Antonio Puri, an artist now living in Colombia who was born in India, will be the focus of an exhibit at a Singaporean gallery. Puri’s work, which is rich in the artist’s spiritualism and sense of self within the places he has lived and worked, will be on display. It’s a show that isn’t to be missed, as the artist uses a wonderful and unique method to complete his masterpieces.
Even if Puri doesn’t live in India anymore, it’s clear the place of his birth and childhood continues to influence him. Working in mixed media, the artist considers this sense of place, location, and home in his artwork. He has even used soil from his childhood home in India in some of the multilayered pieces. Though the work is abstract, its message and meanings speak volumes. He uses string dipped in different colors of paint to bisect his canvases, creating different sections of his layout. In these moments, Puri explores attachment — to things, to places, to pasts that are no longer present. As his works dry, he removes the strings, revealing the stark outlines they left, which gives the masterpieces the look of maps. In these moments, Puri examines detachment — the art of letting go and living in the moment.
In one of the works that will be on display at the gallery’s show, the canvas has been partitioned off into twelve segments. Though all of them are the same size and shape, it appears as if the viewer is looking down on a topographical map. Variations in color, textures, and mediums produce a uniform look, as if it’s one common landscape split apart. Although the dominant hues are various shades of black and gray, upon closer examination, the viewer can discern colors hidden in the depths of the work.
Another work looks like it is composed of 48 different panels. Gray dominates again, but textured drippings add dimension to each of the rectangles, as if in ink blots or frames of a movie. It’s up to the viewer to analyze the differences in each, or to take the work as a whole tapestry of texture.
Another painting takes place on jute, a woven material that adds another dimension to the mixed media. In this masterpiece, eight slender, vertical panels are repeated, but each has a green- or blue-toned circle at the top. They appear like windows, or screens, and the viewer must imagine what is on the other side of them, perhaps looking back.
Examine your own sense of place more closely by enrolling in an art class via SGArtClass.com. Whether you already have a background in art or you’re looking to explore the opportunity for a new hobby, you have the chance to connect with expert art teachers well versed in teaching students of all capabilities.
To read more about the exhibit in Singapore, and to see examples of Antonio Puri’s art, go to http://www.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/2567599/antonio-puri-at-sundaram-tagore-gallery-singapore.