Style — the trademark of an artist. For some, it is to reflect the richness of life, for others, to evolve as a better person. The Art Collective, a group of seven Indian artists with seven distinctive styles, have come together to create what they call, “The Rasa of the Visual Experience”.
The paintings on display — at the Russian Centre of Science and Culture, New Delhi — reflect the seven artists’ tryst with dreams, ideas, imagination and reality.
Most of the works are oil or acrylic on canvas, but the idea behind each work is as different as oil and water. While artist Shivani Ghai’s Dream Reality revolves around the relationship of a man with the world of dreams, imaginations and thoughts that run parallel with him, Dipali Meher’s paintings show the animal instinct in man. In one of Meher’s works, a man is intertwined with a lion, which reflects his ego and lion heart. In Tug of Life, Meher portrays how a man is pulled down by life’s difficulties and negative forces, but how he can also be pulled up by positive energies. Out from the Old into the New depicts a new beginning after every turmoil, symbolising new life in a tree that sprouts from a seed in the soil.
However, as styles evolve, no artist is glued to the same old techniques for ever. “I discovered enamel a month ago and the medium fascinated me,” says Meher, who claims to love experimenting. Two of her enamel paintings are titled Matsya and Mahishasura.
“Enamel on steel is a very difficult medium actually. The painting is done on glass, which is then put in the furnace three to four times. It’s more of an experimental process. You have an idea in your mind, but you don’t know what the end result will be like, until the end product comes out of the furnace. But the best part of this medium is that there is no limit to its life span, so it can also be passed down to generations as heirloom,” explains Meher, who lives in Mumbai.
For Shalu Malhotra, painting is part of her personality. Her oil works are contemporary in nature and reflect the emotions she goes through. “Every day brings new challenges and newer reactions towards life. These experiences inspire me. I like to use lines and abstract shapes that depict confusions and trappings of modern and materialistic times,” she says. That she likes earthy and subtle colours are evident from her paintings, as browns, beiges and reds dominate her palette.
Artist Jyotsna Sharma’s miniature paintings seek to explore the relationship between people, architecture and everyday inanimate objects, although freedom and romance are her central themes.
Another interesting work is that of artist Nikheel Aphale, who’s unique calligraphy speaks for itself. The artist likes to explore the alluring composition of letters and expose the hidden beauty of alphabets through interesting forms, spaces and surfaces, using unconventional tools and techniques. His calligraphy of the Devanagari alphabets are “ink on paper” works and are titled Existence, Co-existence and Reverie. Aphale says, “People mainly relate Devanagari to Sanskrit slokas. In my work, I try to go beyond that as I contemporise the Devanagari alphabet.”
Each of artist Aparna Apte Gupta’s paintings has a footprint of her personal experience, like her series on doors. “Doors have always fascinated me,” she says. “When I started working on this series, I was going through a difficult phase in my life, both in the professional and personal front. I had to make some life-changing decisions then. My paintings on doors reflect my personal dilemma at that time. I believe that breaking away to do something we dream of is, at some level, like opening a door and being brave enough to walk through it. We just need to find the right door.”
Gupta, who has a decade-long career in television and is currently freelancing in art, has also experimented with soft-ground etching. Her Ordinary World shows that the grass is always greener on the other side. “Often, we expect something extraordinary outside the door, but when we open it, we see a very ordinary world. The question is: How much of the ordinary do we want to accept?” she says.
Silouettes find an equally important place in her work. “My emotion and personal experiences fill up my canvases. I use silhouettes because in the humdrum and chaos of daily life, I like to remember
situations in the most basic and representational manner with colours, silhouettes and textures,” she adds.

The three-day group art show concludes today and is open to the public from 10.30 am to 6 pm.