The theme of the painting exhibition––In a Musical Garden––and the titles of the sculptures displayed alongside were what caught our imagination. These stainless-steel art-works were intriguingly titled One Man Orchestra, Jazz Night, Solo, An Impromptu Jig, and Two Stray Notes That Walked off The Stanza!
All these were on show at Galerie De' Arts, a new art gallery set up by Deepa Subramanian at M.G. Road. The opening show was by artist Shan Re, a Bangalore-based artist.Known for her love of vibrant colours, geometric motifs and interesting faces and figures, Shan Re's pictorial language is always striking.
On the title, Shan says: “I did not plan this theme. It just began happening and gradually evolved into what you see today. In fact, I don't plan most of my work. I just get inspired from within and begin and finish whatever I am impelled to do. I work more by intuition than intellect. I am more gifted than talented.”
Shan's Ganesha and the Buddha both in the musical garden, and the Couple in Wonderland were among the most eye-catching of these acrylic-on-canvas paintings displayed at this well-attended show. Shan who has been painting since 1999 is entirely self-taught. She has exhibited her work in both solo and group shows and in Mumbai, Bangalore, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Romicon Revola whose interesting sculptures in stainless steel were also on display is Shan's daughter and a talented artist in her own right. These sculptures are the first few of a series which Romicon is planning for a forthcoming show. She did not go to art school but was initially trained by her artist-father Revola and later apprenticed under a Los-Angeles sculptor Bruce Chappell.
Romicon also designs unusual handbags. But her first love and passion is sculpture. So far, she has executed two monumental sculptures in stainless-steel and over 15 large outdoor sculptures in bronze and stainless-steel. “I like working with stainless-steel because it is a weatherproof medium, and it adds longevity to my work. The nature of the material is also ideal for the geometry and symmetry which characterise my art.”
The show is on till December 27.
