A painting exhibition, Explorations, at the Lalit Kala Akademy in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, May 4: Blending the abstract with the real, paintings and various creations of artists from Vishakapatnam explore the essence of life and reflections of the mind.

The group exhibition ‘Explorations’, which is being held at the Rashtriya Lalit Kala Akademi, discovers new aspects of art.

Among the many striking works displayed at the gallery of the Akademi, one stands in awe to look at the stunning Arabic calligraphy by Najma Saleh.

Two different paintings of the artist bring out a colourful rendezvous of Arabic letters and abstract patterns where she has illustrated the beauty of the language.

Similarly, the bright shades combined with geometrical abstraction in K.V.S. Prasad’s series of paintings also hold the eye. The figurative paintings show an attractive damsel, who is seen as a snake charmer in one and a tanpura player in the other, both of which have layer of netted doodles in the background.

The sharp patterns in the acrylic painting provide a distinct feature to Prasad’s works. The paintings by Kamesh also present a number of abstract faces standing amongst blocks of cold colours, a merger of geometric abstraction and painterly automatism.

Folk art by G Vasu in metallic colours is fascinating for the mood it creates. Lending a dark ambience to the works, Vasu’s painting shows the activity of a herd of goats at night and in another one, a rural woman herder and the goats. Free hand drawings and paintings by Konduru Nageswar Rao on traditional women are interesting.

Artist Anwesh presents a number of semi-modern paintings, in each of which his signature style of a figure emerging out of a pattern of abstract images is dominant. He has used different shades, starting from ochre to deep shades of black and blue. In one of his most striking works, one finds Krishna stroking his pet cow with affection.

Working with mixed media, Padmaja has presented two distinct pieces of art. Two works with thread work by her captivated many visitors.

“Giving shape to vehicles, including auto-rickshaws and cars, coming out of the mouth of a lobster, all in handwork, is really impressive,” said a visitor Sonali Nayak.

“It is interesting to know what trends are on in the art scenario of Andhra Pradesh. Many of the works are immensely creative,” said Bhubaneswar-based artist P Bujinga Rao.

Curated by M Adinarayana, a professor of fine arts at the Andhra University, the exhibition was first previewed at Gulistaan – The Art Village in Vishakapatnam. Here, the exhibition, that has also the creations of Phani Shankar K, Manmadha Rao, Dileep M, Bobbadi Y, Radha K, Venkat J, is on until May 7.

“An interaction between the artists of different regions is very important for the growth of new concepts and techniques in art,” said Ramakrishna Vedala, secretary, Rashtriya Lalit Kala Akademi, Bhubaneswar.