At the ongoing art exhibition titled, “Where Did The Horses Go”, happening at Kalakriti Art Gallery, celebrated artists have come together to showcase the regal animal in all its glory.
Elaborating about the show, Rekha Lahoti, Founder, Kalakriti Art Gallery, says, “This is one of the major shows at the gallery after we opened the new space. The idea of focussing on horses as the main subject matter came to me during the ongoing pandemic. Nowhere can we see horses on the roads nowadays, so with the help of the curator of the show, Kolkata-based Kallol Roy, and hard work of six months, the show is finally live. There are 18 works, in both contemporary and traditional styles.” The importance of horses has not only been noticed in the history books but also in many works of fiction. “This year is dedicated to horses across the world, many exhibitions are being planned to highlight the importance of horses in our society. The exhibition at Kalakriti has an interesting mix of narratives and it is not surprising that this sort of exhibition is happening in Hyderabad given the long history of the Nizams. Interestingly, horse racing in Hyderabad was started by the Nizam Asaf Jah VI in 1868 and he even started Hyderabad Racing Club,” shares Roy.
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‘Life’s a drama’
“The pandemic has taught us very important lessons, one of them being life’s a drama. We are all performing like theatre artists. Through my artwork titled ‘Intimate Theatres’, which is acrylic on canvas board, I have tried to showcase the drama as if happening on a stage. The bright hues justify the glorious royal life, the muscular horse is placed in juxtaposition as if blurring the past and present timeline and living a life full of fantasy,” says Avijit Dutta, a Kolkata-based artist.
‘Have an open dialogue’
“The artwork in waterproof ink and acrylic on acid-free paper is like a montage where the viewer can interpret it according to their experiences. The flow and colours create the artwork open for a dialogue. The sharp contrast in lines and textures highlight the horse in the four panels of the artwork, each telling a story,” says George Martin PJ, artist from Kerala.
‘Horses are my passion’
“I have been painting horses since childhood, ever since I laid eyes on them. Horses have inspired me for ages now and they have become my passion. I am inspired from horses for their sense of loyalty. During my free time last year, I did more paintings with my muse,” says Delhi-based artist, Muzaffar Ali.
‘Passage and time’
“The surface of the painting named ‘Way back Home’ is built in layers and with repeated markings of lines that build a relief of silver and white against a blood red ground in acrylic and oil on paper. They signify passage and time. Placed within this ground are two tiny trotting horses going in one direction, towards a thin patch of green, signifying home. Even though horses are no longer an integral part of our urban life, somewhere in my mind lingered the images of loneliness and displacement. The surface for this painting began well before this exhibition was planned. When I received the brief from Kalakriti Gallery and began the visualisation of the subject, I imagined and placed the horses on this ground,” says Vasundhara Tewari Broota, an artist from New Delhi.
The exhibition is on till October 23, Kalakriti Art Gallery, Road No 4, Banjara Hills. (11.30 am to 6.30 pm)