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Contemporary colours

Photo : C.Ratheesh kumar

Abstract life Paintings and sculptures on display at the Museum Auditorium

Contemporary art in all its conceptual brilliancy. This is what was on display at ‘Monsoon Strokes,’ an exhibition of art and sculpture at the Museum Auditorium. Organised by ‘Increation,’ a collective of artists, the week-lo ng exhibition displayed contemporary paintings and sculptures of seven graduates of fine arts from Kerala. Using the mediums of acrylic, charcoal and dry pastels among others, these men recreated their experiences of life and left it to the viewer to interpret their visions for themselves.

“It’s all about perception. All of us perceive the same things in a variety of ways. But essentially it is the same subject,” muses Vineesh Kumar, one of the artists. “We want the viewer to question each work. That is what contemporary art is all about,” he adds.

A set of four paintings titled ‘Nature between man and woman’ are among the most unusual of the lot. Aesthetically painted, using dark shades such as black and blue, Suni Narayanan, a Kollam-based lecturer in fine arts, has explored the relationship between man and woman through the abstract paintings. “I find that every action and reaction in nature, be it physical or emotional, is a manifestation of the male-female relationship: Yin and Yang,” elucidates Suni.

Quiet different are the paintings of Vineesh, who has a Masters in Fine Arts. They were mostly inspired by the year he spent teaching in Kashmir. One is of a row of leafless trees interposed with army helmets atop bayonets. “When we walk along the boulevards of Kashmir we can see rows of bare trees with soldiers standing guard at the base of each tree,” explains Vineesh.

Another one depicts the helplessness of Kashmiri children who have no choice but to accept the dictates of fundamentalists. Interestingly, Vineesh uses the symbol of an egg with the life in it melting away into the darkness to suggest the same.

His abstract interpretation of melting snow giving way to the spring grass, yellow mustard fields and generally life itself is another interesting work.

While the works of Vaikom-based Sanu V.R. depict rural Kerala life in an abstract way, those of another artist Sivan are bold plays on the effect of shadow on colours.

Also displayed are a few murals titled ‘Sivatham’ by Kaladi-based artists Shijil K. Narayanan and Arun Gopal.

Adding a quirky touch to the exhibition are the sculptures of Shafeek. His ‘Melting woman’ symbolises how the life in a woman is drained away by the expectations heaped on her.

Another is a life-size depiction of the uncharted freedom of the appoopan thadi (Indian milkweed).

Also on display are a set of sculptures that seems to suggest that ‘life is like a bubble.’ Shafeek had presented those at the Kerala Lalitakala Akademi’s exhibition.

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