Friday, March 29
01:13 PM

FIGURE IT OUT

17 Apr 2021 By HUBERT VAZ

Indian artists in Oman are keeping the lamp of art burning bright, despite the spate of restrictions in movement in view of the pandemic, and have put together the fourth installment of their virtual art exhibition series titled Figure it out which will open for viewing at 7pm on April 24.

Curated by senior Indian artist in Oman, Tarini Agarwal, this exhibition features the works of 39 different figurative artists and comprises a mixed bag of delightful depictions of an array of human sentiments and emotions on canvas.

“Figurative art is a form of artwork that has existed for thousands of years in cultures all around the world. It can be made in any media and in a variety of styles. The heart of this exhibition is taken from the 1500 years of the history of art,” says Agarwal, adding, “Most of our group of artists work in realism. This exhibition is an effort of the bravehearts who are ready to experiment and explore, and push their art practice to unknown levels. It’s been a giant leap of faith, where the process of creating and playing has over ridden the end product.”

Acknowledging Agarwal’s effort in curating this exhibition, Sushmita Gupta, convenor of the group, adds, “A huge applause to Tarini Agarwal for taking us all on a journey of self exploration and self discovery. Some of us felt satisfaction and some, perhaps, defeat. But then, only when we face challenges do we break barriers. Only when we break barriers do we grow. Like with anything in life, where we put our focus and where we put our effort, we expand. So it is with art.”

Reproduced below are the works of six artists. The works of the rest can be viewed at the virtual exhibition from Saturday. 

 

Aneesha B S

Frontliner

I’ve dedicated my figurative painting to the medical professionals, who sacrificed everything in the time of this pandemic. It is understood that many health care workers stayed away from their families for months, this painting is a tribute to all those on the frontline against the invisible enemy which took more than 2.5mn lives worldwide. 

 

Elizabeth Davis

Come play with me

During the pandemic, many children have had no one to play with them. Here, a little girl asks her shadow to play with her. There is a hint of surrealism in the painting as the shadow instead of mimicking the figure, raises the opposite hand.This painting is inspired from my little granddaughter.

 

Showbi Nowshad

Lost souls

In my figurative painting, I chose to portray the harsh and cruel looks, words and actions, a woman faces throughout her lifetime, from her first breath to her last. I hope through my art, I can spread awareness of the issues women face, which are often ignored or considered as normal by society.

 

Shalini Varma

Out of the Blue 

This painting was created as I started playing with colours of my choice on the canvas. Blue created a mood and seemed to have aroused an emotion. Shapes and forms arose and ‘out of the blue’ my muse started appearing. Blue is associated with imagination, inspiration, tranquillity and balance of self-expression. 

 

Tarini Agarwal

Rising above the noise

Today we are drowned by information and an overload of data about the pandemic and its effects on the world. The back and forth in information is creating deep and underlying fear, frustration and confusion. Here, I’m trying to show an effort by us to rise above the negative towards light and make positive shifts in the current world situation.

 

Sushmita Gupta

The empty boat 

I used the ’empty boat’ metaphor literally to convey the famous Chinese philosopher Chuang Tzu’s teaching on the blame game.  Here’s a girl wading through dark waters who herself is kind and learns not to blame anybody for her miseries, whatever they be.

 

 

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