The scorching heat of Delhi found itself plummeting into a cool ‘arty’ breeze as Delhi Collage of Art organized its Seventh Annual Art Exhibition at AIFACS Art Gallery, 1 Rafi Marg, Connaught Place, Near Central Secretariat Metro Station, New Delhi recently.
The creative segment of the exhibition was inaugurated by Mr. Rajeev Lochan, Director National Gallery of Modern Art on May 29, 2009.
The exhibition will be on till June 2, 2009, after which the Collage Artists also displayed an academic segment from June 3, 2009 to June 7, 2009.
The artworks by artists reflected their technical and thematic caliber.
It was indeed a ‘collage’ as a myriad of hues, textures, themes and techniques were on display. As the art lovers strolled through the corridors of the gallery, they were transposed to a different plane of creative consciousness altogether.
The exhibition declared a new dawn of contemporary art in various ways.
The contemporary approach was showcased in the way ideas and themes had been treated --- enhanced by the superlative brushworks, and stylish completion of a particular series of works. Taking off from where the old masters had brought us, the Collage artists displayed the audacity to challenge the orthodox and create their art pieces under an avant garde paradigm.
The 200 odd artworks on display exhibited a fine quality. They were quite aggressively prices to coulter the worldwide slump. A variety of themes, sizes, mediums and prices offered ample opportunities of selection to art lovers and collectors.
Rohini Jain (Student Artist DCA), painting title "Innocence and Purity”, she says “My painting is inspired from the artist's desire to be as free as a bird, free of bondage and boundaries, and live in a world where innocence and purity can survive as what they are instead of being forced to get molded into the rat-race that is our society.”
Aarushi Sahni (Student Artist DCA) says “The concept behind my work is addiction which is shown with the help of chess. Addiction is an obsession, compulsion, or excessive psychological dependence, such as drug addiction, alcoholism, crime, money, work addiction etc. and my paintings show different phases of addiction.
In my painting the state of mind of that man is going through is of low self esteem, anxiety and fear of crowds so he is not able to face the world.”
Like every generation falls back upon its predecessors to learn the basics of life yet moves beyond them to create something new, the Delhi Collage of Art’s current batch also seem to have donned the creative mantle for their veterans yet have created a unique niche of their own artistry as well.
Dilip Niboriya (Student Artist DCA) says “Drawing different postures of a woman is a healthy outlet for imagination and creativity - I remember cuddling her legs when I was small. She used to say, `Cold again Dil?' I didn't understand my fascination for legs, but even at that age it made me feel good. I used to stare at her shapely legs forever…I think that's why I'm a leg and heel lover.”
It was a moment of pride and satisfaction for the faculty members, in particular, the Principal, Shri Ashwani Kumar Prithviwasi, he believes that “Providing students with adequate knowledge and exposure in this present competitive world so that they can prepare themselves to face the challenges of life rather than being passive awaiters of opportunities”
The atmosphere at the inauguration was surprisingly relaxed and panic free, contrary to what one would associate with the first exhibition of 85 art students, with just 10 months of professional and practical exposure. It could only be the faith in one’s prowess that would facilitate amateurs to behave with professional confidence.
The lamp was lit, claps resounded and smile beamed. Bon Voyage!
