Connected by differences

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India, the land of diversities and cultural divisions, is an eternal source of inspiration to artists across the globe. To highlight the beauty of the diversity that is an integral part of this country, a group of ten artists will be showcasing their creative interpretation in an art show called ‘Diver-Cities II’.
The art exhibition that will feature artists like Arun Kumar HG, Avantika Bawa, Baiju Parthan, Gigi Scaria, Manjunath Kamath, Roshan Chhabria, Prajakta Palav, Sarnath Banerjee and Sudipta Das, is curated by Bhavna Kakar at the Latitude 28 gallery
City as a muse has come into sharp focus in recent times, especially with the blurring of boundaries between the urban-rural divide, opines Bhavna Kakar, adding, “Art today becomes an exciting statement of the cultural diversity mapping diverse geographies. This show celebrates this diversity of creative processes.”
Artist Arunkumar H.G., who is known for his peculiar choice of materials like toys, plastic, ceramics, hay and scrap in his installations, mentions that for this exhibition he has specially created two artworks denoting the complexities of the country.
He says, “I have used many rural and city influences in my previous artworks. For this exhibition, I have created two abstract untitled installations that are in accord with the central theme. The first artwork is in the shape of an India map, which is reconstructed using broken pieces of mirror and the circumference is accentuated using red fur and LED lights. When a person sees this creation, they see themselves in the mirror image and that’s the elaboration of the diverse images that we see around us everyday. The other one is also done in similar fashion, but it’s a circular shape depicting a globe.”
Mumbai-based artist Prajakta Palav’s artwork titled ‘Jelly with Nuts’ explores her life and experiences in the maximum city Mumbai. She says, “I have created a set of 14 canvases using acrylic colours on canvas. The medium is glossy, and I have incorporated the hard fragments on the canvas using dried acrylic colour that were left in my studio. My paintings challenge the notion of the Indian wedding pandal (pavilion) in terms of treatment and its inherent ideology and social significance. In Mumbai, one can see a pandal, a temporary structure, anywhere and everywhere, which is erected to maintain privacy on busy streets by creating a personal territory. I used a lot of red colour and called it jelly and nuts, because when I was working on this theme I was also making jellies for my five-year-old daughter side by side.”
Whereas, young artist Sudipta Das’s paper and iron installation titled ‘Samadhi’ speaks about the current state of affairs and lack of stable leadership in a country of billion plus.
She says, “The artwork is made using tea, paper, coffee water and iron mesh. It’s a human figure made out of torn white paper that is meant to display the veiled truth of the society. The pieces of paper and the multifaceted stained boot reveals the state of dominance and powerful diversions in our country.”