Artspeaks India’s Tryst with artist Puja Kshatriya’s homecoming exhibition

Pursuing her passion for the arts over the last forty years, Puja has earned great admiration and accolades for her work, with exhibitions in Dubai, London and Singapore amongst others.

Looking forward to her upcoming solo exhibition to be held in Delhi, scheduled to open on November 03, 2012, Puja says,“Strength and power are often wrongly perceived; those who appear frail, may in fact be resolutely strong. “Wars,” as it is has been said, “are not always won

or lost on the battlefield, but often in the mind”. This series called ‘Pause and Play’ explores the power of mind and how we can we achieve inner strength by detaching ourselves.”

Renowned for its exceptional quality of art and focused vision of promoting visual art forms in India, Artspeaks India is the proud organiser of the show. Providing an insight into the exhibition,
Ashwini Bahadur, founder, Artspeaks India, says, “We have always strived to showcase high quality art for art lovers, with the objective of creating an interface between Indian contemporary art & its various interpretations to the viewer. Puja Kshatriya’s works speak for themselves. The artist may have her own vision and interpretation, yet the works allow the viewer to indulge in their
imagination and interpret the works differently”

Comprising of 11 canvases, ‘Pause & Play’, presents a unique interplay of monochromatic figures, emphasizing the dual nature and complexities of our relationships. Headless figures, amputated or shifted limbs add an element of surrealism and the deconstruction and repetition of images has produced some interesting works. It is almost like looking through a kaleidoscope, where forms join together and then melt away.

To quote ‘Henry Ward Beecher,’ “Every artist dips his own brush in his soul and paints his own nature into his picture”. In a similar manner, Puja with her personal artistic evolution endeavors to evolve her own language. The essence of life lies in simplification which can only be achieved by destroying our erstwhile held ideas and thoughts. This deconstruction will liberate us and empower us to reconstruct and rewrite our lives.” – Dr. Alka Pande

Departing from the traditional style of painting, Puja uses the blade scraping technique, where in two-three layers of oil colours are applied and then blade is used to bring out the forms. The pressure while scraping is varied. This technique gives a sculptural effect to the figures.

The exhibition begins on 3rd, November, at Shridharani Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam.The works will remain on display until 12 th November, 2012, from 11 am to 7pm, including Sundays.