One of my dear cousins was here in Mumbai from London on her annual holiday this December. Like all NRIs she had plans to visit a few landmark places which make her nostalgic when not here. Being an architect and that too from Sir. J.J School of Architecture, it was not surprising for me to know that the Jehangir Art Gallery was on her 'I must come back to' places.
So here I was, a dummy when it came to Art and artistry, accompanying my cousin on a jaunt to the art gallery. I had been to Jehangir Art Gallery a couple of times earlier for different reasons, appreciating art was definitely not one of them though. Since we had both skipped our breakfast and were intolerably hungry we both agreed to have brunch and what better place than Samovar. The quaint little, arty eatery located inside the gallery which has been featured many a times in Bollywood movies from 70s-80s. The gallery visit had started off on a sumptuous note. Great!
After a delightful brunch and reliving some old memories 'served' here, we were ready or rather she was ready for the gallery visit. I was just happy to tag along, to soak in the new flavors and experience that were in store for me.
There were about 4-5 artists who were at display that day but she was here for a specific artist named Bharati Pitre, whose work she had seen and also heard about.
We both stepped into the exhibit area and at the cost of sounding cliched, I would say that we were completely floored. Creativity was stamped across every exhibit and what was more unique was that a layperson like me could relate to and identify with each piece. The artist had managed to pick up every nuanced moments from everyday situations and molded them together in peculiar shaped human looking figurines. It was not the typical art on canvas but these were statuettes made from papier mache material on display. Humor, simplicity, keen observation and groundedness of the artist was palpable through all her exhibits.
You will ask me, ok ...so you went to an art exhibition? So what? There are so many who have visited before you and not once but many times.Why was I so inspired about this incident to write a blog post?
As I said, this was my first visit to an art gallery for the purpose of viewing art, albeit by chance. And glad I was. It opened my eyes to a world which was beyond the world of logic and practicality.
In our lives, we come across various situations, events, people, places, things and ideas. However, not all of us get affected by it the same way. There are some who have an uncanny knack of seeing them from various perspectives, not just limited to their own vision. And that's what this artist, Bharati Pitre had reinforced, like many other artists before her. They observe nuances which we fail to note, they capture the ethos of the situation in their mind's eye which they then pour into their art and give it a new life.
In a nutshell, its important for all of us to take a moment, to observe, absorb and reflect moments in our everyday life and lead a more fulfilling and meaningful existence. Rather than running through it like a zombie who goes through life like routine, we should take a page from these artists to lead a wholesome and inspired life.
Some exhibits of Bharati Pitre to give you a taste of our unique experience.
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