Art Duo: Serenity By Amrish Malvankar and Pixelating Diorama by Shailesh Parwatkar

Art Duo: 2019, the exhibition showcases artwork by two artists: Serenity by Amrish Malvankar and Pixelating Diorama by Shailesh Parwatkar depicting a different aspect of the world around us and the search for universal harmony with it. The artists’ keen sense of design and eye for natural beauty, vibrant colors and arresting compositions made each of the collections unique. Each artist will display over 15 to 20 canvases. The art duo has exhibited together for the past two years. This is their third exhibition together. Serenity by Amrish Malvankar: A tempest of a world and the inner peace within is brought alive with soft delicate strokes creating an ethereal view that you can lose yourself in. The fragile world within tied in with a few strong strokes that depict the tenuous hold to the reality that is just waiting to be set free. Each painting will give you a sense of calm and tranquility that you want to hold on to.   Pixelating Diorama by Shailesh Parwatkar: A city tells you a story through its characters. And one of the constants of a city that see many a generation pass by is its overall architecture. The artist has created a story through a visual representation of the characters as they interact with this constant. A combination of transparent and opaque visuals with a play of light creating interesting compositions will focus your attention on the individual components of a much larger story in the life of a city. The harmony of colors creates an interesting composition that creates a flow in the overall story. You can view each painting individually and lose yourself in the intricate details or enjoy the collection as a whole. Amrish's father was a very good artist but he could never pursue it. He identified the artist in him, encouraged and tried to give him every opportunity to explore it. He bought him his first set of colors.  He picked up different kinds of art forms during his schooling years, thanks to good teachers who took an interest in him and encouraged him to explore and challenge myself. He won prizes in a lot of art competition during his school years but it was not until he settled in Bangalore that he got the opportunity to host his first exhibition. He initially started painting in his professional life as an architect to de-stress himself. His wife Tarunjeet, encouraged him to put up his first show in 2010. After the first exhibition, there was no looking back. Artist Amrish Malvankar When asked Shailesh Parwatkar about his inspiration for art. He simply told that he pause to appreciate. "I pause to appreciate where we are and the beauty around us, For me, my surroundings matter More than anything else. It is very interesting to listen to the story of the surroundings, the story of the forms, shapes, colors & the combined effect. It gives me relief through the open expression of strong emotions & allows me to stay in the present where I can crack a dialogue with those elements. So I pay attention, You may not get another chance to notice them. On a social front, my childhood was blessed with art lovers in my surroundings who nurture my skills & eventually I have accepted the painting as my stress relief & source of energy. Amrish thinks that It is a vibrant time for the art scene in India. The industry is open to exploring artwork by new artists and more and younger buyers are entering the market as they view art as an investment. Whereas Shailesh expressed his thoughts on the growing relationship between technology and art. "My journey as a hobbyist to a mature artist & to be a professional artist has just begun, It is too early to comment on such a vast topic. What I learned from the past & present is that the enormous variety in style, technique, media, and themes is a pointer to the richness of Indian art. Nowadays with the technology in hands, the gap between veteran artist & budding ones is getting narrow, both worlds are exchanging ideas to express themselves & broaden their horizons", Shailesh mentioned. Artist Shailesh Parwatkar When quizzed about the challenges, Amrish mentioned about the challenges so far. "Me being an architect was a mental barrier for art curators and galleries. They could not decide how to slot me. I did not see it as an issue as I incorporate my professional learnings into my canvases giving them more depth. Art comes from life and I painted the life that I knew with which I could be disassociated. That was a mindset I had to challenge and work upon every time. Over time, curators saw this as my strength too.  Once I started participating and hosting more art shows, I came to the realization that I cannot sail in two boats at the same time. The toughest decision that I had to make was to choose between architecture and art. As you can see I choose art. It was not an easy choice. I had to fight years of mental conditioning myself on how art might not be enough for you to etch a life out of. But am glad I listened to my heart and followed my passion". Shailesh is an architect and his profession allows him to sketch & sometimes paint to explain his designs. Being an architect & interior designer he has to be updated with the new trends in designing & changing mindset globally. Art is a subject which is an integral part of any space designing & painting being his passion, it supports him to complete his space designing with a pleasant & delightful experience. Serenity by Amrish Malvankar Talking on the time taken to complete a piece, both shared their own respective experiences. "For every collection, the time period required for each piece varies. It depends on the mindset, medium, detailing and concept for the collection.  For this particular collection titled ‘ Serenity’, it took me 7-8 months as the concept required me to go minimalist and each painting required a delicate balance of colors portraying the concept, Amrish expressed. Pixelating Diorama by Shailesh Parwatkar Shailesh mentioned that preparing for his collection is a very interesting activity which involves a lot of thinking  & sketching. Once he finalizes his concept then it is a search of right technic to express & justify the concept. The final result is the combination of various forms, shapes & color combinations. It is very difficult to measure time for each painting but to finish one collection with 15 paintings takes around 3 months. it is very important for him to understand what he feels at that moment, each painting reflects a lot of his emotions. It is very important for him to be in a good state of mind which helps him to get clarity in his thoughts and in his work. To know more about Indian artists,  follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Download our magazine Spunky Indian for exclusive stories.