NEW HUES
Art is breaking boundaries and finding new ground. Young artists today are creating art in a global, politically-charged environment and confronting reality head-on. New media has resulted in a variety of styles, with artists refusing to be boxed in by stereotypes.
Chevalier De’arts awardee from Delhi, Naresh Kapuria rates Arshi Ahmed and Sher Singh as young artists with a promising future. “They do fantastic work and have their own style,” he says. Arshi’s vibrant colours set her works apart. “Every colour has a story to tell and understanding these stories is exciting. Colours are an essential part of our life as they bring both energy and effervescence,” she quips.
Contemporary artist Bose Krishnamachari feels young Remen Chopra and Roshni Devasher have the spark. Remen Chopra works with images of theatrical productions as her initial source material. “My work is preoccupied with the idea of restoring balance in a world that has gone awry by establishing a sense of harmony between masculine and feminine energies — Shiv and Shakti,” she says.
Art historian and curator Lina Vincent believes Muktinath Mondal, a painter based in Baroda, has great promise. “His art is a rare blend of highly skilled drawings that reflect his Bengali sensibilities, and a leaning towards subtle narrative that comes perhaps from his training in Baroda. Unafraid of working in large sizes, he is a painter to look out for,” she says. Lina believes Pratik Prabhakar, from Bihar who works within the Madhubani drawing/painting techniques, is worth looking out for. “He has improvised and allowed it to grow into a visual language that suits his contemporary artistic and socio-cultural responses,” she adds.
Bose rates P.S. Jalaja from Kerala as promising. “She has taken out idioms from a culture that is both her own and also global and is very talented,” he says. Noted artist Yusuf Arakkal lauds Venugopal EK and Udaya Vir Singh. Multiple ways of representation being his forte, Udaya works with the polarities of sculpture and installation.
Lina believes that Urmila VG, from Bengaluru “produces prints that are thought-provoking in a contemporary context, as well as utilises the medium to its maximum capacity.”
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