37 paintings exhibited in various media ‘The Quest for Blue Flower’
37 paintings exhibited in various media ‘The Quest for Blue Flower’
Babita Rajeev wants the audience to interpret her pictures. Even though the explanations are far from what he tried to convey, he still has no complaints. Babita says, “Once I finish a task, I have no right over it and it is no longer my idea.”
The Kochi-based artist’s exhibition, ‘The Quest for Blue Flowers’, is currently underway at Vayalopilly Sanskriti Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram. This is his fifth solo exhibition and 37 paintings have been displayed in various media. Work is done in acrylic, pen, pencil and charcoal.
A painting by Babita Rajiv. photo credit: s mahinsha
“We all have desires, some come true. But, most of us will also have unfulfilled desires, which we keep trying to achieve without knowing full well that they will never come true. Still, we aspire to it. Through these images, the path we choose or the efforts we make to reach there and the despair of not achieving them are expressed. Blue color symbolizes human desire, ”explains the artist.
A painting by Babita Rajeev | photo credit: s mahinsha
Babita further says that but for some of the paintings she has kept the theme gender neutral.
research for the topic
Like her previous exhibitions, Babita says she did some research before working on the topic. “I asked some of my friends and family members about their wishes. I said ‘I want to be the President of India!’ Heard such things. Then there’s this friend who falls in love with someone she can never be with. Another person told me that he wants to sleep peacefully for at least one day. I am the secret-keeper of my friends and family because they trust me. Some of those secret desires inspired some of these paintings,” she says. He has also put in some of his desires. “I won’t reveal it!” She laughs.
A painting by Babita Rajeev | photo credit: special arrangement
The frames also touch upon the mind, its complexities and weaknesses. For example, in untitled works in charcoal and acrylic, two intertwined forms resembling skeletons are shown taking out each other’s hearts in such a way that it breaks all romantic notions about love. . “I know it’s a wild take on that feeling. But that’s what happens in love, isn’t it? Once you start a relationship, that right comes in,” she explains.
Another work, A Set of Three in Acrylic, considers the universal phenomenon that ‘the grass is always greener on the other side’. She has depicted the zebra in these paintings, which she says is one of her favorite animals. “In my last exhibition, ‘613 Seeds’, zebras were a key component. This set is the first thing I did after that exhibition and the zebras came as a continuation of that event,” she says.
There are also three-set, six-set and eight-set paintings in the exhibition. “Story art, as it’s called, is a format I love to do. It’s extremely challenging because you have to ensure continuity.”
A painting by Babita Rajeev | photo credit: special arrangement
It has been a decade for Babita in the field of art. A “self-taught artist”, she has been associated with painting since childhood. “I always had that drive and determination to follow my passion, a quality that ingrained in me because I am a player. I also quit my job as a radiographer. I used to draw a lot but none of them expressed the idea directly. My husband took note of that aspect and took my work to an artist who, in turn, referred me to another artist.” Eventually, he exhibited his paintings for the first time at Eka The Art Gallery in Fort Kochi.
The painting exhibition organized by Kerala Lalitikala Akademi is till March 1. Timings: 10 am to 6.30 pm
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