Organised by Palette Art Gallery, COLLECTIVE 22, is an exhibition that celebrates modern and contemporary art

Featuring a group of 22 renowned Indian contemporary artists from different generations, here’s a group show titled COLLECTIVE 22. 

Organized by Palette Art Gallery, the exhibition aims to celebrate modern and contemporary paintings and sculptures with other art enthusiasts and patrons. 

The era of contemporary art has the most diverse and intense collections of artistic creation. “Since the artists draw their inspiration from the current political, cultural and social situations and mould it with their imagination- we are here to help them push boundaries and let people see the world through their perspective,” reads the curatorial note. 

The exhibition features the work of artist Anju Dodiya, Apurba Nandi, Atul Dodiya, Chittrovanu Mazumdar, Ganesh Selvaraj, G. R. Iranna, Gigi Scaria, Jagannath Panda, Manjunath Kamath, N. Ramachandran, Pooja Iranna, Prasad KP, Riyas Komu, Saravanan Parasuraman, Sharad Sonkusale, Sonia Mehra Chawla, Sonal Varshneya, Sudarshan Shetty, Thukral & Tagra, Vibha Galhotra, Wahida Ahmed and Yuvan Bothysathuvar.

Quite naturally the show has on display myriad hues on diverse subjects. Artists like Saravanan Parasuraman drive their inspiration from nature and his current works focus on environmental realisation through his gained knowledge. Whereas, Anju Dodiya’s biography extends into the past and archives the heroic, layering it with the contested self. Even as her self-referential portraits look into the viewer’s eye, casting a magnetic spell. 

Cinema and literature play a huge role in senior artist Atul Dodiya’s artworks and perhaps if one dives further into the quirky titles, they get to know the humour and the rich content he delivers. “The paintings have a strong narrative in terms of references, quotations, of homage to cinema and literature. I then develop another narrative using this existing one. It is all about my own free-flowing imagination”, he says.

The images of Prasad KPs’ works are drawn from the purity and beauty of the village. The nature of watercolour enables him to immerse in the process in such a way that the very act of painting turns into meditation. While Vibha Galhotra’s large-scale sculptures address the shifting topography of the world under the impact of globalization and growth. On the same line, Jagannath Panda mixes mythology with reality, and motifs from traditional Indian art with images from Western and Indian contemporary culture, to explore the effects of globalization and rapid development on his country.

Yuvan has developed a practice of utilising materials that are easily accessible, from parts of broken bicycles to newspapers and magazines. Over the years personal experiences has seen Yuvan move away from his figurative style to a more expressive mode while still retaining the use of recycled materials – especially paper.

The exhibition can be viewed at the website of Palette Art Gallery till May 15