After travelling to London, Berlin and Prague, Delhi-based artist Arshi Ahmed’s travel show on the complex and philosophical subject of salvation finally comes to Alliance Francaise de Delhi in New Delhi this Wednesday.
Titled “Towards Moksha”, the three-day exhibition has been curated by artist-cum-curator Naresh Kapuria. It will mainly display three dozen paintings and two art installations.
Arshi, who has had 14 exhibitions across the country and abroad in her decade-long career, says the subject of moksha intrigued her and she wanted to explore it through her brush strokes.
“ Moksha means salvation like small particles getting absorbed in the universe. When a person passes away, his karmas eventually decide whether or not he or she attains salvation. I am too young to lecture on this philosophical subject but I sincerely believe that our actions determine whether we achieve salvation or not. I accidentally stumbled upon the subject while working on the theme. While painting, I started making round circles and then something within told me to start working on the subject of moksha .”
Through “Towards Moksha”, Arshi has attempted to portray a pathway towards the final and alluring destination.
“The rat race in today’s competitive world urges us to search for mediums of relaxation. Any form of art can serve as this medium. As an artist I feel delighted to contribute to this vast and wonderful world of art,” she says.
Along with the paintings, “Towards Moksha” comprises two sets of installations: One titled “Unending Journey”, which describes the quest for something unknown, the second titled “Sadhna” describes devotion.
In her installations Arshi has shown the correlation between music and art. “I have painted colours on musical instruments like tabla , drums, flute and guitar. Sangeet comes in the category of art and painting too is a kala . Then I have used photographs of clouds to create a collage.”
She has also painted and put her pictures on briefcases and wooden boxes used during her travels abroad.
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations had sent the exhibition to foreign destinations. It was displayed at Nehru Centre in London in June 2011. It moved to the Cultural Wing of the Indian Embassy in Berlin in November 2011 and opened at the prestigious Jakubska Gallery of Prague in May 2012.
Though she comes from a family of businessmen, Arshi had a passion for art right from childhood. She did a course in sales and marketing but was adamant to pursue her passion for art.
