New Delhi: Art installations inspired by the philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi besides paintings on Prime Minister Narendra Modi are being showcased at the 7th edition of India Art Fair here besides a diverse range of modern and contemporary art.
Artist Viveek Sharma has depicted a painting "Sons of the Soil" displaying the Mahatma showering his blessings on Modi.
"I have been following Modi since the past 12 years. The reason I drew both Gandhi and Modi on the same canvass is because our Prime Minister always talks about Gandhi. Both are cool-headed, unruffled and both belong to the same soil," Sharma said.
The artist, who was present at the preview of the IAF on Thursday, said he would love to gift his painting to Modi and see his reaction.
"It would be the best thing ever if I am able to gift him (Modi) my painting," said the artist who who took two years to finish the painting.
Sharma, had in 2008, the first edition of the fair when it was called the India Art Summit been represented by Beck & Eggeling of Dusseldorf. The German art gallery had sold Sharma's painting of US President Barack Obama standing on his head on a chess board supported by Hindu monkey god Hanuman.
Also at the IAF, Kolkata-based artist Nantu Behari Das has created an installation based on the three wise monkeys, embodying the proverbial principle of "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil," held dear by Mahatma Gandhi.
Das' installation lets viewer decide on their own interpretation of Gandhi's philosophy.
"I have tried to depict through my work that how, nowadays, people deliberately turn a blind eye to the problems surrounding them. They choose to ignore and live in denial of reality," Das said.
Meanwhile, artists activists and members of the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust, (Sahmat) today posted to different parts of the world a multitude of postcards with different portraits of the Bapu designed by prominent artists such as Pushpamala N, Atul Dodiya, Nilima Sheikh, K G Subramanyan, A Ramachandran and Vivan Sundaram.
At the preview of the Art Fair photographer Ram Rahman was seen going around with a black badge around his neck marking the date and exact time of Gandhi's death.
"We plan to commemorate the anniversary, when 67 years ago Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated. There is also another event in the city at the Jawaharlal Nehru University," Rahman said.
The four-day fair, which opened to the public exhibits some works of late M F Husain and Jamini Roy also.
A total of 85 exhibiting galleries in 90 booths are showcasing the length and breadth of India and international modern and contemporary practices at the fair which is scheduled to continue till February 1.
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