Fusing digital art and painting, Jenny Bhatt’s MokshaShots explores ‘salvation’ in a frenzied, distracted existence, finds out Dhanishta Shah
A well-known name on the Indian art scene, she has boldly set new trends in art and is honest enough to confess that she thinks it is the responsibility of an artist to lead people to question and think. For Jenny Bhatt, embracing satirical humour to comment on social and cultural practices, comes as naturally as breathing.
Bhatt is best known for her series of paintings that revolve around the theme of moksha, or salvation. Her latest, MokshaShots, an online exhibition at http://www.jennybhatt.com/gallery/ that can be seen till December 31, continues an exploration of this concept. This series consists of 18 small format works in acrylic on archival paper. It explores the mercurial states of the urban mind in search of the ever-fleeting state of happiness – moksha.
“Considering our current lifestyles, we probably won’t get to full-fledged moksha in this lifetime, but we can get a shot of it. Everyone can make their own MokshaShot out of anything they find fulfilling...art, music, currency notes, a smile, a Ferrari or a tequila shot! We live in a time in history, when there is so much available to make our lives comfortable, yet we have never pursued happiness so ardently,” she believes.
Each painting depicts a version of moksha in a fast paced, frenzied, often distracted existence. Bhatt has fused the distinct worlds of digital art and painting. Having had experience working in digital design and advertising in her early years, it honed her painting skills in a very different way. The result? Great detailing and precision, which makes her work distinctive.
The paintings contain a lot of imagery, which provokes viewers to think. While they are beautiful and colourful (she is a firm believer in the healing power of colour), the humour and popular images make the work accessible to the common person. At the same time, it leads the viewer to think and question.
The work falls under the genres of neo pop or pop surrealism, a young art movement that started in California in the mid-eighties and extends over multiple media. Expectedly, it fuses lines between fine art and popular art, borrowing inspiration from digital graphics, advertising and pop-art.
Always up for embracing new trends, Bhatt decided to host an online exhibition of this series. It’s the first time in India that an artist is having a solo show online. “It is easier to get a worldwide audience since you are not restricted to a particular location. Also, people are really busy nowadays. I wanted to widen my audience. I have invited people in Mumbai to come over and see the works at my home, if they’d like to. Since they are small format its convenient. On the MokshaShots Facebook page, the largest audience has been from Brazil, followed by India and Indonesia. The response has been good and I have made some sales as well. A lot of people, including senior artists have been saying that it’s a great idea.”
The concept of MokshaShots though has transcended the realm of art. It is now also a web-comic. Even while she basks in this success, Bhatt is all set for the future. “I will continue to do more art shows, both online and offline as well... but it takes a while to put up a body of work!”
Guess, it’s time for some more Moksha shots!
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