A mix of media

Exaggerated human figures are aplenty in Farhad Tamkanat’s works titled, ‘Utopia’. An attempt at portraying women, Farhad encapsulates emotions and expressions from a multitude of women. Through his works, you’re privy to iconic bodies, some talking to one another, some thinking and some just sitting. Bright hues adorn every frame. However, the exaggerated figures remain the most interesting part about the paintings. All the bodies in the painting seem like they are doing something, at least that’s what we as viewers would like to believe, but in quintessence, they are just being — existing. The paintings exhibit a sense of being and through that the works make you look within, look for similarities and compare with the exaggerations. The distortions, poses and visual drama are all contrasted by the equilibrium exhibited in all the works. In more ways than one, it is the celebration of the feminine form — through religion and spirituality. It steers away from naturalism and borrows from representative and interpretative art, weaving a distinct narrative. The colour scheme in the paintings is bright and owes leniency to contrast. You see bright yellows, royal blues and leaf greens in on frame, juxtaposed with shades of sienna. In Farhad’s introductory lines about his work, he writes, “The canvas I paint, it’s my colourful world, And the woman I paint is to encourage and to adore”

Mixed-media magic

What perhaps best defines mixed media is infinite possibilities. On a more informative note, mixed media is art that uses more than one medium of art, say paint, ink and collage. The Mixed Media and Collage paintings and sculptures exhibition at Iconart Gallery, titled, ‘Cloth Paper Scissors’, stands out as an exploration of those infinite possibilities. In a group exhibition of 23 artists, the paintings are vivid expressions of modernist artwork. Padmaja Vanama’s piece is an exquisite fish made out of net swallowing a hoard of cars and tyres. A symbolic interpretation of the current environmental crisis, it stands as a satirical piece, where the roles are reversed. Aishwarya K.’s work on egg racks is extremely interesting. It is interesting to note an unspoken uniformity in the works of the artists; they have all tried to remake items we see around the house. An animal rug look-alike made out of paper, dyed in tea leaves with drawing of a tree in ink or the intricate replication of a centre-rug using net. Paramashivam K.’s works try to dip into the shallow and murky pools of both realism and impressionism — distinct theories in art, yet when you look at his representation of a crowded bus-stop, you can’t help but pick up hints of both. The faces on the bus look real, picked out from newspaper and magazines; while some fade, on the whole, the larger picture gains meaning, as all the elements of the painting combine to evoke the charm of the big city.