'The Past Was Yesterday': An artist's journey through decades

Renowned artist Akhilesh is celebrating his 60th birthday or Shasti Poorti, with a collection of paintings, drawings and sculptures executed between 1974 1nd 2015.

"The Past Was Yesterday" exhibition is on for view till January 21 at the Aakriti Art Gallery.

The exhibition consists of 62 sculptures and mesmerising art works made through acrylic on canvas, ink on paper, oil on paper, charcoal on bitumen paper and gouache on paper.

Based in Bhopal, Akhilesh has had a distinguished career that has spanned almost forty years. He has done prestigious solo shows in international art centres across the world, where he also trained young minds.

His art works tell stories about a new beginning which continues forever without any limit. The colourful abstract art works created by the artist give the illusion of incompleteness but this very character make the art works more appealing and meaningful to the spectators.

The artist uses lines that can lead to a certain linearity but he has cleverly blended the colours on the canvas. Each canvas presents a fresh perspective through different shades.

His paintings do not scream for attention and have little to offer to the casual, hurried viewer. But for the patient observer, they are an enriching experience.

To him, abstraction was the medium as well as the goal.

"At first glance, my paintings appear to tread the mid-path between figurative and abstract as one tries to understand the several possible forms that emerge from the mosaic of patterns," Akhilesh told IANS.

"I want to encourage onlookers to relate to the paintings by having a dialogue with colours, forms, textures," he said, adding: "I wish to give them freedom to depict the art works, the way they feel comfortable."

"The Past Was Yesterday" is a show that traces the artist's long and illustrious career and includes works from the early phases of his life to recent times.

--IANS

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