Arambh – The New Beginning

(A selection of artists from Namaste India)

The word “Arambh” means “beginning” and this is truly a new beginning towards introducing contemporary Indian artists to the Western world, a new bridge between the East and the West. The artists participating in the show all have a sound training in the fine arts from reputed institutions in India. Their talent has been appreciated in the shows they have held in their home country. India is so much more than traditional Gods, Goddesses and ceremonies and its art is much deeper than the kitsch forked out by the Bollywood machinery which has come to symbolize India. The works of these artists are iconoclastic in that they help break the set image into which Indian art has come to be molded. A picture, they say can speak a thousand words and the Indian art work bCA Galleries presents before you speak volumes about the country, the people, their culture, their strife and their progress.

The selected works of four contemporary Indian artists participating in the show are Rajesh Pullawar, Sachin Shinde, Jayant Gajera and N. Kanhaiya will be showing at:

The Aleph Libreria
Viale dell'Innovazione 11 - 20126 Milano
Piazzetta ribassata di fronte al teatro Arcimboldi

From 13th April – 31st August 2006
Timings: 8.30 am – 6pm (Mon – Fri), 9.30 am – 1pm (Saturday)

Rajesh Pullawar has been defined as a “rebel”. His works reflect his strong personality. He plays with forms and colours in an irreverent manner yet the whole composition has a sublime effect. The forms remain centered even as the cosmos goes through the motions of fusion and fission in the periphery.

Sachin Shinde traces the origins of self-awareness. He believes that a consciousness of being cannot exist in isolation; it is only when an individual interacts with those around him that he comes to know his own identity and a sense of ego develops. The characters in his works through their body language, posture, looks, convey a myriad of emotions. The image serves to convey the undercurrents of aggression, sexual tension. The eyes are a pool of unspoken words and dark secrets. Yet, through the confrontations one notices a sense of belonging; of the ultimate truth, in the artist’s words, that we are all “one.”

Jayant Gajera’s works deal with the subconscious. The games the mind plays and the ‘unperceivable’ images that our dreams conjure find place in his surreal art. The clamour and clutter that fills our mind through the day is eloquently expressed almost making one wonder at the power of the human mind.

The peace and comfort of Goa’s sea breeze seem to flow through N. Kanhaiya’s work. The artist who is based in India’s famous beach city presents Indian ethos with a strong sense of visual vocabulary in his own unique style. The composition is carefully constructed and compelling introducing the viewer to the glory that is India.

Together, these artists represent not merely contemporary Indian art, but modern India. The sublime blend of new technology steeped in tradition that is traced back through generations.