Allegories of the mind
Two eminent city artists, who are exhibiting at a Mumbai gallery, explain how they bring their canvasses to life.
Two diversely allegorical works by Hyderabad-based artists Parmeshwar Raju and Koeli Mukherjee have been clubbed into a single show at the Entrance gallery, Kala Ghoda in Mumbai. The show promises to the viewer an intense rendezvous with two highly imaginative artistic journeys. There is no similarity between both the artists’ works. And, yet an equally strong verve to leave no stones unturned while expressing, is what runs in common in both the artists.
Koeli accomplished her studies in fine arts from Shantiniketan, Kolkata and Parmeshwar Raju from Aurangabad. Parmeshwar is much loved and widely acclaimed for his mature, controlled and distinct style that absorbs as much from Indian ethos as much as it exemplifies and gives space for individual expression and imagination. His style “iconic calligraphy’ reinstates the ever so popular Indian epics in lively, effervescent strokes. The symbolism runs unanimously throughout the picture surface and grants the works deeper meanings and contexts. The artist tells about the present series, “These works bring forth the episodes based on Shiva, Surya, Ganesha, Ramayanam and Krishna Leela, absorbed from our bottomless reservoir of Indian mythology and epics.”
The free flowing works by Koeli are extremely personal and lyrically assimilate excerpts from different things that surround, inspire and amaze her on daily basis. Each work is like a visual journey that the artist explores in phases and thus the surface is enriched with multiple layers. The surface reveals some elements that get merged just after establishing their entities as transitory, mutating and evolving stances. The ‘self’ remains the core of the allegory and the surrounding elements provide multiple angles, perspectives and combinations between themselves as well as with the protagonist.
The artist explains, “In the beginning there is nothing in my mind, but as soon as my quill makes its way, with ink-laden rapid strokes on the wet surface; it weaves multiple thoughts and visions which are recalled in layers and beyond immediate comprehension.”