Treasure Trove

For a moment you think you have stumbled into Alladin8217;s cave smack in the middle of S V Road, Vile Parle. Glass tables held aloft by dimpled angels or translucent swans, sculptures with pumice-like texture, metal-and-silk chairs, telephone-holders, life-like cocker spaniels with soulful eyes and blue-grey dolphins frolicking mid-air8230; Aesthetic Abstract Art Centre is a veritable Pandora8217;s box of artefacts.

And blowing the lid off its cover is the creator of these curios, Kamal Shah. A BSc graduate who supplemented his knowledge with courses from the Indian Institute of Architecture, Kamal is so hands-on that most days he can be found elbow-deep in plaster and mud. Using materials that haven8217;t been tried before. Schiforex, a pumice-like substance, for instance, is the latest substance he is experimenting with. The other material he likes to use is an imported resin that gives his work a transparent, glassy sheen.

Both materials also afford Kamal a chance to get into fine detailing what he considers theUSP of his work. Open to all kinds of work, Kamal believes that abstract art is the most popular form, simply because the dimensions to the form are innumerable. quot;People find it easier to identify with it.quot;The prices of his products begin at Rs 1,000 per sqft, but he insists, quot;I fit your budget, not the other way round.quot;