Art Konsult Presents ‘’GANDHI Father of the Nation’’
Gandhi remains one of the most recognizable profiles the world over, with his iconic round glasses; Father of the Nation “Gandhi”. This October marks Mahatma Gandhi's 150th Anniversary. Art Konsult celebrates the occasion with an exhibition dedicated to the great yet simple leader who taught us that no work is inferior and that simple living is the best living with an exhibition on the 30th of September, 2019.
A group of talented and renowned artists comes together to depict Gandhi in their own special way. Some through portraiture and others in abstract forms manifesting their myriad sensibilities. With the hope to come together, accepting our differences as one strong nation. Some of the names who will be representing their work are Anup Chand, Banoj Mohanty, Biman Bihari Das, Dharmendra Rathore, Dheeraj Yadav, Gopal Samantray, Gurmeet Marwah, Kalicharan Gupta,Krishnendu Porel,Niren Sengupta,Nupur Kundu,Pratul Dash,Rashmi Khurana,Sanjay Bhattacharya,Sanjay Das,Shampa Sircar Das,Siraj Saxena,Sudip Roy,Suman Sengupta,Umashankar Pathak,Wasim Kapoor.
Anup Chand in this work depicts Gandhi's philosophy on Ahimsa. Gandhi has shown with a tiger as conversational moods, the emotion is clearly visible in the expression of a wild animal which shows the Mahatma Gandhi strongly believed in the principle of ahimsa and adoration towards everyone through affection thus the wild animal is under his control. He promoted the principle of Ahimsa, very successful by applying it to all spheres of his life.
Gandhi's ethic, philosophy comes from the crowd and clicking a photo of today’s changes in his contemplation. Birds are flying away with carrying his ideology from today’s society. But still is in hope; Gandhi is walking within nature. Here nature is depicted for human disposition and also our surroundings. Very mild monotonous colors like grey, indigo, off-white colors is depicting the coolness and calmness of Gandhi’s nature.
Whereas Kalicharan Gupta “The magical or dramatic elements for which some romantic artworks of this nature are admired is really due to the firm grip their makers have on the tough formalities of visual pattern. Forms held insufficient tension would generate their own aura of magnetism, quite as inevitable as flame produces smoke.So that the later works of Gupta owe their enhanced power to the building up of convincing patterns from the earlier life impressions. In these seemingly non-human subjects works, the earliest find his physical eye (especially under the stress of strong emotion), acting as the lens of a magic lantern. An element of precision runs through all his geometric-cum-organic forms. And these are genuinely exciting for any viewer who appreciates the subtlety of visual nuances.” Keshav Malik.
On the other hand, Nupur Kundu through her work remembers Gandhis through his Ambar Charkha to today’s new age Solar-powered Charkha. Gandhi would indeed be proud to have experienced today’s solar Charkhas, she says. In 2018, the president launched the Solar Charkha scheme for a cluster of villages. This scheme is envisaged to generate direct employment for nearly one lakh persons in the approved fifty clusters of villages. This new solar-powered Charkha is equipped with 10 spindles and more. The solar charkhas reduce strain in spinning cotton yarn and increase productivity to fetch the weavers more income.
Rashmi Khurana’s way of art practice is more about being with the ‘Act of Painting’ and thus reinventing myself with each body of my work. I paint from inside out, venturing between the actual and virtual, losing myself in colors, memories, and dreams, and in the process continue to explore and discover an unfettered expression guided by the tenants of intuition and experimentation. Each of my artwork is soaked with deep experience, a new awareness, and an undiscovered truth.
Sanjay Das notes that the Charkha was the physical embodiment and symbol of Gandhi’s constructive program. It represents Swadeshi, self-sufficiency. Amassing significance from ancient times, the Charkha derives meaning from Vedic chants referring to ‘vaya’ the weaver, ‘trasara’ his shuttle, ‘tantra’ warp, ‘tantu’ the woof, ‘mayukha’ or the weaving peg, and ‘tantumetam’ for the out spun thread. The Grihya Sutras speak of the use of handspun yarn for social and religious ceremonies were women of the household then used to spin cloth as a part of their daily activity. Charkha in the contemporary period has initiated an upheaval and marked the path of progress for the Indian Spinning Industry.
Shampa Sircar Das feels that the rapidly deteriorating global environment has attracted the attention of all concerned citizens. It has posed a challenge for the healthy survival of all the species on this planet. Mahatma Gandhi’s critique of modernity reveals his concern about the emergence of a social order that exploits nature for short-term gains. Troubled by unrestricted industrialism and materialism, Gandhi had foreseen a time when the resources of the earth will not be enough to meet the growing demands of the people. It is in this context that Gandhiji's views on the environment are of immense value to us today. Though, he did not talk directly on the environment, because his thinking was formed according to the social situation of those days and also the problem of environment was not so grave and acute at that time, as it is today. Gandhiji pointed out, "Nature is lenient. It often does not punish us for our sins immediately." Again he said, "Nature has provided us with sufficient reserve of vitality. But for that, man would have long ago disappeared from the face of the earth because of his own mistake...”
Sudip Roy brings to life iconic imagery that immediately connects the viewer to the ideology of Gandhi. Masterful strokes mark the brutal simplicity of the great man in his white robes and a thoughtful stance.A shadow image of him at his charkha on one side of the painting transports you back in time to the moment, as if you are there, a witness to an exemplary life.
Umashankar Pathak quotes the Mahatma, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” I personally believe on the same path. Uma’s artwork is rooted in the twin tradition of Bihar’s that reflects both the visual narrative and the icon. But beyond these two aspects that root from the village life of his home state, his expression is that of a modernist. This is not surprising given that the winds of change that have swept the country since independence and especially since the mid-seventies in our art.
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