A/P a group show held in April 2009 at Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S.U. Baroda

Framing the title for group exhibition always attempts towards assuming a deliberate and thoughtful position while asserting a defined rubric, under whose realm the flow of distinctive creative capillaries get channelized in a common duct. A/P is a matter of such gesticulation where these seven printmakers, products of graphics department of Faculty of Fine Arts intend to seek a common exhibiting space. A/P stands as a universally accepted terminological initial in the discipline of graphic arts. The word form A/P means ‘Artist Proof’ which is the first early proof impression of an engraving, or the like, often distinguished by the artist's signature. The first print pulled off a fresh "stone" (the plate which was drawn or etched by the artist to create the prints) accords to itself an exclusive aura, in effect to the fact that the stone would wear down as the number of prints increase, and A/P would be the sharpest of the lot and thus hold an indexical value for the subsequent editions that follow.
It is of a crucial interest here that this technical nomenclature A/P does not problematize the collective categorization of the works exhibited, which is confined not only to prints but also include drawings by several of them. While Dimpal Panchal, Durgaprasad Bandi and Preeti Agarwal have construed their aesthetic parlance through the aid of graphic apparatus, Kamlesh Bhai Rathwa, Khanjan Maru, Radhika Dave and Sajeev Vadakkootu Visweswaran have held the pen probing authoritatively the process of mark making in formulating their creative act drawing directly from their muscular and nervous faculties. William Blake, a romantic poet and painter once said, “He who pretends to be either painter or engraver without being a master of drawing is an imposter”. The aforesaid statement blatantly underlines the need for developing adeptness in drawing before embarking on the path of other artistic praxis. An inclination towards a simultaneous rendition on paper tracing unexpected itineraries of line forms higher projections of visual intelligence. This becomes an essential base before internalizing the precise formulations on the zinc plates or litho stones as they transpose into another aesthetic entities. And even as the implications of technology rage at an alarming pace, the place of drawing remains valid as the most direct and puritan exposition of human thought within the realm of visual arts.
The seven artists who participate in this exhibition have responded to the simplicity of this concept. A/P as a construct here acts as a working rhythm of the artists whilst positing them fundamentally rooted to their chosen discipline i.e. printmaking. The implication of the peculiar describer ‘Artist Proof’ confined to their pedagogic domain bestows them with a distinct identity, even if that in some measure means ascribing to some peripheral affinities.
The collective act towards mark making on paper and other engraving material grew in them at a thoughtful pace. And while Dimpal Panchal and Preeti Agarwal invigorate the surface by layering it with multiple planar distributions invoking meaning sodden with the feminine disposition, Durgaprasad Bandi raises the strings of his exploration to another level grasping the mouse to animate the virtual architecture transfused through his rudimentary skills and thoughts. Taking a line for a walk, as in Paul Klee’s dictum, Sajeev insistently skims the nib across the paper tracing overt representations leading to his personal reveries and nostalgia. Forms constructed with textures for a veritable aesthetic experience in Kamlesh Bhai Rathwa, Khanjan Maru and Radhika Dave’s works is build through assertive, repetitive movement of the pen that produces cross hatching, tonal shading and dotted act of stippling.

Platform 15 a group show of 15 artists held in April 2009 at Art Space, New Delhi

Platform 15 as a group was conceived last year towards providing a spontaneous breeding collective to these fifteen artists. The thread of their aesthetic aspirations and an urge to communicate and exhibit through the institutionalized channel cleaved the bond. Under this purview, the ‘platform’ gears up for conjugating their cross-cultural, cross-regional belongings and puts forth the aesthetic structures that are existentially pitched.

