There’s an undertone of uncertainty in his works

MUMBAI: Those visiting Sakshi Art Gallery today are in for a pleasant surprise.
Riyaz Komu has begun his exhibition in Mumbai, but with a difference. Imbued with the sense of the seeker, it lays bare a unique story to all.

Lofty ideals, yet shackled to the realm of tradition. This is what strikes one, the moment you step into the gallery. Called Faith Accompli, Komu’s works have a vibrancy of their own, yet somewhere lingers an undertone of uncertainty. The fear of letting go.

Beautifully crafted works no doubt, yet so steeped in tradition, that the dichotomy the
artist faced was all too apparent: one that seeks to soar beyond, but still wallowing in the quagmire of today’s realities.

This artist has laid out a fine repertoire of works. His Lost resonance, The Third Day, Keep Cooking, blood red series, all set the tone for the mental emancipation he seeks.
Yet, the one that caught this writer’s fancy, My father’s balcony, set the perspective right.

It subtly suggested more depth than was apparent. The cluttered symbols of political ideology heaped at the left, strongly contrasted with the serene village on the right. Soaring above all this was a staircase which led to a balcony.

It pointed to one who did totter up the stairs above the apparently day-to-day existence, but it seemed incomprehensible why he needed a railing to stop him from soaring free once there.

Then came the realisation what Komu said was right: “At times like these I feel helpless.”