Enter the 'Rabbit’s Hole' of artist Amitesh Shrivastava’s work at this exhibition in Mumbai

Amitesh Shrivastava works on a canvas in his studio in Borivli East

For Amitesh Shrivastava, no number of years in Mumbai will rid him of the deep-rooted earthiness of his hometown of Khairagarh in Chhattisgarh. "I grew up there, sometimes taking cows out to graze with friends," he shares. This, the artist notes, has covered his ideas with an earthiness that only he can recognise. It is this little burrow of his own mind into which he hopes to invite the visitors to his latest exhibition, The Rabbit Hole, this month.

The exhibition marks the fourth solo show for Shrivastava with the Project 88 Gallery in Colaba. Having opened on November 12, the artist also exhibited at the recently concluded Art Mumbai showcase. This latest series features 11 works that are an evolution of his ‘painterliness', Shrivastava remarks. "Painterliness is not an action, or a style. It is a gesture that is born of the subconscious. I would say it is an expression that is the result of the many inputs and information that are constantly flooding your mind," the artist explains.

Familiar Path, acrylic on canvas. Pics Courtesy/Amitesh Shrivastava, Project 88, Anil Rane

"I do not set out with a pre-established notion when I create," Shrivastava points out. We point out that his explanation sounds quite similar to the English poet John Keats' description of poetry as a ‘spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions,' and the alumni of the Baroda school of art is amused. "It is quite close," he admits, "and unavoidable in a city like Mumbai."

Having lived in the city for the past decade, its chaos, music and rhythms have become a part of his creative process. "You cannot have a solitary thought in Mumbai. You walk through the streets and there are sights, sounds, conversations and ideas constantly entering your consciousness. When I step into my studio, I often walk in with an idea that has been coloured with this additional information. For me, the process of creation is a process of digging into this burrow to discover the rabbit," he says. This is the ‘Rabbit's Hole' of his work; and like Lewis Carroll's adventurous Alice, one does not always find the expected. Quite like the English author, the artist too seeks to explore the dissonances of his own pastoral and global influences.

Twirling, acrylic on canvas, by Shrivastava

The work is also a step into the global awareness of Shrivastava's work. There is dexterity to the abstraction; an expression that feels at once international and familiar. "All of my work is informed by my love for the landscape. Like the women of my village who would cake the bottom of their cooking pots with cow dung to prevent it from getting burned, my works are steeped in my native vision and its colours," he admits. This can be most evident in the earthy colours of browns and reds that flow into his abstractions.

Yet the theme is not the subject, he emphasises. "My art is an internal conversation about the things I live, experience and interact with. What intrigues me is when a visitor finds it familiar as well. Drop in, and perhaps we could explore what it says to you," he concludes. Perhaps, we just might.

TILL December 31; 11 am to 7 pm (Tuesday to Saturday)
AT Project 88, Ground Floor, BMP Building, Colaba.

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