Gandhi was not rich, or glamorous, he was not a film actor – yet he reached out to millions despite the absence of the kind of media we see today – Artist Adarsh Baji
Give Peace Another Chance – On the occasion of 154th birth anniversary of Gandhi, Artist Adarsh Baji’s paintings pay a tribute to Mahatma whose ideology transcends space, time and distance through art currently on display at Kalakriti Art Gallery
Baji questions: When the whole world salutes Gandhi for his thoughts and acts, are we respecting our great saint and messiah of peace? Is there a chance to revive his thoughts and actions in our life?
Conceived to commemorate and celebrate the 154th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Kalakriti Art Gallery presents “Give Peace Another Chance” by Adarsh Baji, who is also the recipient of the Krishnakriti Foundation Scholarship.
The exhibition elucidates the premise that Gandhi’s presence is far from being fixed in time and space. The large canvasses displayed in the gallery bring in the aura of his persona. Gandhi is seen with his infectious legendary toothless laughter that according to the artist can bring peace amidst war. In one of his huge canvasses – the Greek philosophers are seen bending over as a mark of respect to Mahatma Gandhi, who is part of the great history of mankind.
Gandhi was not rich, or glamorous, he was not a film actor – yet he reached out to millions despite the absence of the kind of media we see today. Says Adarsh who represents this reach of Gandhi in one of his Oil of Canvas works.
On charcoal as a medium Adarsh says, “It is a very tough medium, especially to create various tones of greys and whites using one small charcoal piece. It is very challenging doing the same on large canvasses. And, I love challenges. It was a struggle to master it.”
Adarsh has been working on the Gandhi Images from this series for the past six months, and he says once the paintings left his home cum studio – his house felt empty. “It was like Gandhi was always there. I would work on correcting one painting while adding finishing touches to another image of Gandhi. Now the house feels empty. On the day I packed and sent my works for the exhibition, my friends jokingly said that perhaps like in a movie – Gandhi may come pay a visit to me.”
Adarsh’s works usually are satirical and make a commentary on politics, society and the world we live in. It is his large canvases, his strokes bring life to his forms and his shades of grey add intensity to the message he wishes to convey making his charcoal drawing stand out and speak to the viewer.
He does not feel restricted by his disability and in fact chooses to take up challenging subjects and forms and revels in mastering them. For him Gandhi is an ongoing theme, which he often revisits.
Currently his works on display create an aura at the art exhibition, and it feels like Gandhi has indeed paid a visit for Gandhi Jayanthi as you watch the immersive works in life-size imagery. The exhibition ‘Give Peace Another Chance’ is on display at Kalakriti Art Gallery till October 18.