Art of innovation

the first in a line of art extravaganzas headed for the capital, the first delhi edition of india art festival kicks off with a plethora of experimental artworks

It’s challenging to fit your art to meet the market’s demand and still satisfy your creative soul. The Delhi edition of India Art Festival showcases the works of new and upcoming talents who are stretching their limits to explore new avenues in art.

Despite the exhibition space being small and cluttered, many works caught the eye. Some works were made using unique materials, some addressed various socio-political issues.

Delhi-based gallery Lavanya Art showcased artist Kanta Kishore Moharana’s themed-based sculptures addressed subjects like child labour, slums, industrialisation, Dalits and crime. His sculptures took on a dramatic character both in the illustration of a concept and his resourceful use of material. He has used marble carving and bronze as his medium of art. One of his works that stood out is made of carved marble in the shape of an open book — an ancient manuscript with an inserted metal globe. Explaining his work he says, “Each manuscript, whether it is the Gita, Quran or Bible, imparts an important lesson in every single page. One lesson that is common to all manuscripts is about conserving nature and natural resources. By placing the globe in the middle, I am trying to address the issue of global warming and the non-stop exploitation and rapid depletion of natural resources.”

On the other hand, self-taught artist Niyati Kanakia plays with paper rolls and wood shavings to create a three dimensional work. Her representative at the booth elaborates on the piece of art, “This untitled abstract work is made of small pieces of paper from old magazines. The artist is trying to put together the pieces in a manner that they look like pixels, giving a three dimensional perspective to the viewer.”

Fashion designer-cum-artist Astha Mudaliar seamlessly blends her design sensibility and eye for detailing in a collection of mix-media portraits made out of crystals, using embroidery techniques. “I have specialised in hand-embroidery and have tried to experiment with it in my works. For the last seven years, I have been using my embroidery skills to create portraits and artworks. In this exhibition, I am showcasing a collection of portraits and works created using Swarovski crystals.”

Sculptor Seema Singh Dua, whose works were selected for the museum at Nirman Bhavan, is showcasing a collection of figurative works. Priyanka Dua, Director, 4th Wall Art says, “Seema’s sculptures are examples of the harmonious aesthetic realm, containing the power to calm the senses. Almost all her works have figures representing people together, in happy relationships.”

Artist Aarti Zaveri’s installation titled ‘Spiralling Aspirations’ is a movable interactive work talking about individual aspirations and inspirations. She shares, “I have used metal and wood in this installation. The metal spiral represents the path we take to achieve our ambition. The spiral indicates that the path is never going to be straightforward; there will be many ups and downs, and challenges to be faced. The wooden footsteps represent the determination and vision with which we strive to achieve our goal. I asked the viewers to write their aspirations in the wooden footsteps and place them as part of the work. Thus, the artwork acts as an unintentional guiding force for setting an ambitious goal for the participants. I am surprised with the number of people coming forward to be part of my work.”

Artist Sudhanshu Sutar in his installation titled ‘In-tolerance’ talks about the human tendency of stepping on one another to reach the top. “I have used materials like iron box, mirror, nail, globe, fibreglass and fisher net to create this installation. The work basically showcases the crab mentality present in every individual. I have painted the box with eminent personalities, as according to me they are some of the biggest examples of this human attitude. Today, everyone is looking for opportunities to climb the ladder of success without looking to see whether in the process they are hurting anyone. ”

Artist Sudip Routh uses computer scraps in his work to represent the metropolitan city. Meena Varma, CEO of AnYahh gallery says, “The idea was to showcase the fast moving metropolitan life and rapid urbanisation, and the artist thought scrapped computer parts represented it aptly.”