In Pune, a Stanford alumnus who challenge familiar habits of looking, offers new ways of seeing

Indian Express

2 days ago

In a quiet corner of the Vesavar Art Gallery, windows are 'sheets of light,' penetrated by plants, framed by breeze, and built into a world where art and aesthetics merge. This vision of artist Amitabh Ashesh, shaped by his decade-long self-developed theory, 'Yufism', forms the heart of the gallery's exhibition, Yun Bhi – So Too. The exhibition will continue till August 12.
Ashesh's works challenge the familiar habits of 'looking'. An IIT Bombay and Stanford University alumnus, the artist says that people often confuse his art with Cubism, an art movement of the early 20th-century, whose famous members were Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.
'Yufism is a new concept in nature. In Yufism, rain can be depicted in the form of cubes, a window can take the shape of the breeze flowing outside. Yufism is about rethinking how we see and translate reality,' said Ashesh.
In his work, a window is not just a rectangle framed against a wall, but light and the plants outside. 'If light is what makes us see, why should we keep painting it like a flat background? I treat light itself as a subject of presence,' said the artist.
Ashesh described his exhibits as 'proof-of-concept' pieces, prototypes for a new way of seeing. 'I believe these are just the blueprint for something no one has done before. It's still growing, but people and spectators are getting more and more interested in Yufism. It gives them a fresh lens,' he added.
The inspiration for the paintings came from the artist's own surroundings, such as his home, the streets he walks, and, most intimately, his wife. 'I don't paint her as a figure in the usual sense. I see her through the Yufist lens on the canvases. Most of my work is from my life experiences,' he said.
Many of the canvases hold a texture of words. Unlike most artists who stop at a simple name, Ashesh added a few lines to give each painting a meaningful shape, blending into the concept. This gave it a context to what people might just see and understand.
One such piece was where rain transformed into floating cubes, their edges glowing. Another, windows twisting to form breeze, replacing the rigid pane with airy swirls, as if the glass itself dissolved into the wind outside.
For Ashesh, Yufism is not just a style but a philosophy of observation. 'I'm not offering a finished product. I'm sharing a starting point, like discovering a new place. The possibilities are endless', he said.
The artist hoped that, over time, Yufism will inspire others to explore its principles and build on them. 'It's not about me alone, It's about opening a door for others to walk through, and maybe they'll take it somewhere I can't even imagine,' he said.