Renowned qualified artist Shuchi Khanna had her latest works on display at her solo exhibition “Transcending Thoughts”, for which the opening was on 18 August at the Galerie Romain Rolland, Alliance Francaise De Delhi in Lodhi Estate. The exhibition is being presented by VeVa Art and it will be on till 27 August. “Transcending Thoughts” is the interior and external worlds of artist Shuchi. Consistent with earlier bodies of work, myriad media (paper, canvas, ink, acrylic paint, charcoal, graphite pencil, tea, water colours, ceramic relief, acrylic sheets, wire and cotton strings) are deployed via an intensively physical effort using hands, fingers, elbows and nails to create these works.
The Show was opened with a formal Inauguration by Mr. Ashwani Lohani (Chairman and Managing Director, Air India), Prof. Niren Sengupta (Renowned Artist), Jawahar Lal Sarin (President Aliiance Francaise de Delhi) and Ms Parul Mahajan (Social Activist), Sabit Subasic – Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Seewraj Nundlall (Counsellor Mauritius High Commission) and H.E Boujamel Charge d’Affairs Tunisia Embassy.
Many Other Senior artists and eminent guests were spotted at the Inauguration like Sundip Roy, Suresh Goel, Aruna Vasudev, Salma Sultan, Shovana Narayan, Farad Hussain, Ananda Moy Banerjee and Vrindavan Solanki.
Chief Guest, Mr Ashwani Lohani CMD Air India at the time of the Inauguration said “Shuchi has evolved tremendously and her paintings show her mastery over technique and colour usage. Her subject of positivity and energy is very soul relating and i know she will do extremely well in future. I wish her all the very best”.
Shuchi Khanna, who is an educationist as well, said “Life is full of positivity. One needs to just not look around but dig deeper to find that positivity. It is all about what state of mind one chooses to be in and not what life offers. My work reflects my state of mind which yearns to remain happy under all circumstances. The exhibition Transcending Thoughts is all about positive balance between contentment and dynamism.”
Talking about her paintings, she said the “Dream Scape Series” are neither land nor city scape. They represent the positive subconscious spaces which a person deserves to be in, as happy surroundings. “The Bull Series” of paintings reflect the quality of inner strength and power as bulls are a symbol of prosperity and growth.” Shuchi’s works engage the curiosity of the viewer. Layering being her strong point she shows deep understanding of colours and comfort with the large as well as small spaces.
She added “This body of works has been a testing of waters for me, through experimentation with various mediums to render this effect of textured surface with metallic hues in the shallow relief. Many a time, I tried numerous permutations and combinations to achieve this result. Bright colours and colourful things always fascinated me as a child and continue to attract me. Gold, silver and other metallic hues get spunk in my life and that spice ingredient makes it glamorous. I am not away from worldly pleasures; so to say all metallic hues fascinate me. Yet I do introspect in the depth of thoughts and life. My current body of work – Transcending thoughts has transported me to a supernatural state-The State of Happiness.”
VeVa Art who presented the show is a part of VeVa Global, a full service, marketing and communications firm Founded by Malavika Gaur and Jehan Kothary It offers an array of services revolving around strategic communications, marketing, event planning, strategic partnerships / collaborations and allied consulting services.
Malavika Gaur, founder of VeVa Art who presented the show said “VeVa Art’s endeavour is to provide multiple platforms for showcasing the works of our artists. From events to digital presence, we are trying to evolve with the constantly changing global environment. We feel that it is necessary for art buyers to have an ongoing personal interaction with the artist and their works. To enable this, we feel exhibitions and live events are the most suited platforms for an artist. We are pleased to collaborate with Shuchi for “Transcending Thoughts.”
Shuchi and her works have been an integral part of numerous art shows and events. In one special event Shuchi performed a Jugalbandi with famous flautist Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia by painting live with hands on the canvas while he played his flute.
A Delhi University Graduate and a qualified Commercial artist, Shuchi underwent advance training in Creative Arts. Additionally, she holds a Bachelor of Education degree too. She has also exhibited her paintings at the Rashtrapati Bhavan where the late President Abdul Kalam inaugurated the exhibition. One of the works adorns the walls of Rashtrapati Bhavan and another painting is in the collection of The Prime Minister of India’s Office, New Delhi to talk about a few of her many collections.
She has also held several shows and won a large number of awards. The shows include one by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations in New Delhi, Berlin and London. Some of those works are now a part of the permanent collection of the Nehru Centre, London and The Indian Embassy, Berlin.
Being a sensitive artist, as her endeavors and charity ventures towards the society, Shuchi has worked closely with a destitute women home and painted on the lives of inmates which were published as a coffee table book and exhibited at the United Nation’s Office too. She also went to Pulwama, Kashmir with an NGO and conducted workshops with the students there exposing them to Art.
