The art exhibition, Looking Beyond, urges us to look beyond daily routines and admire the landscapes around us. By Team Viva

Just as nature inspired John Keats as “a thing of beauty and a joy forever,” a group of artists has also followed his muse and reinterpreted it in their own canvas. Looking beyond by Art Pilgrim has artists Bikash Poddar, Seema Kohli, Gurudas Shenoy and Parul Sharma wrap the environment around them in their oeuvre.

Said Bikash Poddar, one of the senior artists from Bengal, “Around 40 years ago I went to Darjeeling and was completely mesmerised by the mountains! I was so lost in the beauty of that first encounter that I kept staring at them. Since then I started to paint my imagination of natural beauty and now it’s my primary subject. I love to paint landscapes and seascapes.”

Gurudas Shenoy developed a passion for the colours of nature at an early age. His father was  acclaimed artist G.S. Shenoy, so he lived and breathed art since the day he was born. M.F. Husain, a close friend of his father’s, was a mentor, and huge inspiration for Shenoy’s journey as an artist. Said the artist, “I find it very interesting to observe places that have history and this helps build the character of cities. The architecture of different places has stories and memories embedded. The beauty of nature which I enjoyed in my childhood keeps coming back in my memories and I think that the world is a theatre which is a play of light, sound and force. For me, nature always play a crucial role which is dynamic each and every time.”

Artist Parul Sharma, who is drawn to the aesthetics of simplicity, said that nature is permanent even if things change and aren’t the same as we know them today. “There’s a simplicity to it. It’s humans who create complex notions.” She also explained a Japanese concept of Wabi Sabi which refers to modesty, appreciation of simplicity and a sense of impermanence in life.

Parul added, “The exhibition is a culmination of different styles of art from oils to acrylics and paintings to sculptures, and when one takes a step back to see this as a holistic work, one can discern the common theme where the works urge you to look beyond the obvious. These works reflect everyday themes that are right in front of us and so easily overlooked because we are busy with the noise around us.”

“The concepts I have worked upon are varied but the recurring concept is that of The Golden Womb and The Tree of Life,” said artist Seema Kohli who seeks inspiration from life.