Collectively Independent 2019: A Show curated by IKA , Inner Konnect Art, Gaurav Chawla & Ruchi Chadha

EE News Desk Aug 06, 2019

Striving to engage and push new boundaries within the multidisciplinary parameters and practices of art and design, IKA is an initiative, an art project that seeks to educate, inspire and lift the creative spirits within. Aimed at embracing and highlighting the artistic processes, approaches and ideas of some of today's most established artists and creative individuals, the core of IKA is to bring art into the life of everyone , and bringing artist near to art lovers , providing a unique artistic platform to express intimate and personal ideas, with craftsmanship, artistry and quality in mind.

IKA: Inner Konnect Art was formed with a thought of bringing love and happiness and satisfaction and gratitude to the mundane, monotonous life. To bring a light of hope and joy. IKA is an initiative to bring art into the life of all, bringing the artists and art lovers together to a fair and unbiased platform, to help to bring joy and much needed escape to another worlds.

Collectively Independent :

Exploring the delicate threads of affinity between creativity and its versatile approach towards the realistic world in diverse emotions, this exhibition is made up of constructive styles by different artists through different mediums. Though working in disparate styles and genres, these artists remain deeply engaged with their shared experiences of movement, Influences, Modernity, and 21st Century life.

Collectively Independent––refers to the fact that the exhibition itself is an exciting look at some of our genius talents. Coming from different parts of India, with diverse cultures, and genres so different from each other, yet so beautifully flowing together. Art is a language which artist use to bring forward their beliefs , their thoughts and emotions to the society. “Collectively Independent” is the voice of the artists , to bring their thoughts to an audience , to bring art into the life of

everyone , and bringing artist near to art lovers. Collectively Independent is a Show to incorporate different Independent Individual artists, with different ideas, different style of work , different perspectives , a different view point. Collectively we can make an impact and do wonders, still being Individuals with an individual and unbiased view point. It is a Show to prove that being collectively as a group, yet independent in approach we can work together in a progressive Society and contribute to make it better for all.

Gaurav Chawla :

Gaurav’s passion to paint, explore and express is visible all over his eclectic canvases. Even after an attack of optical neuritis in 2009, which left him with low vision and loss of colour in his right eye. Gaurav’s journey of finding inner peace through painting continues with his art. Gaurav's sense of colour creates rich tones on canvas which depict passion and romance. Often characterized by a sense of enigma, his works of art using non-objective forms and figurative alliances, engages the viewer by inviting them to be a part of the canvas. He Makes abstract works by applying layers of paint worked delicately with a knife, leaving textures and allowing the older layers to resurface, a unique style he has developed by himself. The surface of the paintings is animated by horizontal or vertical lines, the paint seems delicate and fluid in some areas, coarser and more solid in others. Gaurav realized Art didn’t have to look like a real object, it could be abstract. He experimented for years before he created his unique style, thinking about how to paint in different ways.

Ruchi Chadha :

Ruchi is influenced by fluidity and water. She has an ardent style where forms inspired from nature merge well in fluid formations giving a graphical appeal to her work. She is displaying from her series ‘Emotions’, where she re-enacts the creative act, wherein trying to capture human emotions. Her works constantly celebrates life in its play of colours and dance of forms.

Bharti Verma :

Inspired my mythical forces of nature, Artist Bharti verma’s work transport the viewers into magical realms. Working on the energies that exist in the universe, that flow through us, she makes a point to the viewer; that the resilience of earth and its power to regenerate in spite of the ravages of time.

Abhinav Goyal :

Abhinav hopes to establish the role of digital architecture in intuitive thinking and meet the need of future sustainability. He uses art and science together by blending design methodologies and turn complicated things into simpler forms. Inspired by origami he has created sculptures out of sheet metal. The sheet metal components are laser cut, folded into shape and joined back together creating low poly sculptures in abstract forms.

Alka Bhrushundi :

Artist Alka Bhrushundi inspired by the tattvas ( elements), sees Sun as an eternal source of energy and believes that our existence is unthinkable without the Sun, an element of reality, which maintains the cosmic balance. Owing to its importance, the artist lends a creative touch through one of her paintings.

Sonali Chaudhari :

Sonali likes to experiment with texture and colour. Being a woman herself, many of her paintings have themes that revolve around women. Her paintings depict the strength and beauty of the feminine spirit in some way or the other. As a woman, she believes in overcoming all obstacles & triumphing over all adversity in the journey of life. Her artworks highlight the transformation of women from bondage to freedom, from darkness to light & from the depths of despair to the pinnacle of bliss. Emerging in all her strength and beauty. It is this journey that is highlighted in her artworks.

Amit Srivastava :

Amit Srivastava draws and paints in the classical realistic style working in Oils, Charcoal and Graphite. He wishes to bring forward the highest standards of Realism in his paintings and drawings.

One of the paintings displayed shows a young lady in contemplative mood, wherein she might be thinking about her love far away or a perhaps longing to meet her parents. It captures an emotion which we all go through in different contexts or phases of our lives and via our own unique ways.

Bheem Malhotra :

Artist Bheem Malhotra is a seasoned artist from Chandigarh. He is the chairperson of Lalit Kala Akademi, Chandigarh. His work is inspired by nature and its surroundings. His passion is to paint different moods of Nature, Colours, Shades & Time. He works in a very unforgiving medium, Watercolours, and has a fluid finesse in his works. Truly a genius in watercolours and the effortless choice of colours.

