City-based artist Chippa Sudhakar and Delhi-based artist Asit Kumar Patnaik are the only two Indian representatives invited to the Affordable Art Fair (AAF), London — an international and contemporary art fair happening between March 11 and 15 this year. The AAF is held in different cities around the world annually.
Talking about his participation, Sudhakar says, “Given the considerable time I’ve spent working in my studio in Hyderabad, I feel more than before that it is time for me to spread my wings and take my artwork to different places.”
All said and done, there is a catch about displaying artwork at the AAF — an individual artist cannot participate. They need to display their works at other art galleries. “This is where I am really glad Nipun, Director, Innerspace USA Gallery, saw my work, appreciated it and wanted me to participate,” adds an excited Sudhakar.
A chance of a lifetime
Asit, one of the most talked-about young painters in India today, specialises in oil and acrylic on canvas, displaying great mastery over his textures and his figures. For Asit, too, the finalisation of his participation in the exhibition was a dream-come-true. “I had long heard about the fair but hadn’t got an opportunity to be a part of it,” shares Asit.
But as fate would have it, at Asit’s show in the US in 2016, he met Nipun. “He liked my work and we exchanged contacts; we’ve been in touch since,” adds Asit enthusiastically. “And when he got in touch with me for the art fair, I was obviously really happy. I will be showcasing 12 works from the Relations, the series, which typically features a male and female figure, against a wide range of semi realistic — almost bordering on abstract — backgrounds. On the other hand, Sudhakar’s works talk about economic and ecological changes around him. “I am interested in the changes taking place around me. I constantly search for the ways to visually express through materials and mediums that are both new as well as conventional.” he says.
An artistic expansion
Asit plans to take around twelve of his artworks. “I will not be carrying huge canvases owing to logistical issues, but I shall have my small and medium-sized works,” says the Orissa-born, presently Delhi-based artist.
Unlike Asit, Sudhakar however plans to carry fifteen artworks of both small and big sizes on canvas and mixed media works revolving around subjects close to his heart. One of the USPs of Sudhakar’s artwork is that instead of using wood as a painting surface in different ways, he uses it to add a contemporary expression and meaning to the artwork. “The textures with geometric lines in these works suggest the cartographic geometry of our cities, which I show are expanding on to the bodies and areas of other creatures,” explains Sudhakar. Adding, “Apart from taking my work to different places, another aim of participating in such prestigious international art shows is to meet different artists and to lookout for student exchange programmes. I believe the more we spread art and imbibe from one another, the more we can enhance our own expressions. Also, art students will get a good platform to work and practice through the exchange programmes.”
