If one frame evokes nostalgia through a Photoshopped image of an earthen pot kept on a wooden box,another depicts hope with a ray of light on a dark night. Contrasting themes are in focus at the exhibition titled Variations,that comprises photographs,digital works and sculptures by 21 artists. Organised by Saksham Sparsh Art Foundation to pay tribute to MF Husain,artist Gurdeep Dhiman notes,In the exhibition,artists have tried not to get influenced by his style of work. We want to salute the master. He was a man who worked against all odds to follow his passion. The 45 works on display include principal of Arts College,DS Kapoors print Dream House that brings a palatial retreat to the forefront and Dr Ram Viranjans digital print titled Head that depicts complexities of the human mind. Most of the works are done in multiple layers. If in the work titled Udaan,Mohan Dhiman has used photographs of his son to depict a free mind that is full of imagination,Sanjeev Kumar has captured flowers in various hues. Turning the ordinary into interesting are snapshots by Kanwaljit Kaur,who has zoomed in her lens on mud tracks made by cars. In his collage,Gurdeep Singh Dhiman has put together 36 frames to capture different moods of life. Dhiman is the only artist who makes a direct reference to Husain in his work titled Antarmann,where he has painted Husains elephants and used his photograph as well. Among the sculptures,those that stand out are Charanjit Singhs abstract works in a range of mediums,from wood to steel and thread. If Bibekanand Kapri has depicted an instance from the Vedas in his work in wood,titled Kallchakra,Geetika Pathanias not-so-pleasant looking figures portray the negativity in human beings. The exhibition is on at Punjab Kala Bhawan,Sector 16,till September 18.
