What better way than a riot of colours to celebrate the anniversary of an art gallery known for showcasing multifarious art forms? Jamaat rings in its 14th anniversary by hosting a solo show of Prabhakar Kolte, the veteran abstract artist better known as India’s Paul Klee.
Asked for more details, Pravina Mecklai of Jamaat says, “Prabhakar is one of India’s greatest abstract artists and has a solo show after several years, which makes it even more special. These works were made between 2001 and 2008. Most are watercolours on paper apart from a few mixed-media collages on board. While Prabhakar’s influences are maestros like De Kooning, Picasso and Paul Klee along with his mentor Palsikar, the beauty of his works lies in the representation of ideas in his own inimitable style. He is not anybody’s clone; instead he blazes his own unique trail.”
An avid poet and lover of poetry, Kolte’s works often take on a poetic imagery. However, nature remains the mainstay of his works, for Kolte paints with the belief that everything begins and ends in nature. It all begins from one dot/seed, takes on multifarious forms and finally perishes into the nothingness that it began from. This journey is what he seeks to portray through his art. As a result he does not title any of his works because to him every individual interpretation of this manifestation of nature is correct in its own way. It is too vast a subject to slot into narrow or limited definitions. As a teacher who exhorted his students to push the envelope, Kolte practises what he preaches. The artistic rendition of his ever-changing life and perspectives makes for a vivid repertoire; the most recent phase of which we see in the current show.
Bottomline: Abstracts at their best
Celebrating 14 years of Jamaatwith Prabhakar Kolte
Where:Jamaat Art Gallery, Colaba, Mumbai
When: Till February 8
