A painting by Satyabhama Majhi and (above) the artist at work. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, July 27: Satyabhama Majhi belonged to the department of traditional art in college and has now emerged as one of the most promising young contemporary artists of the state.

Majhi, whose work is currently being exhibited at the “Within Reach II” exhibition at Nvya Gallery in Delhi, has exceptional finesse in technique or concept.

She uses fine strokes in acrylic to illustrate the modern Bhubaneswar through objects that represent the change in the city. “I paint a lady performing gymnastics in most of my works. This is to represents the life of urban people who have to face hardships and stress, similar to that of a gymnast in sports,” she said while talking about her painting titled Hunger, where a gymnast lands on a burger.

Majhi, who passed out of B.K. College of Arts, uses sharp outlines in her art to showcase the sharp boundaries in different sections of life in modern culture.

“When Tripad Kalra, the director of Nvya art gallery, encouraged me to go forward a modern concept. The first idea that came to my mind was my city, Bhubaneswar,” says Majhi. “I grew up in this city and have noticed how it has slowly evolved. People from various parts of the world come to visit Bhubaneswar. There are many good and bad aspects in the change that has taken place,” she said. From researching on tribal tattoos for traditional art to training her hand on contemporary art, the journey has been long and stressful journey for Satyabhama.

“As a student and researcher, I never went outside Bhubaneswar. Therefore, I never had a chance to interact with artists from other cities. But an artist must keep travelling to various places in order let the flow of ideas continue,” she said. Majhi added:“When I started practicing at the regional Lalit Kala Kendra painting studio, Veejayant Dash advised me to try my hand at various new ideas and themes. I followed his words and soon found my paintings in Delhi art galleries, she said. Only a handful of female artists from Bhubaneswar get the opportunity to display their work in galleries of other states. Majhi believes that times are slowly changing for women artists originating in Orissa. “Women artists used to restrict themselves to the state. Hence the talent was sealed and buried here. Now, we are approaching galleries in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Calcutta to show them our work. The response has been excellent,” she said.