Exhibition with vibrant works by Indian artists at RoS Gallery

The vibrant expressions of Indian artists Sunanda Khajuria og Dhaneshwar Shah is on display at RoS Gallery from August the 25th, 2018

On August 25th the doors open for an exhibition by two outstanding, contemporary Indian artists, at RoS Gallery in Roskilde. Sunanda Khajuria and Dhaneshwar Shah exhibits their works under the title of “Ātman (आत्मन्) / Essence, Breath and Soul”. Both creates a colorful universe, in which animals play an important part.

DCI has supported the exhibition, and at the opening, the newly appointed director of DCI in India will attend and speak. Furthermore, the Indian ambassador to Denmark, Mr. Ajit Gupte, and the mayor of Roskilde, Joy Mogensen, will be among the guests.

The artists about their works

Sunanda Khajuria – Moving Landscapes

“With systematic training in art, I have become more interested in understanding the emotional and psychological states of human nature and explore the possibilities of its visualization in my work. This process generally begins with taking a queue from the mundane and trying to look into nature and constitution of human situations, desires and aspirations. As a culmination of this complex and extend process, I understand, that my work ultimately attains a reality of its own. A reality that is a sum total of what I see, react to, think perceive, memorize, personalize and feel like externalizing as a visible manifestation.

In this suite of Moving Landscapes each and every element is affected with time and place. Nothing is still— even stones, rivers, mountains, air, the moon, the stars; everything has its own breath, its own life and its death. All objects move according to their energy and speed.As St. Augustine said, “If no one asks me about Time, I know all about it; but if someone asks, I know nothing about it. It is difficult to sense, as it is so closely linked with our lives, flowing in the same current.””

Dhaneshwar Shah – Politics and Power Behind the Animal

“Art History teaches you that there are a million ways to paint; there are theories, histories, and sociologies. This was distracting to me; it interrupted the vividness of internal expressions. In untangling myself from this web of confusion, I found a fascination with the animal world. There is purity to their behaviour and expression that I could channel. I am captivated by the incredible variety of animals and birds and their humorous, energetic and spontaneous behaviour. In my art now, I find focus and expression in the unique body language, distinctive energies and mysterious characteristics of animals and birds.

I am highly influenced by Tribal and Aboriginal art and their philosophies. I find them a purer, more authentic mode of expression. You can find these influences in the dotted lines, thick outlines, bright, flat colours, humor, and repetition of forms in my paintings. I consider my art to be a combination of Tribal and Aboriginal techniques and values, with the aesthetics of contemporary experimental media. My aim is to establish a new global language in contemporary art that remains faithful to self-expression.”

Background and ongoing projects

Sunanda Khajuria took her bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts at the Institute of Music and Fine Art, Jammu, and her master’s at College of Art, New Delhi. Then she entered an advanced research program at Academy of Fine Art, Hangzhou, where she learned Chinese and studied traditional Chinese art. Last year, she received a scholarship grant from the Chinese government, giving her the possibility to start work on a PhD and continue her exploration of Chinese and Asian art and culture.

Dhaneshwar Shah has a truly global outlook. After practising his art around the world, for some time, he begang studies in Hangzhou, like Khajuria. Here, he studied traditional Chinese art and New Media art. Now, backed by the Chinese government, he is working on a PhD based in both practice and research, at Wuhan University of Technology, focusing on Chinese ink painting.

Shah is also the president of the MEADOWNS organisation in China and India, an organisation which undertakes political activities related to art and culture.

Read more about Dhaneshwar Shah and Sunanda Khajuria

The exhibition “Ātman (आत्मन्) / Essence, Breath and Soul” opens on August 25th, 13.00 at RoS Gallery, Vindeboder 1A, Roskilde.