Delhi artist turns her studio into gallery

Delhi is full of art galleries that showcase artists and their works on a regular basis, but seldom does one get a chance to interact with the artist in his/her own space. With the concept of studio shows being not too popular in the capital, we rarely get to see the setting in which a work of art was created. After all, the space where one allows imagination and creativity to take over also matters. But recently, graphic designer and artist Kavita Chopra Dikshit organised a studio show for two days and invited people to see her works at her studio.

Dikshit’s studio has an open space, an enclosed room and again a terrace open to the sky. The setting gives a cosy feeling where like-minded people gather to discuss and celebrate art.

“It is an intimate viewing where I get to know the response to my work immediately and the people also get to know me and the way and manner in which I work. I am always for this intimate viewing of art,” says Dikshit.

While the art galleries are bound by a theme, Dikshit’s work has broadly three categories. One section could be called “Oh my God”, which is inspired by mythology and spirituality. There’s a huge Hanuman painting in blue, two Jesus and Mother Mary paintings on canvas, three paintings of Buddha and one of the ghats of Varanasi. The second category is that of landscapes and the third is abstract. Dikshit seems more comfortable with abstract as it gives her more space to explore with large strokes and a huge canvas.

Mythology is easy to relate to but I found the abstract pieces more coherent and appealing, given Dikshit’s full-time job of being a graphic designer.

The transition has been hectic but enjoyable for Dikshit. “I think my paintings compliment my abilities as a graphic designer. But painting gives me more freedom, a free hand to draw at will. I am not bound by the demands of a client. I absolutely love my job as a graphic designer but art does not act as an escape capsule — it is an extension of my personality, of what I am,” says Dikshit.

The studio show also had paintings by Rama Ratan, a youngster who came to Delhi as a little boy to earn a living as a domestic help. Kavita took him in. He started showing interest in art and has been drawing since then. His paintings include the simplicity of village life, nature in its brightest form — foliage and forests, birds on trees. The simplicity of his work is too attractive to ignore. Little wonder that his works have been bought by people who not only live in Delhi, but as far away as New York and France. This studio show also featured photographs of Aryaman Dixit.