Manjusha Athani :

Artist Manjusha Athani believes in painting her inner expressions characterized by a sense of mystery that invites the viewer in. Her paintings acquaint you to a vibrant, mystical world, where you are the story teller, creating and interpreting your own stories. Her creative work is ingrained directly in creative abstraction and is never static. Though the intangible elements of light, colour, textures and good visual balance space, Manjusha creates images of uninhabited sensuality.

Neeru Suri :

Sculptor Neeru Suri’s works are based on women lifestyles, and their day to day activities. Her works are expressive and capture the moods with fine finesse, and the emotions flow effortlessly.

Prince Chand :

Artist Prince Chand follows the logic of Indian aesthetic (‘Rasa’, ‘Bhava’, symmetry, ornamentation, and philosophical text). He is indeed a genius for culling out dazzling points of light in multifarious way in each otherwise sober coloured canvas by using abstraction. In his present series, ‘The Immortal One’, he uses Buddha as an earthly replica of the indissolubly fused whole. His works reflect peace and love. The works are immaculate, and impeccable, in their crafting, in them is the feel of great resolve, as of indestructible inner faith.

Rajib Deyashi :

Rajib Deyashi, our artist from Kolkata, is inspired by Indian spiritual ideology, and his paintings are based on Siva and Shakti, the masculine and feminine that manifest and balance the entire universe. His paintings are mostly symbolic, and often abstract, based on ritualistic hindu tantric ideology. He portrays the energies ( Siva and Shakti) using simple geometrical forms and holy light, which resonates with his own spiritual realisations.

Rashmi Jamwal :

Rashmi hails from the state of Jammu & Kashmir. Irrevocably drawn towards the world of creativity and colours from childhood, Inspired and influenced by myriad cultural hues, people and places she has visited, she has been finding colours to fill the moments to canvas. Many of her works are a tapestry of interlaced ancient myths in contemporary art form. She believes in a river like quality in the act of creation, always seeking, exploring and dropping the unknown, communicating the joy and beauty of visual medium beyond the confines of languages. She uses colours and contrast to heighten the visual experience and create a dialogue, make one conscious of what you don’t see in an ever shifting microcosm.

Shobha Jolly :

These photographs are taken from artists and sculptors in New Delhi, working on idol making for Durga Puja celebrations. She photographed them while work was in progress, and managed to get shots that present interesting views of idols of Ganesh ji and Durga Mata getting painted for the upcoming festival.

Soumick Nag :

Abstract artists have imperfect and nonlinear stories, Soumick is no different. The non linear strokes, thick colours, abrupt end of a line, interesting circles, words without meaning... the imperfection and the restlessness of the colours –describe his works. His paintings are made of contradiction, geometry of thoughts and limitless textures-The challenge is to create something uncomfortable, unknown and unimaginative.

Siddharth Jharia :

Siddharth a passionate artist feels, like humans, animals portray their state of mind through facial expressions. He feels that animals generally display 8 out of 9 ‘Rasas’ : ‘Shantam’, ‘Adbhutam’, ‘Veeram’, ‘Bhayankaram’, ‘Bhibhatsam’, ‘Karunyam’, ‘Rudram’, ‘Shringara’. He feels when someone can express so many emotions, how is ‘he’ different from humans at the choice of poaching? The artist is showcasing ‘ Royal Expressions’ as an extension to the movement ‘Save the tiger’ in his own way.

Mishika Chawla :

Mishika is the youngest of the group, just at the age of 15, she shows maturity in approach, choice of colours and execution of the art work. She is inspired by whatever she sees and like, and her subjects keep changing with the teenagers moods.

Sneha Agarwal :

Sneha is a feminist and nature lover. Inspired by the powers of nature and its connection with humans, she believes that nature is a part of us in our being in ever facet of life, this she portrays through her artworks. She feels everyone is a part of a connected cosmic system, and we have a universe within ourselves that mimics the universe outside. In her painting ‘Inner reflection-Women Power’, she wants to capture the feeling of women power, and how women are uplifting themselves like the rising sun. She believes today’s women are ready to take up any challenges and are proving themselves in every facet of life. She loves to paint figurative forms depicting human emotions with elements of nature ( fire, water, earth, air, and spirit/soul)

Sonia Sareen :

Sonia Sareen is a sculptor who works in varied mediums, her spiritual journey helped her flow from one medium to another seamlessly. Her mind involuntarily formed images, filling her being with positive energy, and her hands transformed her amorphous thoughts into physical shapes. Sonia’s passion is sculpting in varied media, and her inspirations are from global spirituality, and cultures across the globe.

Susmita Lakhani :

Artist Susmita Lakhani wants to share a message of ‘Hope’, through her painting. Her painting upholds the thought that amidst struggles, if there is hope within, then victory surely will manifest. Her painting uses various symbols like Sun for hope, and boats with flags, depicting victory.

Participating Artists :

Abhinav Goyal, Alka Bhrushundi, Amit Srivastava, Bharti Verma, Bheem Malhotra, Gaurav Chawla, Manjusha Athani, Mishika Chawla, Neeru Suri, Paramjeet Singh, Prince Chand, Rajib Deyashi, Rashmi Jamwal, Ruchi Chadha, Sangam Peshawaria, Shobha Jolly, Soumick Nag, Siddharth Jharia, Sneha Aggarwal, Sonali Chaudhari, Sonia Sareen, Susmita Lakhani.