16 January 2024/
ANUNADA
Between Spaces
Threshold Art Gallery, New Delhi presents ‘Anunada: Between Spaces’ that follows the trajectory of two eminent artists Rajendra Dhawan and Pandit Khairnar, converging in a symphony of profound expressionism at New Delhi from 16 January 2023 till 1 March 2024 (Monday – Saturday/ 11.00 AM to 7.00 PM)
“Anunada is a Sanskrit term that means consequent sound, aptly describes the exhibition presenting two artists separated by decades and yet their language of abstraction echoes a similar tone. Rajendra Dhawan (1936-2012) and Pandit Khairnar (Born in 1968) uphold a vocabulary of abstraction through the elements of earth, space and colour. Each artist intuits a method of a contemplative reverberation that also mirrors the other,” says Tunty Chauhan, Curator of the show.
“Rajendra Dhawan tends to apply first and then, like a magician peeling away layers, he abstracts his creations, reducing them to a deliberate minimalism that guides the viewer through suggestive landscapes devoid of visible distractions. Pandit Khairnar, embraces the viewer in the warm glow of colors, evoking an unintended contemplation. His work sparks a deep response, transporting the audience into a realm beyond mere retinal perception. Light emanates from his art, casting a spell that transcends the visual and delves into the realm of emotion,” he explains about the show.
Curator Tunty Chauhan says in detail, “This exhibition has been simmering in my mind for many years. Two artists who have a very distinct vocabulary, but their language resonates as both artists embrace you in a tonal embrace, evoking a response far removed from retinal perception. It is interesting to note that rather than just arriving at an artistic language, their philosophy of being finds an expression in their paintings. I would go a step further and say they walk through a landscape, devoid of any visible distractions.
“Dhawan’s canvases throb of gestural colour patches, strewn together by merging the edges that naturally forms another colour shade-tone. Primarily shades of brown, grey and ochre, it captures the brushing of air, wind over earth. Spontaneity is the key to apprehend the moment of the indiscernible touch between two contrasting elements of earth and air, solid and gaseous, opaque and transparent, visible and invisible. One cannot discern a land or a landscape with a horizon and perspective, but instead one can feel a subtle movement caused by the friction of the internal rotation of earth with the external current of wind. These contrasting elements are perceived through the scratchy and swift strokes, that echo at times a soft murmur or a loud thud,” Curator splendidly elaborates the abstract style of the renowned artist Rajendra Dhawan.
“On the other hand, Khairnar doesn’t like to be categorised as an abstractionist, he feels that they are a representation of the infinite. As part of the exhibition, his artworks are seamless orbits of colour tonalities. Once again reminiscent of earth tones, the translucent canvases refract a subtle effulgence. At moments of dawn or dusk, Khairnar tries to capture the effect of light on earth, at times as a shaded plane of colour or at times as a play of shadows swirling through earth dust. Unlike Dhawan’s spontaneous gestural strokes, Khairnar kneads the canvas into colour tones, as one surface of earth-light. Time plays the protagonist here that transmutes the pigment as light and the unheard resonance enriches the canvas with motion. No matter what scale or medium, the works engulf the viewer into a resonant cave that allows contemplation,” Curator Tunty Chauhan added.
THRESHOLD ART GALLERY
Threshold Art Gallery started in 1997 at Visakhapatnam and moved to Delhi in 2003. Threshold has been showcasing well-researched curated exhibitions of eminent and young artists. The Gallery collaborated with NGMA and other museums to curate exhibitions, published monographs, books and catalogues, held lectures and symposiums, organized workshops, artists retreats and also facilitates travel experiences for small groups of artists and academics.
VENUE: THRESHOLD ART GALLERY/ C-221 SARVODAYA ENCLAVE/ NEW DELHI- 110017
