Creativity reasserts its dominant role in transforming reality into bolts, at the exhibition titled ‘ARTBOLTS II’, curated by Sonny Singh at Cube Gallery, Moira, Bardez. The exhibition previewed on September 23, 2022.
Goa-based artists Arvind Thippanaik, Thomas Louis, Shido, Querozito De Souza, Kostya, Chaitali Morajkar, Saheel Khan, Tamal Das, Nimmy Joshi, Nikunj Choradiya and Praveen Naik present intuitive forms and render stylized paintings and sculptures.
Speaking with some of the artists, Thomas Louis feels that, “Barring a few isolated tribal populations, a human has not been modified in some way to enhance their capacity in some form.” He is inspired by nature, creating decorative and functional figurines in ceramics.
BEHIND THE ART
Praveen has maintained a common thread in his artwork for years. Says he, “What is the purpose of life, how it feels living in a state of isolation in a hostile environment, and the choices one makes to deal with consequences, are his contemplations. Humans are turning into robots and researchers are keen to install human emotions in machines, the fusion seems to be fascinating.” The concept projected in his painting, titled Now It’s My Turn, in a monochromatic palette in identifiable imagery, captures stable repose, inventing a vision between human habitation and robots.
The narrative impressionistic realism in Saheel’s painting, in charcoal on paper, maintains a dream-like imagery. His quest for pushing boundaries and persistent experimentation translates to visuals in the detailing of his painting of a drummer, that elevates to a timeless level, a clear vision of evolution to the robotic future, in his creative individual metamorphosis of humans to robots.
Arvind affirms, “In this progressive AI era, emotional emaciation is eroding human ability to effectively form closer bonds with other beings. In the new world, we will depend on bionic companions and pet bolts to fill the lacuna, mange social isolation and entail emotion.” His cat bolts in ceramic with inceptions of metal ball bearings, make perfect table sculptures for cat lovers.
Tamal, a self-taught artist has been working with metal scrap in his studio since 2016, in Birhum, a town near Shantiniketan in West Bengal. Though sculptures with metal scrap is not a new concept, his decorative identifiable geometric figures, captures stable repose, inventing another vision with liveliness and movement. “The material used (iron) is mined from the earth, and may have been part of another object, and then was junked. It takes hours to construct unique artifacts as I try to give a chance to discarded material; a new life, adding fantasy and character to my creations,” he explains.
Nimmy Joshi looks at bolts “To give respite from reality, not as an evil force to conquer.” She says, “I have created a set of bolts as our companions in the future. With isolation on the rise, it’s not hard to see how our lives may be severely reduced. We need to see AI and bolts as instruments to give respite from the harshness of our realities and see the connection between elements.”
Nikunj is a self-taught artist, and uses materials to create forms encompassing and accentuating their properties to harmonize with our surroundings. Inspired and intrigued by uniqueness, and mysterious expressions, he opines, “Art bolts could modify and use cellular memory from structures in nature. My endeavour is to express the beauty of nature with forms that one can relate to in its singularity and connect them to generate expressions.”
The other artists in this show have a distinctive configuration in tandem with a sense of deliberation, transference of energy, tension and movement so as to capture personal expression and communication, thereby connecting representations more directly to emotional centers in the brain, and allowing their work to tell a story.
The exhibition ‘ARTBOLTS II’ will be on view till November 6, 2022, at Cube Gallery, Moira, Bardez