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First-timers at India Art Fair

Updated: Apr 29, 2022

The India Art Fair 2022 features works of several artists who are making their debut. A2zoftrends spoke to some of them.

Bhagyashree Suthar, Akara Art

The Rajasthan-based artist is showcasing two of her untitled artworks using different techniques. In her first work, Bhagyashree has used pen and ink with gouache over paper and in the other, she has combined epoxy resin and beeswax on gouache.


Her first artwork takes inspiration from architecture and carries geometrical patterns in different shapes and sizes. The artist first started with its layout using different references from the nature, kitchen utensils and architecture.


“I took inspiration from the geometrical patterns in the nature to make composition just like in Febunaki, a technique that has infinite number of geometrical shapes,” she shares.


She then made a sketch using a pencil drawing. Later, she added colours (tints) to the structure and finalised the patterns.


Bhagyashree does not have a degree in illustrative background. She studied painting in graduation and worked on geometrical patterns while pursuing her Masters.


In the other work, the 30-year-old has experimented with epoxy resin and beeswax for the first time. “The idea was to add polished surface to my work and give it a futuristic look,” she says.


But blending these materials wasn’t easy. “I could not decide how much colour to add to epoxy resin because it took two days for the colour to settle. It was a time-consuming task,” she shares.


Ian Malhotra, Galerie ISA

Born to an Indian father and a British mother, Ian has studied print-making at the World College of Art in London. This Birmingham-based artist is showcasing three of his drawings at the IAF using the same technique.


Ian has taken inspiration from the landscapes that he saw in films and video games. But unlike other artists, he used them as a reference material instead of copy pasting their images on the paper. He captured the landscapes in the form of pictures and digital images, and later added them using etching.


Explaining the process, he says, “I have developed this technique by looking at the inkjet printers. They leave a similar impression on paper. But my works are hand-made and are time-consuming to make.”


Ian uses archival pens, which are used for signing documents, to create the dots. He claims the process is labour-intensive.


“The technique is similar to how etchings were once used to create illustrations in books. I use a needle to scratch the metal sheet. The sheet is then dipped in a bath of acid so that the acid cuts into the metal. I then add ink on the top to create an impression,” he shares.


Meghana Gavireddygari, Blueprint 12

Meghana’s artworks take a deep dive into the moments that were a part of history but weren’t recognised well in history books. As a history graduate, she feels strongly about the sufferings of people.


She is showcasing four of her works, all of which have been created using indigo on ink. The artist used this medium as she believes that indigo holds a deep Indian colonial as well as contemporary history.


Explaining her artworks, she says, “It is based on censorship in different ways and forms.”


Her first work talks about protests. She explains, “In case of a protest, we only hear voices and experiences of the story teller (media in most cases as they share the news). But we never hear the viewpoints of the people who are protesting. This artwork highlights the voices and experiences of the protestors.”


Meghana loves working around people and aspects of history. In another artwork, she has used books to show censorship of text. “The blue lines are in indigo. This is inspired from the Indian materials (turmeric, saffron, etc.) that are not being put on paper and their usage loses relevance over a period of time.”


Her third work is inspired by the Partition of Bengal and combines indigo and jute on paper. It dates back to 1906 and narrates the story that of how the jute factories were separated from jute production.


“There were several first-hand encounters about this issue but it isn’t well documented in Indian history text books. So, I wanted to bring this issue out in front of the people,” she explains.


Meghana is a full-time artist. All her works were created specially for the art fair.



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