She gives art an aesthetic meaning with her creative techniques. This Bengaluru-based artist was selected for the month long festival at Alliance Francaise as part of their young talent programme two years back. Since then Sohini Dasgupta has been garnering a lot of accolades for her work. She’s currently collaborating with Abhishek Dasgupta in the exhibition titled Sweet Smell of the Cosm — a collateral project of Kochi Muziris Biennale.
“It was conceived as a dialogue through photographic and painted images — that forms a residue of everyday urban struggle into the sensorium of olfactory remains. Intrigued by the interplay of sensuality and introspection, we invited visitors to enter a 130-year-old heritage bungalow for the exhibition — involving the time, space and history of the space itself to come in togetherness in our work,” shares Sohini of her current work.
Talking about his inspiration, Abhishek, a talented young artist, urges, “If you look intently, my images emit light and energy. I found inspiration in the sweat smeared bodies of the garadis (wrestling pit of Mysuru) and the lost industrial landscapes in the Jute Mills of West Bengal.”
For Sohini, her inspiration has always been her preoccupation and indulgence in contemplating time, as she reveals, “I arrived at these dense, intricate and clinical charcoal works through long meditative studio hours. Although current affairs, scientific human advances, Buddhist tantric philosophies, works of women artists and philosophers have all organically seeped forming an inspiration and making of these works.”
Sohini confesses that it’s been very fulfilling being a part of the popular haven for arts. “Kochi Biennale has become a cultural hotspot on our side of the planet and provides mental and physical oasis to young cultural practitioners. It has initiated conversations, dialogues and various connections with people in the field of arts from the world over to experience our work. In our urban struggle of survival we often tend to be in too much of a rush to reach or arrive at, and Kochi Biennale for us is that avenue where we breathe in the art at a relaxed pace with fellow artists, curators and enthusiasts.”
The Biennale saw internationally famed artists like Bob Gramsma, Subodh Gupta, Danielle Galliano, NS Harsha to name a few, along with museum curators from Japan and Hong Kong drop in and appreciate some soul-stirring works. “Tunty Chouhan had great words for our works. Putting up this exhibition was a rather difficult process. We hit various road block in terms of finances, logistics and managing the show. Going ahead, we will continue to be back in our studios and diving deep into making more interesting work towards the high expectation that we have set stage both within ourselves and among our well-wishers in the cultural field,” says Sohini.
