Exhibition on Digital Art

Exploring the medium of digital art that has been rarely forayed into to create art, an exhibition here seeks to showcase how technology can be used to express the innermost emotions of an individual's mind.
Titled "Allured", the solo exhibition by Ashok Ahuja underway at Gallery Espace here has on display artworks in inkjet prints on archival paper created by the artist over a span of 15 years.
He uses the nouveau concept to bring to the fore the erstwhile hidden and newer aspects associate with art, offering a fresh perspective to the works.
"I am fascinated by the potential of the digital world but I do not like to do things just because they are possible. Art is as much about discovery and perception as it is about making and creating.

"I take from technology only the specific little that I need and create an effect that adds another dimension of allure surrounding my interpretations," says Ahuja.
The artist's fascination with the medium dates back to 1985 when he first bought a computer and went on to enrich his tech-kitty with a digital notebook, camera, an A3 printer and a personal large format 44-inch pigment ink printer.

All artworks on display at the exhibition have been created as well as printed by the artist himself on his own equipments.
According to Ahuja, the exhibition, which opened on September 20, explores the "possibility that exists between photography and 'not-photography', between reality and abstraction, between a familiar world of objects and dematerialized forms, shapes, colour and light, giving free reign to the imagination."

Most of his works are manifestations of his observations of the everyday life around him, where he tries to find the relationship between the "ordinary and the extraordinary."
He uses digital technology as a tool to express his own outlook and at the same time engage the viewers to conceive their own interpretations.
"It is essential to break the barrier of restricted opinions towards experiences of one's life. While the art works need not be confined to the artist's vision, its real essence lies in the eyes of the beholder!" he says.
However, the artist is of the belief that digital art is as much a medium of creativity as is the conventional canvas and brush. It is only a means of expression that an artist might prefer over another, he says.

"With technology being the root, I try to create pieces that not only show the inner and outer perspectives of my mind but also inspire the audience. For me, a piece of art is not worthy enough, if it does not uplift the soul," says Ahuja.
The selling show which has artworks priced between Rs 80,000 to Rs 2 lakhs, is set to continue till October 15.