Sixth Sense

An exhibition titled “6by6” at the Lalit Kala Academi brings together six contemporary artists and themes that represent their individual thought and identities. Belonging to different regions of India,the artists Aishwarya Sultania,Arvind Patel,Basant Bhargav,Rajendra Patil,Sharda Patel and Nilesh Sidhpura have used materials such as oil on canvas,wood and metal work,paper sketches and threads on cloth for the show. While there seems to be no unifying theme for the exhibition,the bright colours and abstract thoughts behind the works make for an interesting viewing.

Sultania has used text and paint to portray a sense of freedom. Her work talks about the politics of food as well as urban spiritualism,making a point through playful and impactful visuals. Arvind Patel,who is a graphic designer as well as a painter,has used ordinary objects such as a spade and a knife as his focus. Bhargav,like Patel,has also used acrylic on canvas to explore overlapping shades of blue. Both their works have a sense of simplicity which may be a little too transparent but allows a viewer to derive his own meanings. Sidhpura and Sharda Patel have used materials such as glass,metal and cloth. Sidhpura’s work deals with the relationship between technology and nature,while Sharda’s hand embroidery is reminiscent of childhood.

“The exhibition has compositions of different visual stories from diverse regions of India,” says Sidhpura,the curator of the show,whose own work on display deals with contemporary life and the relationship between technology and nature. “The artists belong to different walks of life and have come together to participate in this show to reach their work to a wide range of audience,” he adds.