If there is one thing that strikes in Priyanka Poogalia's works, it's the glaring contrast of black against vibrant colours: red and yellow. The exhibition titled: Womanhood — a journey, explores the multi-faceted personality of women, as a whole.
The artist believes that through the eyes of the woman, the spectrum of life is reflected best. She has given life to the emotions that appear most strong in women — dedication, love, hate or deceit. With contemporary figurative and abstract art, she explores the realm of a woman's thought. She has used charcoal and acrylic to bring out the essence of womanhood.
Most of Priyanka's figures are dusty sketches of women; an omnipresent red streak of paint brings out the feminine qualities. In two of the paintings representing man and woman, she has showcased the outline of a woman surrounded by red swirls, pressing upon the notion that women think from their heart. To be viewed along with her representation of the man, the emphasis there is more on the physicality of the man. Moving on to her depictions of the many moods and phases in a woman's life, the matrimonial picture brings out sublime emotion, the bride with her head down, cheeks flushing red and a big ‘bindi' looms large on her forehead, as her sensuality is nestled in the petals of a charcoal lotus. Another frame, where a figurine is dressed in a long and red dress, against a spiral of charcoal — where the woman begins the cycle of life, a routine she can never get out of. Her series of paintings on matrimonial bliss, showcase a man and woman's exploration of each other. You can see the man and woman in her works unite and the red streak in the painting becomes a part of both of them, each maintaining their stance, yet together.
Apart from her series on womanhood, Priyanka's other works are also on display, geometric abstract work seems to be a strong point for the artist.
Her abstract on Adam and Eve and another one on a conversation between two people is resplendent in thought. The Adam and Eve, is a multi-coloured splash on the canvas, where two human figures, albeit geometric, emerge from a half-eaten apple.
The exhibition is on at Beyond Coffee till April 15. For more details log on to: artsfromheartcom
