A stunning display of Contemporary Art at the ‘Glimpses of Art’ Exhibition

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On the old Jaipur-Delhi road near Jal Mahal stands an art gallery that houses a stunning collection of traditional Indian art forms like Pichhwai and miniature paintings as well as a plethora of antique art pieces. Started in 2008 by art proponent Abhinav Bansal, the ICA Gallery also holds a number of events, exhibitions, workshops et.al. around both traditional as well as contemporary art.

With things limping back to normal after the pandemic, the gallery is holding a month-long contemporary art exhibition, entitled ‘Glimpses of Art’, to bring together artists and art lovers from across the country in a shared space. Curated by artist Hem Rana, the exhibition is spread across two spacious floors and showcases over 100 artworks of 32 artists from different parts of India.

While shedding light on the curation of the exhibition, the Gallery Owner, Abhinav Bansal said: “October 1 marks the 13th anniversary of our gallery and we thought of celebrating this occasion by inviting and showcasing works by artists from across India. We have works on display by artists from Mumbai, Pune, West Bengal, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, among other places. We have intentionally chosen artists whose works had not been exhibited here before. Their work ranges from mediums like acrylics, watercolors, oil, mix media and are themed on across various topics like mythology, scenery, fantasy etc. so that the visitors coming in would have an enriching experience.”

From abstract and figurative art to paintings depicting surrealism, impressionism and realism, there is a lot for art lovers and enthusiasts to soak in at the exhibition. “I have been to various exhibitions and thus I have seen various paintings across varied themes but the sculptures at the Glimpses of Art exhibition are the star attraction at the show for me. The overall curation by Hem Rana and team is quite commendable as well”, shares a visitor to the show, Aditi Agarwal, who is an artist herself.

Telling more about his work, Appalaraju Surakala, a sculptor whose works are on display at the exhibition says: “I have used metal scrap to create owl and scorpion sculptures for the show. The sculptures I create are mostly realistic in form. The reason I work with realism and realistic sculptures is because I want the lay audience to understand the work they see. My art is a reflection on how I react to the environment and how the environment reacts to me.”

Artist Appalaraju with his art works at the exhibition

Shedding light on the inspiration behind her art works, another artist, Kriti K.C. Saxena shared: “We witness a number of ups and downs in our life. Our life is a journey marked by constant successes and failures. My paintings are themed on these ups and downs marked by incessant struggle and competition. An amalgamation of reality with fantasy with an abstract background is my way to portray life on a canvas.”

Art Work ‘Rudra’ by Artist Kriti KC Saxena displayed at the Glimpses of Art Exhibition

An exhibition in October has been an annual feature of the ICA Gallery. However, curator Hem Rana points out that owing to Covid-19, this year the number of visitors is not as much as it is used to be in the previous years.

The Glimpses of Art exhibition is on till November 1 at the ICA Gallery. It is open for visitors on all days from 11 am to 7 pm. Along with the contemporary art works displayed here, visitors can also witness the permanent collection of the gallery featuring pichwai, miniature and antiques. The Pichwai paintings on display here have been created by a group of traditional artists from across the state.