“I want people to be relaxed and enjoy my show. There is no life-changing message I am trying to convey with my work. It is about the joy of creating and sharing that happiness with others,” says Mohit Mahato.
The artist, who hails from Jamshedpur, is internet hosting his first solo present at Gallery Sumukha. Mohit’s sojourn into the world of artwork stemmed from an unlucky firecracker accident when he was in increased secondary faculty. His elder brother, who was working in Bengaluru on the time, urged his mom to encourage Mohit to start out drawing once more.
“He suggested I start with the basics of lines and curves using my right hand, telling us there was a college of fine arts in Bengaluru where I could study further — something that was unheard of at the time in my hometown,” says Mohit, an alumni of the College of Fine Arts at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath.
After commencement, he went on to work at Gallery Sumukha for seven years; a stint that ended earlier this yr. “When you work at an art gallery, you are constantly dreaming of hosting your own show someday, of how you would work within that space etc. That was a time of learning for me,” says the artist, who used to help on the gallery in a number of roles.
Mohit Mahato
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Special Arrangement
Two years in the past, founder-director of Gallery Sumukha, Premilla Baid, had advised Mohit he might host his present there if he might produce a considerable physique of labor; the result’s Bring Me Flowers.
Delicate traces which appear repetitive, however essential are an enormous a part of his drawing. While most are performed in balck and white, just a few sport a single color, making its impact on the canvas extra pronounced.
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In 2017, Mohit started Pagal Canvas — a publication home that printed artwork books and graphic novels, and collaborates with totally different multimedia practices, in partnership with his pal, Anand Shenoy, who was a comic book e book artist.
“The zine culture was picking up in Bengaluru and there was no platform to showcase contemporary work by budding artists. While I enjoyed creating colouring books and the small book format, Anand enjoyed telling stories through images. That is how Pagal Canvas began in 2017, with us giving our juniors and other artists a chance to showcase the work they had created in class.”
From Bring Me Flowers by Mohit Mahato
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Special Arrangement
Four years in the past, the duo started a print studio referred to as Pagal Canvas Backyard to assist print tradition. “I always wanted a space where artists, students and like-minded people could sit together, discuss ideas or watch something together, building a community in the process.”
They started with display screen printing comics and the circulation of booklets, transferring on to internet hosting residencies for fellow artists. Mohit says in between juggling these tasks and his day job on the gallery, he discovered himself collaborating in group exhibits and creating cyanotypes (a photographic print).
“Whenever I discussed my idea of a solo show, people simply assumed it would be a comic book or a cyanotype. It always took me a while to make them understand there was so much more to my art. I finally decided on drawings for my first show, works that would reveal something about my work and method.”
Mohit says his mentors had all the time advised him that drawings have been his sturdy level. “Once I got back home in the evenings, I would spend time on my sketches. The simple lines leading up to detailed images gave me a great measure of peace and relaxation. It was therapeutic,” says the artist, including that Nature has been an vital a part of his life and artwork.
From Bring Me Flowers by Mohit Mahato
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
“If a flower knew it would fall to the ground in a few days, would it refuse to bloom? Or would a seed resist sprouting because it would change shape? It doesn’t matter if I’m happy or sad, I believe Nature holds the answer,” he says, elaborating on how the pure world stays steadfast on its course it doesn’t matter what.
“I wanted my work to be like that too, much like a journal of my life. I wanted to share my passion with people and show them what I enjoy doing.”
Despite this philosophical bent, Mohit says his work is for pleasure and nothing extra.
On show on the gallery are seed pods, flowers and twigs that Mohit has collected through the years throughout his walks; some unusually formed, others of their common avatar. “They inspire me to paint. I know I cannot recreate an exact replica, but they motivate me to create something.” Mohit says he as soon as got here throughout a seed pod that regarded just like the golden snitch from quidditch of Harry Potter or one other one which resembled the “Earth’s ear pod”.
Well, with Nature as his information, Mohit has created a e book on flora and certain it with ceramic tiles that had flowers pressed on to the floor, in addition to embedding pages in a mahogany seed pod. Small notes accompany his works that are executed on rice paper for “that raw, authentic” really feel. His assortment of natural specimens can also be on show at Bring Me Flowers.
Bring Me Flowers by Mohit Mahato is on at Gallery Sumukha until May 17. Entry free.
Published – May 14, 2025 01:07 pm IST
