In a beautiful green bandhni saree, a big red bindi, a tight bun and kohl in her eyes, she is as graceful as her paintings. While, dressed in a kurta, trousers and a cropped hairdo, her exhibition partner presents a diametrically opposite picture. Yet, they couldn’t be more alike. Smita Srivastava and Ujwala Prabhu first met when their husbands were posted in Dhaka, in the early years of the new millennium.
Bonding over their shared interest in art, Smita, an academician and school principal and Ujjwala, a senior corporate honcho, decided to give vent to their latent artistic inclinations. In 2008, the self-taught artists exhibited their works together for the first time at Standard Chartered Gallery in Dhaka. Since then, the duo has stuck together, displaying their artworks in various galleries. Their latest exhibition is a part of the Pullman Artnight in the capital.
“We share a very symbiotic relationship, where each helps the other grow as an artist and gives an unbiased opinion on the other’s works. Nobody means any harm and we both have immense trust and respect for each other,” says Smita.
With almost a dozen paintings on display, which include watercolour paintings, charcoal sketches and pointed-tippings with the brush, one can’t help but notice her fondness for colours. She adds, “Colours attract me and I love splashing lots of vibrant hues in my paintings.”
Human forms, figures and a series on aquatic life are some of her dominant themes. “I am immensely phobic to water. As a result, I always visualise how life beneath water would be like. The paintings that portray aquatic life are based on my imaginations,” explains Smita.
Talking about her work, Ujwala adds, “Human faces fascinate me quite a lot. People, their moods, interactions and emotions are an ongoing source of curiosity and interest to me. What I am searching for is their inner personalities, thoughts and stories in my works. I use a variety of mediums ranging from oil, charcoal, printmaking, clay to the digital medium.”
The works of the duo are the first to be displayed in the series, Pullman Artnight. Talking about the duo, General Manager, Pullman, Jagan Lacsher says, “Ujwala and Smita’s inspirations are rooted in everyday life and their muse are real people made vibrant by the use of bright colours and bold charcoal strokes.”
Their works will be on
display till April 12