For an artist, looking back at a three-decade-long career might seem nostalgic but daunting. Dr Deepali Mahanta Kayal, however, decided to celebrate her voyage, so far, with her second exhibition in the city, titled Mid Flight. “As a lion pauses midway in his journey and looks back, I decided to pause and look back at my artistic journey as well, and share my work with my viewers,” she begins.
“Most of my art is contemporary, though I like to do abstract paintings as well. Nature is always my muse. It gives me a feeling of tranquility and I try to transmit this feeling to my audience,” she describes her personal style. Mythology, folklore (especially from her home state Assam), animals, environment and nature — resurface time and again as recurring themes in her work.
The current exhibition showcases her work in the last 8-9 years. Spirituality, philosophical musings, nature and folklore are the themes of this exhibition. A total of 85 paintings will be on display, including very small, small and medium-sized pieces.
Talking about the inspiration behind her paintings, Deepali says, “We take the bounties of nature for granted without feeling thankful or responsible. Regardless, nature continues to offer its gifts. Life should be full of gratitude and self-discovery. I hope to bring this awareness to people through my art.”
The series’ on display include Call of the Flute which revolves around the eternal love of Krishna and Radha and his victory over evil, the Akashi series which tells the story of one’s inner journey and self-realisation, and the Shakti series as the artist’s homage to the cosmic energy manifested as Durga, Kali or Kamakhya in Indian mythology. The rest of the paintings are based on different aspects, like the beauty of nature.
The colour palette of the paintings seems to have taken that in quite well. The artist usually sticks to monochromes or very soft colours. However, for this exhibition, she has been a bit indulgent and used a variety of colours and materials. Most of her earlier paintings were done in oil but recently, she has started dabbling in acrylic colours.
Among the exhibited pieces, most are on canvas and few on paper. Acrylic is the medium that she has employed predominantly, along with water colour. Some of the paintings are textured but there are also pieces in multimedia and collages. “I have used gold leaf, dust and colour in many, as well as some resin. In one painting of Buddha, the wooden frame has been carved by me,” she tells us.
Though the leitmotif of her works has not changed much over the years, her treatment of the topics, the techniques employed and the materials used keep changing. For instance, for some of the paintings displayed at this exhibition, she has used watercolours after a long gap. What sets this exhibition apart from her earlier ones is that for the first time, she has used gold leaf; and woodcarving as well – that’s something the artist has taken a fascination to recently.
But the penchant for learning something new has always been there in Deepali. “I love to learn new techniques and I am always open to new themes and new ideas. Recently, I have written and illustrated a few comic books for children, one of them with the help of AI. I like to doodle as well. I do a lot of sketching and have published colouring books based on my sketches. I feel there is so much to observe, so much to learn and so much to bring out on paper and canvas,” she shares enthusiastically.
And what does she try to achieve through all these? The artist says, “Modern life — or all life for that matter — is a struggle, a struggle for existence, for livelihood, for identity, for happiness… I think that art has a sublimating effect on the viewer. Watching a piece of art is like paying obeisance to a deity. It uplifts you, brings harmony and peace and gives your life a new purpose and a new direction, hopefully.
She also tells us about her upcoming projects, saying, “I wish to work more on folklore, on spirituality. I have planned some more illustrated comic books as well. Most importantly, I have decided to study nature for a lifetime and my future work will also reflect this,” concluding the conversation.
Entry free. Till October 22. At Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Seshadripuram.
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