A major group show of established and emerging artists

New Delhi based Kumar Gallery presents an exhibition of works by some of India’s eminent masters alongside young, emerging artists, in its annual show. It narrates the evolution of Indian art in the post-independence phase.

‘Celebration 2011’ features works in a large format in a wide range of media done by rising stars and stalwarts, including MF Hussain, Sakti Burman, FN Souza, A. Ramachandran, Jatin Das, Satish Gujral, Ram Kumar, K.S. Kulkarni, B. Prabha, Krishen Khanna, Paresh Maity, Arpana Caur, Ashok Bhowmick, Seema Kohli, GR Santosh, A.P. Santhanaraj, Sohan Qadri, Laila Khan, Ramu Das, Amit Slathia, Nabanita Saha, and Shampa Sircar.

Each artist has a unique thematic and stylistic approach that forms the crux of each work on view. For example, Krishen Khanna portrays an engaging socio-political and historical landscape. His minute observation of the life and ordinary people around adds a human touch to his work, as evident in his Bandwallahs series.

Prof. KS Kulkarni’s, the founder member of the Delhi Shilpi Chakra and also the Triveni Kala Sangam, has portrayed the world of peasants, caught in the whirl of urbanized world, revealing their tensions and travails. Both an excellent superb draftsman and a master colorist, he achieved the desired effect through his soft, light brush strokes.

Renowned abstract artist Ram Kumar has created works that proceeded through an alternation of brooding reticence and joyous expressivity. They played out a polarity of emphasis in the context of ‘samsara’ (the sensual participation in the material world) and ‘nirvana’ (the ascetic blowing-out of worldly desires). The sensuousness of the beautiful landscapes done in oil or acrylic is another highlight of his oeuvre.

Sakti Burman's painterly realm evokes a feel of weathered frescos, depicting fascinating figures in once vivid, but now faded hues. They transport the viewer into a dreamy realm. Mythical creatures float on his canvas, depicting tales of courtly romances. They bring to life a magical world - of flutists, comely maidens, exotic flowers, birds and beasts – symbolizing a lost paradise.