Art Pilgrim's latest show 'Bloom Time' features works of 18 artists. The showcase is a mix of acrylic and oil paintings, as well as sculptures.
Blooms represent positivity, vibrancy and happiness. So when Art Pilgrim at Triveni Kala Sangam resumed its operations after the pandemic, Geeta Singh, the director of the gallery thought of opening the gallery's door on a positive note. Hence, she curated the show Bloom Time that celebrates flowers, life and its many facets in unique ways, represented through art.
The show features works of Jayasri Burman, Jayashree Chakravarty, Niren Sengupta, B. Prabha, Bhaskara Rao, Bikash Poddar, Bratin Khan, Nupur Kundu, OP Parameswaran, Priyanka Aelay, Shabir Hussain Santosh, GR Santosh, Shobha Broota, Samir Mondal, Yusuf Arakkal and Zahoor Zargar. The works have been carefully chosen keeping the theme of the show in mind.
While explaining the concept behind such a well-thought out showcase, Geeta says, "We chose artists that we thought could do justice to the show. Some of the works are from my own collection like Jayasri Burman's and Jayashree Chakravarty's pieces. The other artists have done theme-related works. I felt that their works would have complimented the show's theme that's why their works are part of this showcase."
The showcase is a mix of acrylic and oil paintings. Shabir Hussain Santosh is one of the artists who specifically created an abstract painting for the show. The artist, who usually focuses on mythology and frequently draws a parallel between the past and the present, has curated a work using expressive colours, such as yellow, orange, red and brown, to represent the theme.
Calling it an imaginative work, Shabir says, "My artwork defines the mood. I always observe and perceive things before putting my thoughts in my art. I don't draw objects looking at the picture otherwise my mind gets confined to a centre point. There is nothing deliberate in my work. I explore things while making them."
Another artist who has specially curated a set of four works for the show is Nupur Kundu. "I did works for the theme which is the awakening of monsoon and things are vibrant. This work expresses my feeling of bloom time in terms of the application of vibrant colours with palette knife. It is my way of expressing happiness and freshness around this time of the year, especially during the lockdown," she shares.
Nupur has titled her artworks as 'quarantine scape'. Explaining the title, she says, "It felt like sitting inside my studio during the lockdown but imagining that there is bloom around. I feel as an artist, we are all used to living in a solitary confinement. But this time, we actually learnt the meaning of quarantine."
The show also features a few sculptures. Pramod Mann's sculpture, for example, represents a human and tree. Carved on a black marble, the artwork represents a three-dimensional view showcasing a human's face on one end and a tree on the other. Also making to the list is Dhananjay Singh's interpretation of a plant that has been created with the help of wires, bronze and stainless steel.
Other artworks include Bikash Poddar's painting depicting lotus (watercolour), OP Parameswaran's painting of white flowers (acrylic), Bhaskar Rao's showcase on trees (acrylic on canvas), Priyanka Aelay's representation of monkeys on trees (acrylic on canvas) and Shobha Broota's artwork on germination (acrylic on canvas), to name a few.
The show can be viewed till 27 September 2021.