Beyond the horizon

The “Beyond Hope and Horizon” exhibition brings the spotlight on artist Sukhlal, who took to painting with his frugal means. The exhibition will be held until April 21 from 11am to 6pm at Navya Naveli Gallery at Greater Kailash Enclave 1.

Curated by Maite Deltiel and Sakti Burman, the exhibition is a presentation of his hard work and perseverance. An artist by soul and a cook by profession, Sukhlal’s journey is that of hard work, belief in oneself and the sheer desire to paint.

Talking about his source of inspiration, the 26-year-old man from Jharkhand said, “I came to Delhi around eight years ago to find work to support my family. At the time, I was working as a helper for a family in Delhi, but later I was fortunate enough to become a cook for Sakti Burman and Maite Deltiel, who are internationally renowned artists. Over the last four years, I have been working as a cook for Sakti Burman and Maite Deltiel. Being in their presence and witnessing their artistry up close has had a profound impact on me. Seeing them work with their brushes and discussing art ignited a spark within me, and I began to develop a keen interest in art.”

“Maite and Sakti are truly among the best in the world when it comes to their craft, and working for them has been an incredible learning experience. Their dedication to their work is inspiring, and their passion for art has inspired me to pursue my own artistic interests. Since then, I have been spending my free time exploring different forms of art, attending workshops, and trying my hand at painting and sketching. Working with them has been a life-changing experience. Their artistry and passion for their work have inspired me to pursue my own artistic interests and have shown me that with dedication and hard work, anything is possible,” he added.

Elaborating on the purpose of the exhibition, Maite said, “In Sukhlal’s way of working we could see he has the main qualities necessary to become an artist: working hard, perseverance, imagination, liking to try different media, different supports and not afraid to undertake. However, perhaps the best quality of Sukhlal is that he never seemed afraid of difficulty; instead he managed it with a kind of happy obstinacy.”

Meanwhile, Kochhar, the gallerist of the Navya Naveli Gallery, said, This art exhibition is being organized only to promote Sukhlal as an artist as he is underprivileged. This is not at all a commercial art exhibition but to support artist Sukhlal who is even happy to have the stroke of his brush with colour. He loves art and finds an escape but to support him none of the galleries were He is a cook and do not have enough money to even paint. So we are organising this exhibition to promote him and from this exhibition whatever we are going to earn, we will give the whole amount to Sukhlal for his better career in art.. while discovering Sukhlal’s work and his journey We discovered the journey of creativity, passion and hard work of a young boy with no formal training in art.”

When: 11am – 6pm; From April 7 to April 21.

Where: B-18, Greater Kailash Enclave 1, New Delhi.