“Paresh Maity’s water series provides a gist of his life. Rising from the rural terracottas, greens and blues of Bengal, Paresh has journeyed through the neons of global glitz. No wonder water becomes the central force and metaphor of that incredible journey! His land, river and cityscapes resonate with the spirit, taste and noise of that water which pervades his current collection; here it connects the cities and lands across which the magic of his brushes traverse,” writes Rakhi Sarkar, Director & Curator, CIMA Gallery, while introducing Noise of Many Waters, the retrospective including water colour paintings, drawings, sketches and a film and sound installation about water by noted Contemporary Indian artist, Paresh Maity.
Mid December, two big exhibitions by this noted artist opened in Kolkata.
In the first exhibit, Noise of Many Waters, over 120 paintings, drawings, installation, video art spanning four decades of his artistic oeuvre are being showcased. This exhibition, on display at CIMA Gallery, Kolkata, highlights the watercolours which are his tour de force; from miniatures of student days to gigantic works from recent years.
“Paresh Maity lives and feels through his watercolours,” writes Sarkar. “It (this show) epitomises the melancholy and the impermanence, the fears and the intense transient nature of life itself. His works portray the agony and ecstasy of an artist’s eternal journey from reality to the imaginary; his never-ending quest to capture the final magical moment when sweeping water-laden strokes and colours coalesce to create a quintessential Paresh masterpiece,” she shares.
The second exhibition, titled Cast at Birla Academy of Art & Culture Lawns and presented by Gallery Art Exposure along with Birla Academy of Art & Culture, showcases a beautiful amalgamation of sculptures and installations by Maity.
This exhibition is a trip down his memory lane, one that takes audiences to his world of creations — some imagined and some through physical manifestations. All his works bear his unique stamp of artistry that draws in the viewers and visitors to the close yet open expanse of his imagination and rooted perceptions that both speaks and allows others to endeavor to meet him midway.
One can always find an element of spontaneity in his artworks. This spontaneity adds a unique essence to these series of sculptures and installations that is quintessentially his own opening a wondrous dialogue between the audience and himself. His rootedness and perceptions of life in all its largess opens up new paradigms of his creativity and leaves it open for new windows and interpretation for the viewing audience and art lovers alike.
Not to be missed, Noise of Many Waters is showing till December 11 and Cast is on display till December 18. Do check them out.
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