Report: The Purusha Prakriti exhibition, Ahmedabad

Hindustan Times

26-06-2025

Devin Gawarvala's two-year-old venue in Ahmedabad, Bespoke Art Gallery, is currently hosting the ambitious Purusha Prakriti art exhibition curated by Uma Nair. Dedicated to artist Himmat Shah, who died in March this year – Head from his London series occupies a place of honour at the entrance of the gallery -- the works on display, according to the curatorial note, 'symbolise the dual principles of nature and consciousness'. Ankon Mitra's A Fleeting Moment of Infinite Bliss and Ram Kumar Manna's Ganeshas (Saurabh Sharma)
Visitors to the gallery are sure to be captivated by Simon Max Bannister's Falcon, a bronze-and-stone-sculpture that strangely recalls Helen Macdonald's memoir H Is for Hawk, in the way it exudes both grace and grief alongside a love for birds. Curator Uma Nair (Saurabh Sharma)
Three stoneware works by Keshari Nandan Kumar, (Nair reveals the younger artist 'happens to be a great favourite of Shah') titled Bapu, Animal and Owl appear to be inspired by Pablo Picasso.
Ahmedabad-based Karl Antao's wooden art forms, Symphony of Breathes and Symphony of Phases, too hark back to Picasso. Nair says their visual grammar 'reminded me of the Africans', adding that one mustn't forget that 'Picasso first studied African art to get into modern art'.
Sudip Roy's luminous water colours, Faith and Conversations, celebrate the richness of Banaras. Another piece on the city of death that is absolutely stunning is an untitled Manu Parekh from 1997 that was exclusively for this collection.
Nilesh Vede's giant artwork, Enlightenment, Nair notes, is typical 'Purusha Prakriti'. The moon, in this work, she says, belongs to everyone, effusively reminiscent of vintage Bollywood songs. At the Bespoke Art Gallery with Harsh Durugadda's yellow Topo Sculpturein the foreground (Saurabh Sharma)
Two pieces from Muzaffar Ali's Calligraphy series recalled, for this viewer at least, Orhan Pamuk's line that 'From tiny experiences we build cathedrals'. Both works demonstrate how several layers of meaning can be hidden beneath a work of art for those willing to engage with it. Gazing at these works, the viewer feels compelled to think about everything from religion, media and history to contemporary politics and modern life.
Ankon Mitra's pieces are unmissable. A Fleeting Moment of Infinite Bliss is suspended from the ceiling while The Framed Frame, 'a frame within a frame', that decorates a gallery wall challenges the viewer's perception.
Occupying the central spot of the exhibition space is Dhananjay Singh's untitled artwork, which can easily be called The Tree of Life. However, in not naming this tree made of steel wires, which so effortlessly informs viewers of Singh's deep interest in nature and his understanding of botany, he allows art enthusiasts to wonder about the inspiration behind this work. 'Singh has been doing trees for more than 25 years,' states Nair who pointing to the work's microscopic detailing.
From nature to divinity is but a small leap and Ram Kumar Manna's two terracotta Ganeshas present the god's fun avatar while also conveying his Vighnaharta aspect – the One who removes obstacles. Rini Dhumal's love for the 'Shakti image' is reflected in her Devi. Poonam Bhatnagar's Buddha and Meerabai convey both the calming meditative vibe of Buddhism and the absolute surrender of Bhakti respectively.
Padma Shri-awardee Bhajju Shyam's three artworks demonstrate his control over his craft. The pen on paper work entitled Vriksha 1 and the other two untitled acrylics on canvas show his unmatched ability to centralises the power of nature.
The marble eye in Arzan Khambatta's bronze work, Mustang Sally, immediately arrests the viewer's attention. Subrat Kumar Behera's Gandhi challenges the generally-held perception of the Mahatma. Never have his eyes looked as ferocious as they do here. At the bottom are his famous three monkeys that allude to his principles. The bare cloth that covers Gandhi's upper body rises in the shape of wings making the viewer wonder if they, perhaps, signal the work's satirical nature.
Harsh Durugadda's yellow Topo Sculpture, Gillie and Marc's They Like Doing Things Differently and Jesús Curia's Construction I signal a queering of nature. Or perhaps they're trying to challenge the conventional understanding and appreciation of nature in fixed categories. The last two works celebrate nature in all its complexity and do not separate desire into normative and non-normative terms as they usually are in India, which is largely a culture hinged on conformity.
Adding much joy throughout the exhibition are KG Subramanyan's six untitled works, all of which commemorate natural beauty in both bare strokes and dense forms. They stand out from the rest in a way only trademark Subramanyan pieces can. Gillie and Marc's They Like Doing Things Differently (Saurabh Sharma)
Clearly the themes of influence, confluence and connection pulse through the exhibition that includes the work of artists from across generations and geographies who all seem to engage with ideas of the interdependence between 'man and nature'.
The exhibition which began in April and will go on until the end of June also coincided with Earth Month making the point that what perhaps really unites humans is their innate and often unconscious desire to (re)produce nature in their own works of art.
'Purusha Prakriti' is on view till 30 June 2025.
Saurabh Sharma is a Delhi-based writer and freelance journalist. They can be found on Instagram/X: @writerly_life.