Wednesday, April 3, 2013

A dynamic artist’s Vivacious artistic vistas

Expressing his sensitivity to the environment and broader social conditions, Venkat Bothsa has stated, “Inventions are welcomed whether they’re threat to our environment or not. Some say life is simple; live simply by looking at nature, whereas some argue the more you’ve the more civilized you become. Some fear that the world is going to end. And some say this is the (new) beginning. I’m witness to such divergent statements.” Maybe, the truth lies somewhere between the two contrasting realities. This is the niggling awareness that shapes the socially conscious artist’s practice. 

Marked by a kaleidoscopic play of colors, laced with a mélange of forms, his sculptures seek a closer scrutiny of sensually woven, ‘enigmatic’ tales that he imaginatively narrates. They often include bright, green lush vegetation, lusty landscapes, flowers, fruits, and vast expanses of enchanting sky, dotted with city skyscrapers and catchy cinematic stills from Bollywood, the advertising world, technological gadgets or even images from abroad,  among others.

His art intends to make neither stark statements, nor effusive expressions. It does not exude a particular stream of thought or pass a judgment. They are the reflections of what Venkat Bothsa witnesses and observes, absorbs and records from his surroundings. Even as ecological balance is deteriorating, a new material or materialistic culture is fast being invented under the garb of development. Some aware people are understandably worried and are making an effort to reverse the process and also caution the world of an inevitable disaster and this impending catastrophe. Yet one or the other species faces threat of extinction every day.

The talented practitioner has evolved a unique methodology of narration placed in a contemporary context. His time consuming and finicky processes amalgamate sculpture and painting. The deft manipulation of the visual language adds a mass appeal to his works, which juxtaposed with his peppy pop colors and catchy kitsch images, bring them within the post-modern genre.

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