Art show Rupantara Five Decades of art and Printmaking
Dates 7 May to14May
Venue Visual Art gallery India Habitat center Lodhi Road New Delhi
Time 11Am to 7 pm
The upcoming art exhibition,of Members of Multiple Encounters Anandamoy Banerjee, Kavita Nayar, Moti Zharotia, Dattatreya Apte, and Sushanta Guha present the art show “Rupantar Panch Dashak: Five Decades of Printmaking.” It promises to be a captivating showcase of talent from. The exhibition is at Visual Art Gallery Lodhi Road New Delhi starts from May 7th to May 14th, offering art enthusiasts a chance to immerse themselves in a diverse range of printmaking styles and expressions. The exhibition is curated by Alka Pandey.
With a history spanning over two decades, Multiple Encounters has established itself as a prominent collective dedicated to pushing the boundaries of printmaking. Through collaborative projects and a commitment to deeper dialogue, the group has garnered success both locally and internationally. Multiple Encounters showcases the individual practices of each member, highlighting their technical mastery and conceptual richness.
The exhibition features a range of techniques and themes, from Moti Zharotia’s exploration of life and spirituality in his serigraphs to Anandamoy Banerjee’s depiction of the rhythm of life in woodcuts and etchings. Dattatreya Apte’s studies on chiaroscuro through intaglios and Kavita Nayar’s recollection of pandemic horrors in her etchings add depth and complexity to the collection. Sushanta Guha’s lithographs and aquatints offer critical commentaries on society and its future, inviting viewers to reflect on pressing issues.
Anandmoy Banerji’s recent series, explore the struggles of individuals facing existential crises amidst societal changes. Using only two colors, flesh pink and black, Banerji employs scratches, flowing lines, and solid shapes to create captivating forms and tones. The artworks depict limbs floating in space, shifting between menacing and serene expressions, suggesting the personal battles each person faces alone. At a broader level, they reflect society’s challenges, with hope for positive change despite current hardships, as seen in his series “The Dark Night,” created during the Covid-19 pandemic
Dattatraya Apte’s black-and-white prints, made during the lockdown, convey feelings of solitude and loneliness. “Reflections CP” captures reflections on glass within a marketplace, symbolizing the isolated nature of modern life. “Lockdown Reflection I” freezes a moment in time, showing a figure surrounded by pandemic-related objects, highlighting the surreal atmosphere of the era. With young and old artists expressing their art of printmaking in varied forms and techniques, Apte believes it’s a promising future for printmaking with its own challenges of the time “I can see that the collective efforts of Indian Printmakers Guild and Multiple Encounters have created a space for young printmakers. This is visible in major art exhibition where quite a few numbers of prints are exhibited.” “More institutions are introducing printmaking as subjects in schools and universities. The work is not yet over as new challenges are coming. The advent of digital technology is one of them, it is competing with other techniques of expression and is visible in all the spheres of artistic expressions,” concludes Apte
Kavita Nayar’s textured prints, inspired by silk cotton flowers, are rich in symbolism, exploring themes of loss and regeneration. Fragments of petals scatter on the ground, conveying a sense of melancholy, yet hinting at renewal and positive energy. Sushanta Guha’s lithograph prints delve into societal issues such as violence, misogyny, and religious extremism. “Indigestion of Civilization” presents a collage of disturbing scenes, reflecting the darker aspects of contemporary society. “Time Traveler” juxtaposes a meditating figure with modern symbols, suggesting the need for balance amidst technological advancements and social unrest.
Moti Zharotia’s serigraphy prints depict the harmony between humans and nature, blending human and natural forms into decorative abstractions. His works evoke a sense of interconnectedness and balance within the universe. The art of printmaking exists in India since the early 1900s’, when Raja Ravi Varma had set up a press, to encourage printmaking as a means to popularize art and reach out to a larger audience. Till then, art was restricted principally to the Royal families. Afterwards, many presses were set up in Calcutta and thereafter in Delhi and Mumbai. Delhi Silpi Chakra was an artist organization that encouraged and promoted printmaking in a big way in the 1950s and 1960s.
In Sushant Guha’s drawings and lithographs, he uses strong lines and simple pictures to express big ideas. He’s been making art for thirty years, changing how people think about drawing on stone. He mixes his art with literature and ideas, making it rich with feelings and thoughts about the world.
Now, he’s showing his biggest and most exciting work yet. He adds color to show how objects and figures are positioned and how they reflect light. His art makes you think deeply and feel excited. His pictures are full of textures and hidden meanings that make you look at them in a new way.
Guha’s art is deep and exciting, making you think and feel at the same time. His new series of pictures shows how he plays with space, using flat colors to createa feeling like a painting on a wall. He worries that by getting too good at this style, he might lose the freshness that makes his art special.
Printmaking, as an art form, is often underexplored within contemporary discourse. Despite its intricacies and dedicated practitioners, printmaking remains undervalued in comparison to other mediums. Multiple Encounters seeks to challenge this perception by championing printmaking as a celebrated art form, accessible to all.
Through the exhibition, Multiple Encounters invites viewers to delve into the world of printmaking, where each mark tells a story and sparks introspection. The group’s dedication to education, visibility, and dialogue ensures that the legacy of printmaking continues to thrive. Multiple Encounters is a collective of printmakers dedicated to pushing the boundaries of printmaking through collaboration, dialogue, and innovation. With a history spanning over two decades, the group has established itself as a prominent force in the contemporary art scene, both locally and internationally.
Anandamoy Banerjee, Kavita Nayar, Moti Zharotia, Dattatreya Apte, and Sushanta Guha are celebrated printmakers known for their technical mastery and conceptual richness. Their works explore a wide range of themes and techniques, inviting viewers to delve into the intricacies of printmaking.
