An artist here has used the colour red to breathe fresh life into art forms like weaving, knitting and crochet which he says are on the "verge of extinction".
Titled, "Barren Red" the exhibition by Puneet Kaushik, explores different facets of humanitarianism with the crimson hue, while sparing a thought about "our deep rooted traditions".
"My works impact more than just your physical space... Scribbling in a meandering free flow of territorial thoughts that layer the social and cultural fabric of everyday existence almost in a meditative trance and yet entangled, knotted, tied, woven, stitched to let go of the wandering heart.
"With this exhibition, I attempt to (re)establish techniques on the verge of extinction which include weaving, knitting, crochet and Tibetan bead work embellishment," says Kaushik.
The exhibits, which include both paintings in mixed media as well as multi-layered installations, aim to seed the landscape to the scape humans inhabit along with the viewer's own interpretation.
Giving fibre art a new dimension altogether, he knits crochet in copper and stainless steel wire, to "not only transport the viewers back to their roots but also evoke an urge of knowing the self".
What remains common in all his works is the universally identified color red'.
He uses the colour, which has had several connotations, to showcase an aerial view of the ever-changing territorial landscape that appears 'red'.
"It can be one's perception and can be related to the fierce world of terrorism we live in," says the artist.
He is driven by a single idea or concept, injecting, an element of exploration, with materials that offer their own guiding agency; thereby marking a "posture of difference".
In another artwork, Kaushik explores 'the skin' in a cultural and historical context and dissects the largest organ of the human body into layers - in a way, similar to the pigments of paint in an artwork, fibers in clothes, or the architectural makeup of a building.
"The red that flows under all our skin trickles down to unaccommodating boundaries that divides and distinguishes the self within us," he says.
He draws a parallel between human faith and a "river of blood" as the former flows away from its core.
The exhibition underway at Gallery Espace here is set to continue till December 20.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
