The splash of colours brightens the face of Buddha on an otherwise darkened canvas followed by another with a frenetic burst of dots.
Ask artist Hufreesh Dumasia about the titles of the paintings and he will say that it’s a mere formality. “It’s for the audience to take inspiration from my paintings. The title is a mere formality,” said Hufreesh.
The canvasses are part of the group of artists from Auroville that are on show at the Indusvista Art gallery at Fort. Back in Mumbai for their second art exhibition, the artists are happy to be in the city that offers them a different pace of life. “Back in Auroville, the pace of things is slower,” smiled Hufreesh.
“We have more than 128 nationalities in one place, yet everyone is so friendly to each other, more than life it’s an experiment in human unity,” she added.
That feeling has certainly spilled onto their canvases. Like Nele Martens’ work that employs structural modelling with rhythmic brush strokes.
“It seems chaotic but aims to create a harmony straight from my heart, which comes from the serenity one feels in Auroville,” she explains.
Amsterdam-born sculptor Henk van Putten admitted had been using a limited scale of forms since 35 years and says he was inspired too.
“When I discovered the yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother it changed my life and work fundamentally,” he said. “For two years I did nothing there and then I think as my life underwent a change in terms of thought, I felt inspired to paint too.” Among the interesting artworks, there’re steel boxes which Agnus had put aside for months until, Agnus said, “nature gave them a rusted robe. I just painted on them to symbolise important human emotions.”
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