Seeking devotion via prism of spiritual layers

There is more to devotion than seeking blessings from god. An ongoing exhibition in Delhi looks deeper into many layers and associations that look at devotion through the prism of spirituality and turmoil within.

Celebrating a decade of serving art is "Gallery Art Positive" through its show "Devotion - art in service of truth" where works of eminent and contemporary artists like H.S. Raza, Manu Parekh, Madhvi Parekh, Raghu Rai, Shahidul Alam, among others are exhibited.

"Devotion in today's time is going through political turmoil and unrest," Ina Puri, curator of the exhibition, told IANS.

"So while selecting works of these artists, I chose spirituality as a context and pushed beyond conventional association of referring to gods through images," she added.

Puri chose to seek answers to questions like "What is devotion? Is it mere a tool? Or a religious observation or worship?" through an array of paintings and sculptures that redefine one's way of looking at the word "devotion".

"The exhibition reflects a deeply meditative and reflective mood," said Puri.

According to Anu Bajaj, director of the gallery, the art works portray multi-dimensional elucidations of devotion and the way it transmutes individual entities.

If one painting represents modern avatar of goddess Kali who portrays "stronger" role of today's woman, there are vivid images from Raghu Rai's "Banaras" series.

"I wanted people to stop and think about the works and see what they are trying to communicate. I did not want it to be easy for them. There are many layers to it and will reveal gradually, depending on how you perceive," said Puri.

The exhibition is on till Jan 15, 2015.