These 15 affirmative narrators are disseminated through differing approaches and perspectives validated through their individual idiosyncrasies though invoking contemporariness in their praxis through the same generational affinities.
Deivasigamani experiences seizure of his recurring emotions captivated in force of banal complexities. The canvas is a potential surface delineating his representational identity animated in somber tints. Hailing from Pune is Snehal Kulkarni for whom the visceral forms unveil their force as she prolongs her engagement with canvas. Art then becomes a fulfilling process as well as a curious offshoot of the cognitive faculty seeking meaning even if that leads to an ambivalent direction. Tanushree Goyal from Delhi draws her aesthetic language from amorphous structures which she defines as the “streams of consciousness”. Myriad encapsulates of thoughts and perspectives act in juxtaposition to each other within the human sensorial space; an amalgamation of those cavities forms an expression in entirety. Setting rhythm at a definite pace is an inert function of Mariyam’s canvasses. The veins of lyrical lines flow at deliberate angular directions structuring out the microcosm of her identity within the abstract universe. This formulation is outgrowing on the artist for some years, consecrating her pictorial surface with elements of the feminine, and the fragile yet keeping an enduring quality.

Attempting for a pictorial idiom in depicting female nudes, Sounder seeks to delve into the gentlest epitome of personified beauty i.e. the nuances of female anatomy. Situating his accomplishes within the traditional realm of advancing the visual pleasure, he balances the formalistic attributes of the palette and canvas to define his distinct style.
Sunitha Subramanyam posits the visage of mannequins as apparent forms in a photo-realistic manner. This suggestiveness of the mannequins signifies the commodification of the self, the urban body and its plasticity that is an antithesis of all that is natural.
The portrayal of mechanized and dehumanized self is also a comment on the notion of power where this hapless form is analogous to the deprived section of the society, both animated to perform as per the dominant whims. Satish Kumar creates a niche for himself embarking on developing a distinct technique by manipulating acrylic color to bring the translucence of water color. Imparting the ingredients for a veritable aesthetic viewing, the locus of operation exists within the narrow lanes and streets and the old historical monuments. Purporting for screening of an objective reality, Sabarish constructs a labyrinth of burgeoning ‘concrete developments’ in the urban locales. Dimensional attributes like narrow lanes, lamp posts, rooftops and hutments intertwine each other to assign a substantial character to these formations. The artist chooses to celebrate this composite form rather than critiquing it on social grounds. Treading a reverse and determined course, Magesh borrows his imagery from his immediate socio- political surrounds. His works are also characterized by strong autobiographical overtones, grappling with tension linked to factors of societal fracture and aggravation of human deprivation in face of irrepressible modernization. Durga Prasad’s drawings and etchings exude pain and pathos. Hurt and internal wounds shriek through dark and forceful strokes. They scream for a release through the hatches, in vigorous potency. The bitterness and the war inside seek a counter response of tenderness and compassion within the self.

Arpit Biloria organizes his forms on minimalist grounds contemplating the surface as a base for crystalline visual embodiment. The interplay of the geometrical configurations in black on a pristine white base invokes a transcendental energy infused through an adept rendition of the diffused pigments on the canvas. Working in a similar vein construing dimensions of reductive aesthetics is Deviba Wala. The broad spectrums of lines intersect into each other as if weaving a beguiling net for the viewer to immerse in. The bands of flat channels even as they run through each other, successfully retain their space as individual entities. Articulating her selfhood through figurative characterization, LopaMudra couples the feminine forms with her personal emotive strands. Incorporating similar ethos in sculptural forms, Deepal approaches her subjects with acute intensity and warm sensitivity. Bronze exudes a rudimentary quality yet the palpable aura of delicateness and fragility associated with womanhood remains. Rajesh Kumar Prasad delights in the creation of hybrid imaginary creatures that he posits as actors garbing their gravitational roles. The innate dimensions of the sculpting material delineate the final outcomes of his forms. His animate beings live in wildness sustained by their archaic instinctual drives feting the pristine values the artist’s believes in.

Though the pictorial research in all spheres of the works showcased is based on the analysis of their existential experiences, the immense imaginary metaphors underlie the common psyche aiding a seductive maneuvering in terms of the viewing experience.