An art exhibition inspired by Indian folklore

An art exhibition by artist Santosh Kumar Das was recently inaugurated at Ojas Art Gallery. The opening of the show titled ‘Rerouted Realities’ was hosted by Anubhav Nath, the director of Ojas Art. “This exhibition is very special for us because we have been working on Das’ solo show since 2016. It is a delight that the show is finally open,” said Nath.
The opening event was attended by guests like Sanjoy Roy, Alka Nath, Bhavana Kakkar and Ina Puri. The exhibition has on display 40 artworks, spanning two decades of the artist’s work. The highlight of the exhibition is a set of two scrolls from 1999 depicting the mythological tale of Hans and Bachcharaj. “Exotic yet contemporary his works are like pictorial story narrations. Das observes the stimulants in his environment, takes note of the ancestral stories, the folk tales and re-tells and re-groups these as contemporary Mithila paintings and that is what is most intriguing about his works,” said artist Kathryn Myers.
Devyani Sahai with Ina Puri
Talking about his artworks, Das said, “My passion for arts started from my childhood when I saw women in my family, especially my mother, draw murals to mark festivals and special occasions. My artworks take inspiration from folktales and stories told by my mother. This exhibition is a summary of my thoughts through the years, translated into artworks with Mithila-Madhubani style of painting. It is a celebration of traditional art and its place in the contemporary world of today.”
Kathryn Myers with Bhavna Kakkar
Sonjoy Roy with Anubhav Nath