Kolkata artist’s painting exhibition in Ahmedabad till January 15

“I feel as an artist, it is my duty to celebrate life”, says Hore, who says the Covid pandemic took a toll on her health. She portrays women in her paintings and sculptures depicting the place and experiences of women, their daily struggle in society and the way they transcend through them. Her present paintings are influenced more by movies and series like A Suitable Boy, folk songs, etc.

“The paintings which I made as a college student, in my third year, display my sense of security in terms of emotions, presence of parents and home in Santiniketan. However, the paintings now are more focussed on my loneliness and memories of the good times, my experiences and the moments where I have seen people dying, especially during the pandemic,” says Hore.

“I feel as an artist, it is my duty to celebrate life”, says Chandana Hore. (Express Photo)

She has found a new language through her paintings to express her realisations on the need for love, and how life is not logical. “I started sculpting when my father died. But that was more done in isolation, as I was nowhere near what my father Somath Hore did. After my mother’s death, I started doing it openly. I am very attached to my mother.”

Hore is comfortable in all mediums of colours but has most of her work in the oil medium. She uses those things in her art that people find “ugly”, she says. Be it the depiction of old age, or grains, or any other material found “ugly” by society.

“My work is usually displayed in Santiniketan and Kolkata. I find the environment here and in the country perfect to display my art,” she added.

Hore’s first solo show in Ahmedabad is on display till January 15.