Noted Indian painter Rekha Hebbar Rao describes herself as a colourist and one who looks at the brighter side of life, “I believe that alone can help us retain some balance and sanity,” she tells us. Her latest exhibition at Gallery Time and Space, titled Select Works, showcases paintings that were created during the tough times of the pandemic, as well as others from the past decade.
The show, that has a mix of canvas paintings and sketches, is curated by Renu George, the director of the gallery. “She visited my studio in Whitefield and went through substantial works I had done,” Rekha explains. The painter uses oil and acrylic colours for the works on canvas, and ink and felt pens for the drawings. The semi-abstract paintings boast strong brush strokes and bold colours. Rekha’s work always takes inspiration from the environment around her. “I look at my environment as a physical, spiritual and phenomenological experience. For the first time, I will be exhibiting my drawings which were done during the period when our world went through an unprecedented crisis that disrupted our commonly held notion of peace and stability,” adds Rekha, who is the daughter of one of India’s most prominent modernist artists — the late KK Hebbar.
The artiste says that she is blessed to have a father like the iconic painter, and his guidance has been a great influence on her work. Rekha recalls her childhood that was surrounded by artists like SH Raza and MF Husain, who would frequent her home. “My father’s studio crackled with creative energy. We always had artists, musicians, dancers, writers and students visiting our home. This gave me an opportunity to meet the best of contemporary Indian artists, see and study their works, paintings and sculptures. I absorbed all that I saw and heard. This expanded my artistic vision,” she tells us. This vision shines through in this new collection of unseen paintings that will make viewers reflect on the emotions of the past two years.
January 8 - 17. At Gallery Time and Space, Lavelle Road
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