Minimalist art is becoming a rage in India, and artists from different fields are implementing this form. In a rare show titled Drawings, Paintings and Ceramics, two painters and one ceramic artist are coming together for the first time to showcase minimalist art.
Artists Sheetal Gattani, Neha Lavingia and Madhvi Subrahmanian explore abstract art in miniature and intricate form at a show that kicked off at the Gallery Art Motif. Even though Gattani and Lavingia's have similarities, the medium and tool of expression are very distinct. Gattani has explored the abstract using the medium of paper, while Lavingia's art was created with water colours.
Gattani's approach is very traditional and lacks a story. While explaining her work, she says, “My work is all about layering. There's use of paper, charcoal and pencil. But unlike other works, where people draw and add colour, I have peeled the paper and layered it with charcoal. Then, I have erased it. I have repeated this process the several times and that is what people will see in my artworks,” she says.
Lavingia, on the other hand, has drawn inspiration from the environment, and is showcasing drawings that have been put together by carefully observing the nature. The closest analogy to her paintings is a haiku. The artwork is precise, evocative and brief.
“Since they are inspired by environment and nature, I felt calmer while working on them. Viewers will also experience a close connect with the nature through the language of the works,” she says.
Continuing with her exploration of and reflection on the urban environment, ceramic artist Madhvi Subrahmanian is showcasing a series called Windows. In her works, the artist explores the window as a key architectural component that gives its inhabitants the connection to the world outside.
In this series, she is presenting two of her works from the Mappa Mundi series mapping imaginatively the routes of her daily journeys, and a third work Dilli constructed with cones as markers of time. She is also showcasing Blue Print that juxtaposes the city map with a house, directing attention to the deep human desire for congregation and dwelling.
Explaining her ceramic art, the Mumbai-born artist says, “My ceramic work is very physical. Windows series is abstract cultural form, but as the name suggest it is somewhere in the architectural realm of interpreting the window or a building or an archeological site. Since it is an open-ended work, I have left it to the viewers' imagination to perceive it however they want it.”
The ongoing exhibition is open for public till February 24.
