medium to convey those occurrences. And that’s what drove the four artists namely, Abhijit Pathak, Charanjeet Singh, Mangesh Rajguru and Meesha Holley, to create what they are now exhibiting at the ongoing group exhibition, Surroundings.

“Covid-19 has made everything go haywire — from our jobs to our lives — in the last couple of years. It’s then obvious for the artists to also get influenced by what is happening around us. Hence, we thought of doing the show based on our surroundings and the artists have expressed what they were feeling or witnessing, be it socially, culturally or politically,” says Vikram Singh, curator of the show.

Rajguru works around the idea of time zones, old versus new. Hailing from Maharashtra and based in Delhi, the artist explains how he brings two polar ideas on a single canvas in a humorous manner. He explains, “I’m exploring varying socio-cultural dynamics at play in our society, highlighting serious issues that plague humanity and need urgent intervention. The past is being presented in black and white while the current elements are in pop colours.”

Pathak, who is also based in Delhi and is a native of Bihar, uses Barabar Caves for his inspiration. These caves that become the foundation of his work date back to third century BC. “The caves were used by ascetics from the Ajivika sect and believed in the philosophy that one’s destiny is predetermined. I spent a lot of time there taking photographs and recording the surrounding sounds. That’s how I transformed some of these elements in my recent works using colour, texture, symbols and motifs, including Brahmi lipi (script),” informs Pathak, who has also used photographs, directly on the canvas.

Singh adds: “If you look at the abstract works of Pathak, they are based on the monuments and caves surrounding his village and the philosophy surrounding them. Artist Mangesh Rajguru references history and juxtaposes it with the present in a sarcastic manner. Charanjeet Singh works on elements that are important to us, showcasing baolis that were used to preserve water and farmers working on the fields. Whereas artist Meesha Holley takes a philosophical view and uses watergrams, images taken through a microscope, to capture the subtle dialogues found in our environment.”

Catch It Live

What: Surroundings

Where: Art Explore, E 55, Panchsheel Park

On till: May 14

Timing: 11am to 7pm (Sunday closed)

Nearest Metro Station: Panchsheel Park on the Magenta Line

Author tweets @AngelaPaljor

Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter