Download Press Release (PDF 36 K)
March 2001, New York - Bose Pacia Modern Gallery presents a group exhibition of paintings by
Nilima Sheikh, Manisha Parekh and
Dhruvi Acharya. The show will run from March 15 through April 23rd, 2001 at 508 W 26th Street, 11th Floor. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 12-6 p.m. and by appointment. An opening reception will be held March 15th, from 6-8 p.m. The public is invited.
The exhibition features recent works by three artists: traditionally based Jataka paintings by senior artist Nilima Sheikh, works by Manisha Parekh including work exhibited at the recent Havana Biennale, and recent paintings by New York artist Dhruvi Acharya.
Nilima Sheikh's "Canda Kinnara Jataka", a series in eight parts, is a contemporary and personal variation on Asian artistic traditions. Infusing ancient Persian and Rajput miniature and Japanese Ukiyo-e influences with her own modernist sensibility, Nilima Sheikh retells ancient Buddhist mythology through a modern idiom. She uses fluid strokes of semi-transparent, earthy hues on handmade sanganeri vasli paper creating an effect reminiscent of hand-held scrolls and miniatures. Sheikh elicits a sensuous and poetic rendering of the ancient narrative of the Jataka - stories of the Buddha's past lives and encounters on earth.
The work of Manisha Parekh evolves quietly as a sonata of layers and formal progressions. Through the physical process of overlaying rice paper, paint or cutout vellum, the medium begins a journey that slowly acquires form and rhythm -- an oval and a line meet and together become something new and embark on a complimentary dance. Using minimal color, Ms. Parekh's harmonious forms are linked, like a puzzle, in order to unfold a larger vision. Viewed in a series, the work suggests a sense of larger direction and fluidity as a synchronicity in forms is propelled, in compliment and variation, from one piece to another.
Dhruvi Acharya's work is informed by her experiences as a young woman with a footing in two worlds. Influenced artistically by Mughal miniature painting and contemporary comic books, the life of the artist both in India and America is chronicled through allegory. Applying both ancient and pop-culture metaphors and symbolism, the work culminates in a fresh and unique fusion of artistic genres. Her work is a personal diary of the dislocation and disconnection one feels as an immigrant. At the same time, it is also the musings of an independent woman aware of the limitations of liberties and opportunities afforded by her own traditional culture. She is a fluent resident of two worlds but perhaps not completely fulfilled or at home in either. Her paintings explore these emotions of loneliness and solitude in a foreign land and offer broader commentary on how Indian traditions are mixing with Western influences, paralleling her own life.
Nilima Sheikh was born in 1945 in New Delhi. She studied history at the Delhi University and painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda where she later taught painting. Ms. Sheikh has exhibited extensively in India and abroad. She has participated in the First Johannesburg Biennale, South Africa (1995), the Second Asia-Pacific Triennale of Contemporary Art, Brisbane (1996), and is part of the Indian artists' delegations to Bangladesh, China, South Africa and Australia. She was recently selected as the India representative for the inaugural exhibition at the Asia Society scheduled to open this fall where she will be doing a collaborative installation with artist Shahzia Sikander. Her work is held in numerous public and private collections.
Manisha Parekh is a New Delhi based artist born in 1964. She studied painting at the M.S. University of Baroda as well as the Royal College of Art in London. She has exhibited extensively in India, London and Germany. Her work has been included in exhibits such as the Istanbul Biennale, Turkey (1999) and the recent Havana Biennale, Cuba (2001). Her works are in the collections of institutions such as the Lalit Kala Academy and the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection.
Dhruvi Acharya is a native of Mumbai born in 1971, currently residing in New York. She actively shows her work in both countries. She studied art at Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai and the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. She has exhibited in juried exhibitions with judging panelists from the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Delaware Art Museum. Her works are held in private collections both in India and America.