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Two artists from Muscat showcase work at Mumbai’s prestigious Jehangir Art Gallery

24 Sep 2022 two artists - flame of the forest By HUBERT VAZ

Tarini Agarwal and Elizabeth Davis, two expatriate artists from Muscat, lived out their dreams this month by presenting their creations in two different exhibitions held in Mumbai’s prestigious Jehangir Art Gallery

Two friends…two neighbours…two expatriate artists living in Al Mouj Muscat – Tarini Agarwal and Elizabeth Davis – have recently taken their artistic careers a notch higher…

Both artists, one hailing from the north of India but having resided in Mumbai since her childhood (Tarini) and the other from the south (Elizabeth) had the privilege of presenting their individual works at Jehangir Art Gallery – Mumbai’s most prestigious art gallery which has been closely associated with the development of contemporary Indian art for the past 70 years.

Jehangir Art Gallery has traditionally been one of the most prominent and renowned galleries in India, exhibiting works of artists like M F Hussain, S H Raza, Akbar Padamsee, Ram Kumar, Anjolie Ela Menon and K K Hebbar among others. Established in 1952, the surroundings of the gallery are steeped in rich history and tradition, especially concerning art, with the Prince of Wales Museum (later renamed as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya) next door.

Tarini Agarwal, a senior artist who has been residing in Oman for the past few decades was part of a joint painting and sculpture exhibition, titled Vibrations, held between September 6-12. The participants included, besides Tarini (representiing Oman-Dubai), Burkhard Baier (Germany), Vishakha Bhujbal, Priya Bajaj, Leenata Shah, Yatindra Sapre, Abhay Waghmare (all from Mumbai), Shilpa Ladkat, Neena Singh (both Pune), Santosh Patekar, Sadashiv Vaidya (both Aurangabad) and Jayshree Bhagwanani (Raipur).

‘Faith and a deep personal desire…’

Tarini Agarwal

“Truly an exciting time for me, to be part of a group show in the iconic Jehangir Art Gallery. Jehangir Art Gallery has a big role to play in nurturing my love for modern Indian art – my connection goes back to 1972. After a long gap, exciting things have been brewing in my studio,” says Tarini who has won many international and national awards, including the Cultural Golden Visa by Dubai.

Abstraction is said to be Tarini’s way to share her inner sense of place and time – she explores the lost and found, the opposites that exist around and within her and then working out the connections that get made. ‘It is in this space that she explores the juxtaposition in her surroundings, the relationships of things, thoughts and emotions,’ her artist statement says.

“This show was booked pre-Covid and the original group disintegrated, so an artist reached out for me to participate. I went in blind with little or no information about the artists. I was unable to find anyone on the internet. I think faith and the deep personal desire to participate in Jehangir let me take this gamble,” Tarini said.

She further disclosed, “I started going to Jehangir art Gallery in 1972 and have gone ever since. I have seen the Indian Masters paint there and this is the place which fed my love for art. At this exhibition, I had 25 paintings of various sizes – some of the titles include Avighna, Soul Song, Abundance/Vipula, Joyful/Harsh, Costal Delights, Misty Mornings, Flame of the Forest 1 & 2, Divine Dance 1 to 7,” she added.

‘It feels like spring all the time…’

Elizabeth Davis

“Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai! Its a dream come true for any artist to exhibit in its hallowed halls where the likes of M F Hussain have displayed their works,” says Elizabeth, disclosing that the theme of her current exhibition (September 20-26) – Fragments of Imagination – is a parody on the popular phrase ‘Figment of imagination’.

“I have used a method of deconstruction, mostly fragmentation and collage, to create the artwork and introduce Maharashtra, and especially Mumbai, to the viewers from a different perspective. Fragmentation is a method of breaking up the known to create the unknown. It gives us a different view of what we usually see. We begin to imagine and let our imagination and creativity take over. Different interpretations are possible when the picture is not whole or if it is fragmented,” Elizabeth explains.

A few of her paintings are also done in an impressionist style, to create a feeling of fragmentation. Some collage works are made using the typical Maharashtrian ‘Paithani Nauvari’ saree. Since she has been living in Muscat for the last 30 years, some of her works are related to Oman, besides a whole wall dedicated to her native state of Kerala.

“It’s a big fillip to my art career to exhibit in one of the foremost and oldest galleries in India. The wait list is long and the artists’ portfolio is vetted by the management committee before we are allotted a slot,” she said, adding, “Having held a solo in Jehangir, I am ready to tackle some of the famous galleries around the world. I have rediscovered art in the autumn of my life, and now it feels like spring all the time!”

‘Vibrations’ – Tarini Agarwal

(Joint painting and sculpture exhibition)

Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai

September 6-12

Chief Guest – Dr Jagannathrao Hegde (former Sheriff of Mumbai)

‘Fragments of Imagination’ – Elizabeth Davis

(Solo art exhibition)

Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai

September 20-26

Chief Guest – Devdatta Padekar (Acclaimed realist artist in Mumbai)

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