by Anuradha Datta

“Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced.”

- Leo Tolstoy

On 4 October 2011, The Nehru Centre, London inaugurated the exhibition “On Label”. The exhibition was opened to the public from the 3rd_ 6th October 2011, and was continued at the Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan from the 7th-16th October.
This exhibition was special as there was a conscious and rare thought behind it. At this time of deep recession, many galleries are exhibiting only the works of very eminent artists but this exhibition despite the pessimissm gave these new and relatively unknown artists an international platform to exhibit their work and to be seen by art lovers and prospective buyers, opening new horizons for them. The exhibition consciously evoked a very soothing and fulfilling atmosphere and was well attended and infused with positive and animated energy.
The participating artists were Abhijit Pathak, Jehangir Hussain, Kajoli Khanna, Lal Bahadur Singh, Masoom Khambattya, Rajesh Srivastava, Ritu Soni, Rooshika Patel, Siraj Saxena, Suchi Chidambaram, and Sunil Sud. A few of the participating artists were present such as Kajoli Khanna, who came to study art in London. She studied at Chelsea College of Art and did her Masters from Central St. Martins. Her painting on display at The Nehru Centre was named ‘The Crowd’ (48x 60 , acrylic on canvas). Its an impressionistic work, which has depth and maturity. Her paintings hover between representation and abstraction. Within these densely layered surfaces one can see a crowd of human faces.
Suchi Chidambaram is well known in the London art scene during the last few years. Suchi gets inspired visiting cities, observing the architecture and the people, and tries to capture the mood of these places. There is movement and rhythm in her paintings.
Siraj Saxena’s work received a lot of attention and admiration. The mood was subtle, created with gentle strokes and muted colours . His richly worked canvas gives the look of a well woven tapestry. His work had a delicate translucent quality. The work exhibited at the Centre is named ‘Visible Invisible’. The name is suggestive of what one might expect from this work.
Jehangir Hussain’s work also attracted an audience. You can make out the expertise, and experience of the artist. Hossain’s art bears the influence of a range of traditional practices. The picture on display here was named ‘Daily life’ (22×40. Oil on canvas).
Ritu Soni’s work attracted attention for their vibrant colours . They are stylistic paintings, and quite imaginative but a bit forced on your sensibility.
Lal Bahadur Singh’s work, ‘Sangat’ and ‘Romanchak yatra’, combine elements of religious iconography , folk and pop art.
Ruchika Patel is another talented artist from India. Ruchika graduated from Baroda and now lives and works in London. Her works show dedication and self belief . She believes her work is a process and journey. The treatment of space becomes an important part of her work. She creates her work by putting forms on different layers, creating multiple effects.
Like beauty, art also affects us. Sometimes it is powerful and has a message, and at other times it may be purely decorative. Whatever the mission or outcome, artists try to reach us through their skill and vision and the artists represented in ‘On Label’ certainly did that. Hats off to the organisers and artists. Hopefully many more galleries will choose to regularly exhibit unkown and lesser known artists, which would be welcome not only for the artists, but also for consumers and art lovers, in these turbulent times.
Anuradha Datta is a professional artist and freelance writer