Artists for whom Ahmedabad is a Muse : Part Two

In our second edition of the Artists of Ahmedabad series, we introduce five artists who endeavour to visualise the city of Ahmedabad through the hues and colours of their diverse palette. The common thread that binds them is their fascination for the city they dwell in, now India’s first World Heritage City, and that is the reason that prompted this series. The list is not exhaustive, by any means; the focus of the series is on young artists of Ahmedabad who find a muse in Ahmedabad. And it is so encouraging to discover the deep empathy for the city that these young artists harbour.

It is surprising and impressive to see how Ahmedabad’s leading fine art institution Sheth CN College of Fine Arts has mentored most of these artists all along their learning times to become few of Ahmedabad’s most established painters currently.

Samvedana Vaishya

The walled city of Ahmedabad has invested a lot in Vaishya’s upbringing. According to her, the love towards her city does not pour forth only during the actual act of holding the brush over the canvas, but also reflects in the pre-planning and ground work to her art whereby, in knowing the subject of the artwork, the artist is brought into intimate contact with the geography of the place. Vaishya has dedicated more than 15 artworks on the theme of Ahmedabad. Her alma mater is Sheth CN College of Fine Arts, and senior artists like Amit Ambalal have helped to nurture her aesthetics at a professional level. For her, art is a journey of self-realisation, and Ahmedabad is her guiding Guru.

Jigna Gaudana

An artist, economist and researcher, Jigna used to draw as a hobbyist until she joined Sheth CN College of Fine Arts and later pursued further education in Art History from MS University, Vadodara. She realised that art is an unbridled part of her heart that can not be tamed without the act of narrating it on to paper through colours. For her, the act of drawing is like writing a personal diary. Everything she witnesses and experiences automatically becomes a subject or element within her artworks. Jigna is in a constant process of finding herself within every creation and, through more than ten artworks on the theme of Ahmedabad, she reflects upon her most inner thoughts and ideas about the city’s heritage through keeping herself within the canvas.

Vipul Prajapati

Prajapati is the kind of artist who would have already completed his painting by the time the person beside him decides on his subject. He is an instinctive artist. Derived from his obsession with the city’s old cotton mill towers and ship dockyard materials, Prajapati has created marvellous experimental wonders using industrial elements within his artworks. His visual narrations about the old and new phases of the city are perceptively prepared, and the random mediums used within his magnum opus come together in surprising ensembles, even to his own mind, when he views them in their entirety. Prajapati’s creativity was enhanced at Sheth CN College of Fine Arts. He has gifted more than seven artworks to Ahmedabad so far.

Purvi Parmar

Culture resides not only within the remnants of relics, but also within people, who are partakers in carrying it onwards to the next generation. Parmar’s series of 10 artworks notably showcase the milieu of an authentic Amdavadi. Her portrayal of the Sidi Saiyyed Ni Jali in a cup of tea reflects both the heritage and the kitli culture of Ahmedabad; while her artwork showcasing a mirror shop at Sunday Market (Gujri Bazaar) not only narrates the six centuries old legacy of Ahmedabad, but also the contribution of low-income group citizens in making the city a living heritage. Parmar, who has been associated with Samara Art Gallery since the past four years, learnt the skills of Fine Arts from Sheth CN College of Fine Arts and the techniques of print making from MS University, Vadodara.

Nilesh Suthar

As one of the most senior prodigy artists, Suthar has dedicated more than seven paintings formally, and innumerable artworks informally, on the theme of Ahmedabad city. He relishes playing with imagination through the medium of unique colours and chooses to reflect multiple timelines of Ahmedabad through minimalistic outlines. Like the others, Suthar is also an alumnus of Sheth CN College of Fine Arts and has been a part of numerous group as well as solo art exhibitions, for which he has been awarded the 35^th, 39th and 45th Gujarat State Lalit Kala Academy Awards.

Hope you enjoyed knowing about the artists who have found a muse in the heritage city of Ahmedabad. And we wish more and more art is created with Ahmedabad as its inspiration.

Read the first part here