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Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008
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A new interpretation of spirituality

Artist Arjuna’s works include oil paintings, etching, serigraphs, animation, videos

MYTHOLOGY ON CANVAS: One of painter Arjuna’s works from his "Shive and Devi" collection, which will be exhibited in the Capital this February.

Reinterpreting the core of Indian spirituality and mythology in over 300 works in multiple mediums is artist Arjuna who will bring to the Capital an exhibition titled “Shiva and Devi” next month.

The weeklong exhibition will open at Galleries 5 and 6 of Lalit Kala Akademi on February 18.

Arjuna has used contemporary consciousness and technology to reinterpret Shiva and Devi (Lakshmi, Saraswati and Kali).

Multiple mediums

His works in multiple mediums include oil paintings, etching, serigraphs, installation, bronze casting, animation, video, acrylic, mixed media and digital prints.

“There is a crisis of substance and meaning in the art world today. Has art been reduced to depicting only shocking, novel or beautiful things? With the art boom, art has become a stable career option and art schools are churning out artists like doctors and engineers. In this age of shallowness, art is of utmost importance for artists to get to the depth of everything,” says Arjun.

“The transform art movement states that art can be pursued across art forms. Different forms including painting, music, martial arts are all forms of the universal art.

“By pursing art through multiple art forms the artist can understand art deeply and produce the real thing. It is this coming together that the audience will find in my work,” he adds.

According to Arjun, training in multiple art forms results in highly developed mental and trans-mental faculties in the artist and the artist transforms.

“The transform art movement places emphasis on the artist; the art is a by-product. The full manifesto of the transform art movement will be launched at the ‘Shiva and the Devi’ show,” adds the .artist

Trained by Zen master

The artist has also been trained by leading Zen masters.

Having stayed in both New York and Delhi, Arjuna has lived through what he calls varied and extreme circumstances.

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

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