An art show on the ‘four’-front

Senior artist Amrut Kondekar surprises you when he points out his bare canvas before touching paint to it — it is stark black. And then, colours come alive, multiple hues that conjure up a melange of emotions. According to the artist, the show explores the elements in nature — earth, water, air and fire, and interprets them in terms of human relationships.

The artist points out, “Through my paintings I am expressing the journey of this special relationship which could be simple but yet so complicated. This relationship is like a glass or a mirror. If the glass blurs then it is difficult to see through it or see yourself in it clearly. Similarly for the relationship to sustain, it has to be transparent.”

Kondekar, who trained with senior artist Prabhakar Kolta at the JJ School of Art, explains the reasons he decided to go wild with colours on his canvas. He says, “Each colour has its own definition and as a result, each canvas has a new meaning and a distinct beauty.” While exploring human relationships and emotions, the artist has also focused on several social issues like the rising number of suicides in the city post examinations and issues that women face on a day-to-day basis.

In one of his paintings, Kondekar has used a symbol of a tree with its roots tracing its journey deep into the earth. The artist explains, “I have used nature imagery to denote deep-rooted relationships. This is an artist’s message towards cleaning up the mess in the environment today.”