Art Explore’s recent exhibition in the capital, ‘Multifarious 2’, saw the participation of prominent figures in the country’s art scene such as Rajesh Srivastava, Abhijit Pathak, Anant Mishra, Mangesh Rajguru, and Devesh Upadhyay.
Talking about the theme, Vikram Singh, the curator explained, “The idea of Multifarious came about when we wanted to promote different artists, mediums and genres.” Therefore, the artists depicted their works across a range of styles. For example, Abhijit Pathak is an abstract expressionist, Rajesh Srivastava specialises in portraiture and figurative art, etc. “Each artist is different and has a different approach, but at the same time is communicating what he thinks is important,” added Singh.
Rajesh Srivastava works on all mediums and tried to bring about innovation in the works he exhibited. He commented, “I’ve learned the traditional techniques of art, including wash painting. And I also know charcoal drawing.” The Torso series, which Rajesh exhibited, had an interesting story to it. One might have mistaken it to be a tribute to feminism and female beauty, but it wasn’t so. He explained, “It’s not at all related to women. I’ve tried to explain the ambience of my studio through this work of mine. I’m very close to my studio and I’ve taken care of it like a lady who takes care of the thing or people she loves.”
Artist Devesh Upadhyay mostly works on ceramic. Devesh said, “I believe every human carries two kinds of personalities. The inner one and the outer one. I observe that with my intuition and then try to express it through my work.”
A collection that stood out, as per Singh, Upadhyay’s sculpture series. He says, “The sculptures not only had exceptional craftsmanship but maintained what Devesh wanted to communicate with outstanding expressions and poses of his ceramic characters.”
