Exhibition Of Paintings By Uma Vegesina: Events in Hyderabad

REVIEW FOR EXHIBITION OF PAINTINGS BY...

It's easy to forget as you read on. Basically, this is a painting exhibition.

The Kalahita Art Foundation at Nagarjuna Hills is organising an exhibition of paintings titled Nature In Me, by Uma Vegesina, from 25th March to 7th April. Vegasina's 7-year-old preoccupation with nature started with the study of the natural world as part of her art school curriculum, and later surfaced through various expressions, depicting love for nature, being a part of it, showing concern about the extinction of flora and fauna, understanding the self through nature and the elements of nature absorbed in the self.

The exploration of nature has moved from one context to the other not as a sequence, but in a progression that reveals the state of being. This absorption is conceivable as you see the lush monsoon greenery that surrounds her living space.

The artist informs of a parallel brooding while she paints. The works are spontaneous not in execution but in response to events in day to day life. Thus, intimate and complex situations are dealt with on the pictorial surface wherein the depiction of nature is resorted to as an allegory, to speak of intense moments.

The work "Dilemma" evolved from such a contemplation wherein relief and solutions were sought in the mind while laying paint on the surface. Flowers here essentially became an allegory expressing predicament, retaining at the same time a sense of poetry, a subtle hide-and-seek of pleasure and pain. An inclination to attain an internal harmony through image-making gained constancy in a more pronounced manner from the year 2004.

The artist informs of the signification of objects in her works - the steps as ambition, the structures as solid impositions, the crow as unity, the cow as virtue, the dog as trust and the dried leaf as the faithlessness of people.

The artist's orientation to study the natural world and to render detail true to object is executed without stylization. The straight-forward depiction contains mysteries of nature, and those innate in the self. The understanding gained after studying Frida Kahlo's life and works adds another layer to the sensibility reflected in the self-expression. It is more towards speaking in the same language but not about the same things.

As each work is contemplated, the artist reveals herself in all her camouflages, as she herself is depicted enwrapped in leaves, celebrating a subtle sensuality, nestling a butterfly or becoming an embodiment of light amidst fireflies.

Uma was born in 1976, and studied BFA in painting from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam. She has participated in many group exhibitions including one at the Chitarangan Art Gallery in Visakhapatnam, the 7th Level Art Exhibition in Hyderabad, the 46th National Exhibition of Art at Kochi, and the All-India Art Contest And Exhibition at Nagpur. She has also conducted a solo art exhibition at the Andhra University.

For further details, please contact the art gallery at 2335-0543.