Alturaash Gallery’s show Ae Mohabbat celebrates stories of Heer Ranja, Mirza Sahiba and others on canvas

Alturaash Gallery opens with a show that plumbs the depths in metaphors and stories of historical romance with Ae Mohabbat. The title has been taken from the couplet by the famous poet and lyricist Shakeel Badayuni.

The exhibition of six stellar paintings by Kala Bhavan Shantiniketan Alumnus, Pradiptaa Chakraborty, is curated by art critic and curator Uma Nair.

The six paintings are Chakraborty’s attempt at bringing forward both miniature traditions as well as recreating the characters of the romances like Heer Ranjha, Mirza Sahiba, Parineeta and The Forgotten Princess. 

With a catalogue that celebrates both history and narrative, the most telling part of these six canvases is the sense of detail in composition and the inherent drama that the artist has created. 

“He includes little hybrid humans from literature and mythology to add to the dialogues with contemporary art practices. His works are theatrical, his hero and heroines have the strength of character and gravitas in them. He also investigates the stories in a deeper tenor of telling tales amidst great tragedies. He translates colonial archives of the stories set in Punjab before Partition, England, West Bengal and the renowned Mother India, ” says curator Uma Nair. 

The largest canvas in the show is a panoramic canvas called We are Mosaics, which consists of many fragments of delightful characters along with plants and the environment. Invigorating ideas of the language of the mood of migration and memory and history all come together to create a masterpiece in masculine and feminine perspectives. 

“My works are born of my experiences that go back to my childhood, of the many street dramas I watched, of the many memories I have which defined my practice as well as my reading of Bengal’s greatest writers and poets. For me, a work of art brings together the fabric of socio-cultural customs and visits both past and present. My characters are born from my book of imagination and fantasy. For me, colour and composition both become the ingredients of my canvas because they directly influence the mind and soul of the onlooker,” says Chakraborty.

For Alturaash Gallery Director Asif Kamal, this show will be a milestone for artists as well as art lovers and collectors because Chakraborty is an artist who creates works according to his understanding of the mapping of the world through people.

The exhibition will be on display at Alturaash Gallery till December end