Celebrated artist CF John unveils his collection of elegant artworks in Bangalore. The exhibition is of a series of paintings that John has been working on for the last six years as part of his reflection on two mystic saints, St. Kabir and Francis of Assisi.
The easel format, together with the realistic foundation of the new paintings, may surprise initially against John’s past of cutting-edge work. The last installation project John worked on was in and around an open well that had gone dry and been abandoned; a well that had lost its meaning, its soul – water. This long-drawn project compelled John into searching and understanding the interconnectedness of everything that is, not something in abstraction but with direct engagement. This effort began with contemplating and experimenting in soil regeneration and engaging with issues affecting the community in which C. F. John lives and works. This “other” experiment is powerfully, if covertly, present in the series: in its subject matter and as well in its concern with inter-subjectivity.
“Every moment, form and happening demand real physical resolves and I understand it is in the core of these things we can find what we seek – the ‘song line’ that connects the immediate with everything before and after,” says John.
Where: Mahua Art Gallery, Bangalore
When: September 21 – October 12, 2016 from 11 AM to 7 PM
