A dozen artists from across the country present their take on society and culture and what a viewer gets is a mosaic of perspectives portrayed on canvas employing different techniques. ‘Identical Notions’ by Guwahati-based Easel Art Foundation in collaboration with Gallery Space, Hyderabad, brings together well known artists like Laxma Goud with younger artists like Debananda Ulup and Abanta Borah, who present an artistic view of life in the North East.
Debananda Ulup’s paintings, from his series ‘My Valley’, portray the lifestyle, culture, myths and folklores of Singpho people. His paintings are a part of his project to study the Tinsukia district of Assam and Sanglang and Tirap regions of Arunachal Pradesh.
Sandhya Shankar Patnaik explores the feminine psyche through striking, solitary images.
A few artists present an imagery of the intangible. Vishal Joshi, whose has been painting spirals over the last nine years, makes these spirals appear like calligraphy. In one of the paintings titled Spiral of Life, the artist equates the imagery to the ethereal essence of the spirit.
Exploring this intangible spiritual side is also Bhaskara Rao Botcha with his bold strokes in primary colours to stress on the significance of trees that are worshipped, like the Bodhi and the neem.
Subhakar Laskar paints a more abstract interpretation of spirituality, creating an atmosphere similar to that of being immersed in instrumental music. Patches of blue, white, greys and black and the blank spaces on the canvas are indicative of an internal thought process, a movement.
With a series of 36 small images in pale blue and white, Dadul Chaliha highlights the power of imagination. Abanta Borah’s canvas is filled with overlapping bubbles, similar to that of soap bubbles blown in an amusement park. The artist says the bubbles are symbolic of peace and happiness and help reflect all that’s positive in society. Perhaps, happiness too is a bubble.
Wahida Ahmed toys with tiny structures to weave a honeycomb. An apple, painted with tiny structures of a honeycomb and bees hovering around it is aptly titled Lusting Bees.
‘Identical Notions’ is on view at Gallery Space, Road no.12, Banjara Hills, till September 10.
