FigureScapes - Pandurang Tathe's solo show at Ayatana

  

Pandurang Tathe

Soft spoken and endearingly modest, Pandurang Tathe is an artist of extraordinary  conviction and vision.

His ‘Vasti/Basti’ or ‘Dwellings’ series, evoke a resonance that is distant as well as poignant. Dilapidated residences huddle together on his landscapes, reflecting the harsh urban sunlight. Even though these abstract landscapes are shocking in their candid portrayal of the urban Indian panorama, the whites, ochres, and robust earthy tones convey a sense of their resilience and determination.

His series featuring figurative heads are a perfect counterpoint to the landscapes. The heads  seem disembodied and yet are intensely expressive…replete with the belligerence and bravado associated with the struggle of life in the bleak urban sprawl, each face will beguile you with its honesty and beauty....

Born in 1961, Prof. Tathe has showed extensively in India and abroad in group as well as one-man shows and has been widely recognized and awarded for his work. His work is part of several private as well as institutional collections, including the Bharat Bhavan (Bhopal), and the Lalit Kala Academy (New Delhi) Prof. Tathe lives in Pune, and is a lecturer at the Abhinava Kala Mahavidyalaya.  

Sacred Synergy - Murali Lahoti's one man show at Ayatana

Murali Lahoti

Murali Lahoti is a man of many parts….and almost impossible to profile with a mere handful of words strung together. Born in 1945 in Parli Vaijnath, near Aurangabad, Lahoti ran away from home with eleven rupees in his pocket to pursue his passion. Working as a waiter and a sign-painter to pay for his education, his hunger for painting and his incredible hard-work saw him hold 12 one-man shows before he was done with his training!

A tireless and prolific artist, muralist and painter, Murali Lahoti firmly believes that a formal education in fine-art and painting can only take you thus far. From his own personal experience, reading, travelling and sincere hard work are the real stepping stones to inspiration and success.

Murali Lahoti uses the most lyrical description to explain his inspiration for the Cosmic Creation series.... "If you watch a leaf drift from a tree slowly to the ground, you will be mesmerized by its’ almost dance like rhythm as it spirals downwards. This is the same divine dynamism of Energy in Motion that can be experienced in every aspect of creation....This is my inspiration for my work in the 'Cosmic Creation' series..."

Beeja - The first show at Ayatana featuring Bhagwan Rampure, Mark Rathinaraj and Santhana Krishnan.

Santhana Krishnan

With a masters in Fine Arts from Madras University, this very talented young artist renders doors and doorways of rural south India with breath-taking creativity. His canvasses evoke a sense of other-worldliness with their expressive depiction of possibilities and wonders that lie just beyond the half open doors…!!!

Santhana's skill lies in his use of bright and authentic colours. Through his masterful use of dimension and perspective he draws the viewer into the small space that he allows himself, in this unique 'mix-media installation art'.

Santhana  has exhibited widely not only in in Chennai, Hyderabad,Trivandrum and Bangalore but also in several international art events and shows.

This is what Santhana Krishnan has to say about what inspires him to paint the doors:


"As a young under-graduate, studying at Kumbakonam, a small temple village in Tamil Nadu, I would pass the ‘agraharam’ style traditional joint family homes every day on my way to college. Most of them were old houses & each had a unique door. The ‘vilakkumaadams’- the multi-tiered brass lamps in front of temples, stained with oil, tumeric  and kumkum, the markings on the doors, a glimpse of the ‘thinnai’ (an open courtyard within the traditional home) fascinated me… As I passed these half open doors, I always got a slice of the activity and bustle that was going on inside – sounds of voices and vessels, somebody reciting pooja  stotras, running water, mothers calling out to children, the irresistible aromas of wholesome cooking; The allure of southern rural India at its best…!" ~Santhana Krishnan.

This was the first time ever that Santhana Krishnan showed in Pune.

Mark Rathinaraj

An alumna of the fine arts college in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu,  Mark uses the elegance and simplicity of calligraphic lines in charcoal or acrylic on canvas to render his creative figurative portrayals of people and emotions. Apart from numerous solo and group shows in Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai, Mark has also had the privilege of recognition in international shows in Singapore, Amsterdam, Malaysia and New York. 

This was Mark’s first ever exhibition in Pune.

Bhagwan Rampure

Bhagwan Rampure:

An assuming man with a shock of white hair, Bhagwan Rampure can be best identified with his iconic work, the charging bull at Dalal Street! A sculptor of great sensitivity and talent, Bhagwan Rampure has created some of the most reverence inspiring and magical likenesses of Lord Ganesh and Gautama Buddha….

This was the first time that Bhagwan Rampure  exhibited in Pune…