Closing the books

Living life on social media stitching together the past and present and even celebrating the spirit of the season are some of the thoughts that went through the mind of five celebrated artists as the year comes to an end But as artists often tend to do they decided to put their ideas down in doodles dashes and colour Herersquos a spread of five original art pieces created especially for Sunday midday so you can feel what they feel If you relate to any one then our job is donelsquoIs nature dependent on us for sustenance or the other way aroundrsquoT Venkanna Baroda creates art on canvasOn a richly rendered oiloncanvas BarodaandHyderabadbased artist T Venkanna illustrates the symbiotic relationship between nature and culture On the bottom right we see a man reaching out for a fruit from a tree The gender roles are reversed as the woman hoists the man on her shoulders On the top left of the canvas is the solitary woman who is sitting crosslegged She appears to be alone but is in fact having a conversation with her partner who is shrouded by oversized leaves that dominate the picturersquos plane ldquoThrough this work Irsquod like to ask the reader to examine our relationship with each other and with the environmentmdashwho is dependent on whom for sustenance and survivalrdquo he ponderslsquoWe are forced to engage in reality envisioned by social mediarsquoMansoor Mansoori New Delhi creates paintings and video artA practising visual artist who divides his time between Gandhinagar Gujarat and New Delhi Mansoor Mansoori has of late been working on issues related to technology ecology and emotional suffering His paintings lean towards the figurative style and focus on human vulnerability ldquoIn this age of mass communication we are forced to engage in a reality that is projected via social media propaganda films and fake news This can be a destructive tool to impose ideologies which can lead to misery I believe that we should also embrace the playful aspect of life which is beyond existential strugglesrdquo he saysPortrait with a Paper Plane oil on canvasIn this work in the foreground is a paper plane which is a strong motif from childhood and a metaphor for innocence ldquoThe partly visible face behind the paper plane looks isolated sad and rather lostmdashalmost unaware of the floating object in front of his eyes indicating that somewhere he is missing out on the joys of mere existencerdquolsquoOur past and present are layers stitched one atop anotherrsquoSathi Guin Baroda creates intricate geometric designsI always consider the concept of doing as my starting pointrdquo explains Barodabased artist Sathi Guin adding ldquobut the process of discovery along the way makes me constantly change my mindhellip slowly yet spontaneously to fit in Itrsquos simply the acknowledgement that our surroundings are complicated All our past and present memories and imagination of the future are compounds and layers stitched togethermdashone on top of the other By constantly forming lines andjoining the dots from movement to moment from implicit to explicit from the hidden to revealedmdashthese lines of silence and chaos become a symbol of resistance and repairrdquoUntitled by Sathi Guin watercolour on paperlsquoI am looking forward to the red hues of ChristmasrsquoBrinda Miller Mumbai creates mixed media on canvasFor Mumbaibased senior artist and chairperson of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival Brinda Miller the seasons always pose as inspiration ldquoIt is that time of the year when we are all in an upbeat and hopeful moodmdashnow even more so after two long years Through this joyful time it is the red hues of Christmas that I always look forward to and love mostrdquo she exclaimsAnother World by Brinda Miller mixed media on canvaslsquoI find calm in solitudersquoAnirban Mishra WB creates mixed media on canvasKnown for documenting his old neighbourhood symbolising his childhood and memories of warmth and familiarity juxtaposed against new structures Tamlukbased artist Anirban Mishra explains how empty streets at night offer him peace and inspiration ldquoThe lonely road with a single lamp post and a standalone newly built coffee shop against old structures builds a quaint atmosphere The blue sky seems black at night but makes me stay calm I find solitude theremdashit touches my soulrdquoUntitled by Anirban Mishra mixed media on paper