New Delhi, Sep 16: A one-of-a-kind ongoing group show titled ‘MARKS’ brings together the art practices of five renowned contemporary artists of our time – Moti Zharotia, Ananda Moy Banerji, Dattatreya Apte, Kavita Nayar, and Sushanta Guha – and explores how an artist’s journey can be discovered from the “mark” they make, both literally and figuratively, on their medium and the world.
The nuances of life, nature, and spirituality are the central ideas behind Moti Zharotia’s ‘Purush and Prakriti’ and ‘Tree’ series. “The artist can dig into its vivid dimensions and can come up with innumerable possibilities of expressing the same,” says Zarotia.
Referring to his works ‘River Sutra’ and ‘Orange Moon’ Ananda Moy Banerji says, “I am getting ready to take a plunge in a deep sea of ‘human landscape’, the whole world focused through human forms, human behaviour, and human endeavor.”
Spanning different mediums, themes, and approaches to their work, “MARKS” delves into the practice of this group, known to the art world as ‘Multiple Encounters’, which has been engaging in many collaborative projects around the world with a singular commitment to creating a deeper dialogue in art. The show presents the viewers with an opportunity to discover them individually, and explore the “mark” they have made that differentiates them from the rest.
“A mark is a perceived anomaly created on a surface, born out of the gestural activity of its maker. These anomalies or impressions are made, not accidentally, but with intention. It bears the distinct personality of its maker and a unique context behind its creation. The exhibition explores the practices of five contemporary artists through this lens. The show can be considered an anthology of mark-making, a rich repertoire of expressions arrived through a distinctive array of techniques evolved through three to four decades of individual practices. Though vastly different in style, they converge at one point – their single-minded commitment to the evolution of their craft,” says the show’s curator Lubna Sen in her note.
From September 17 through October 8, 2022, the exhibition will be on display at The Art Route Gallery in Gurugram. Lubna Sen, an art curator, consultant, and researcher, is the show’s curator.