Lifestyle

It is time to engage people: painter Nobina Gupta

by IBNS 08 Sep 2015, 06:51 am

In September Gallery Sanskriti will host their fifth exhibition as part of its Silver Anniversary year celebrations where artist Nobina Guptas creations will be showcased under the title Disappearing Dialogues. IBNS correspondent Supriyo Hazra caught up with the painter for a brief chat over the exhibition. Excerpts:

What actually prompted you to think about this exhibition?
 
Being an avid traveler, trekking in the Himalayas, I have noticed that how the rich biodiversity of ‘nature’s own bio-reserve’ was approaching a critical state.


Do we realize that the plains share a symbiotic relationship with the mountains! Many facets of our life are at the edge of an undeniable crisis, whispering slowly, begging us to take a look at them before they dissolve into nothingness. Change is a natural phenomenon but the rate at which it is accelerated is making it extremely difficult for us to react, monitor and evaluate it appropriately. Our lifestyles are getting impacted.

Perhaps it is our ignorance that is making us blind, taking us away from our own future, the looming threat of an existential crisis.

The Disappearing Dialogues is a series of interactions with nature, people and objects that are knocking on the doors of extinction. It is a symbol of hope. A voice that stimulates a cultural response, engages viewers, blends imagery and knowledge and embraces life with all its intricacies.

Your shows are known for experimental works, do you think art lovers of Kolkata are ready for such innovations?

Kolkata has been a city rich with art and cultural heritage. It was part of the society. In recent times we see a divide has taken place between the art and the public.

I feel it’s important we revive that relationship and try to create a bridge between art, culture, society and life. We need to build a new generation of audience who can connect to the contemporary visual culture and language. We need to involve people and children within the art process. With cultural literacy differences come together. I am trying to sensitize people and build a collective consciousness on Disappearing Dialogues through my works so we can treasure and preserve whatever lies within our reach in a world that’s hastily getting depleted, disappearing silently under the pressure of time.


How are you preparing to surprise with this exhibition?

It is time to engage people, merge visualization and knowledge and encourage participation and response. By engaging viewers into intimate personal encounters with my Public Art Projects, mixed media Installations, Light sculptures, video projections, ink painting and prints I am developing a comprehensive space for interaction, engagement and reinforcement.

Within sections as ‘Whispering Tracks’, ‘Echoes from the Mountain’, ‘The Era of Elements’ and ‘Memory Project’ I am creating an experience for people to relish. Art will not stop at the viewing and appreciating level, but step out and make people respond and share how it has impacted their thoughts and lives.

As a student of art, who were your inspirations in your earlier days?

As a student of art in Santineketan my utmost inspiration was from nature and the environment around the whole campus. It was during that time that I learnt how to observe silently and understand the underlying forces of nature beneath the surface. The interaction and exposure to aesthetic enrichment through history of Art lectures, films, cultural programs and visit of eminent personalities nurtured me to become a sensitive human being and an artist of diverse nature.

In recent times, I feel disturbed when I see where we are heading, towards exploiting the environment, in the name of development.  Do we know that we are at the door of mass extinction?

How did your travel experience help you in developing as an artist?

Trekking in the Himalayas and travelling to various places within the country and beyond I feel inspired by the minute observations and details I gather from surroundings, cultures and people. In my works I try to filter them through my sensibilities. My imagery develops over time by expressing ideas and concepts in varied mediums trying to create a discourse on what I individually experience as I travel, research and explore. The whole process of working from initiation during my travels, to conceptualization of the ideas and forms, execution in desired mediums and finally till its way of presentation is equally as important as the final art form and has helped me develop as an artist.
 

 What are your expectations from this exhibition?

We need to learn about the interdependent bonding of our individual existence and the existence of life as a whole, perceive life with all our senses and cultivate empathy for our environment.

I hope people enjoy the show and physically experience the dynamics of the works and relate to the inert concept within. The Disappearing Dialogues show is an attempt to recreate timelessness in the form of art. It is a symbol of Hope.

What are your future projects?

THE MEMORY PROJECT: Time is hastily making a lot of things obsolete, irrelevant and outdated. But, if we care to put a different lens on the things that are of little or no significance in our life today, then we might come across a completely different story. What is obsolete is also a repository of memories - something that takes us back in time and reminds us of experiences that are etched in our consciousness.

The Memory Project motivates and inspires us to treasure and preserve whatever lies within our reach in a world that’s hastily getting depleted.

 
You have traveled many places as an artist but which city do you feel appreciated your works most?
 
Though I have exhibited in many exhibitions and International Art Fairs, Zurich& Kolkata are cities that have helped redefine me.

In Zurich, I was surprised by the reaction and warm welcome of the people. Their profound interest and understanding of Indian Aesthetics and concepts was rather encouraging. They were inquisitive know more about my works that have an organic and Asian approach of visualizing things.

My works were highly appreciated for the metaphysical aspect in my works and many of them are in the collections of art collectors and art appreciators in Switzerland.

However, Kolkata has the environment to keep looking within for the inner essence of life. The vibrating culture of the city with the rich art& cultural heritage has provided me the ideal encouragement to enrich and inspire myself. The art collectors in Kolkata are opening up to new innovations and collecting my works and I feel honoured.

Which is your favorite topic of work?

Engaging viewers into intimate personal encounters creating unconventional dialogues through various challenging art projects, I want to build consciousness through inclusive cultural development.

Do you feel that Gallery Sanskriti provides artists the perfect platform to showcase their creations?

Gallery Sanskriti through generations has given artists a creative platform to freely express, experiment, exchange and nurture the creativity within. It has provided enthusiasm and constant support to artists in all times whether great masters or young contemporaries to keep their creativity thriving.

The gallery is in its 25th year and when you look back you see artists who have been pillars of Bengal Art and Indian Art that been a part of this journey. The gallery stands apart for its approach to nurture creativity in different forms and directions. Recently opening doors to more artists it has now extended its effort by building Art Ichol as a place for imagination and creativity to flourish.

It is definitely a perfect platform for artists to showcase their creations and break boundaries.