‘The Play of Life’

Creativity is something, which can be unveiled and expressed in multiple of ways. A new exhibit of sculptures by Ankit Patel, entitled ‘The Play of Life’ at Chawla Art Gallery in New Delhi is an apt example of this. It has on view beautiful sculptures in bronze that sure will leave you mesmerized. Here's a quick look at the artist's journey and his works:

• Ankit Patel received his formal training in sculpture from the M.S. University, Baroda in 1983. For last more than two decades, he has participated in several exhibitions in India and abroad. He is a recipient of many prestigious awards like the National Lalit Kala Akademi Award, Delhi (1995); All India art Exhibition Award, Jaipur in 1993; and Rajasthan State Lalit Kala Akademi Award (1989, 1991, 1995).
• His most prestigious group exhibition was sponsored by Societe Nationale Des Beaux-Arts at Carrousel Du Louvre, Paris, 2010. The artist is also known to specialize in designing of prestigious metal trophies. He has done several outdoor projects including a series of bronzes for a park in Jaipur.
• Ankit Patel works on his lovely sculptural forms, endowing them with a fresh breath of fresh life. The inspiration mostly comes from his rustic roots, folk and farm traditions. Movement is the force and the thrust behind much of his mobile and kinetic creations that he diligently sculpts working relentlessly from his studio.
• Apart from bronze, he has also worked in wood, bronze and stone to create art that senses moods and movements as if enacting primeval vibrations and imagination. His figuration cast in metal is spontaneous and playful in light movements.
• His choice of material and size of work ranging from small to life size depends on his form and the idea behind the visual imagery. Free of any trappings and emerging out of his years of experimentation and innovation, his stick-like figures are known for their charm and personality.
• The sculptor continues to delight his viewers with his dynamic works reflecting movement and prompts us to get a little philosophical with its thought provoking themes.