Before even one checks out the lines and forms of Sibaprasad Karchaudhuri’s artwork on display at Emami Art, its title captures the imagination. The Dream of an Idiot — playful and whimscal and thought by the artist are fragments of his dream on tapestries hanging from the ceiling and paintings, prints and drawings adorning the walls. Curated by Ushmita Sahu, the exhibition follows the extraordinary yet not-so-widely-known abstract Bengali artist’s journey who has put in a great effort to develop a unique abstract language. He was attracted to abstract art early on as an Applied Arts student at the Government College of Art and Craft, Calcutta.
In the exhibition, he plays with geometric forms, primarily triangles in fluid form. He breaks it and unbreaks it, to form more simple yet complex patterns that may or may not be a fragment of his dream. Karchaudhuri’s notable works are characterised by his subtle experiment with elementary forms and the use of vibrant colours. He has not entirely abandoned the visible world, but it appears in his work as reduced abstract forms combined with a sense of place and memory. The exhibition will be on till September 30.
“We are delighted to showcase Sibaprasad Karchaudhuri, one of the most significant Indian artists working in the language of abstraction, at Emami Art. Spanning over four decades in which Karchaudhuri has been at his most productive, the exhibition shows his works in various mediums, charting the progression of practice from his semi-abstract early pen and ink drawings to his chromatically vibrant later works. His unique tapestries are the show’s added attraction. This survey exhibition of such an important artist is an excellent opportunity for art lovers and students,” said Richa Agarwal, CEO Emami Art.