The weather in Bombay (I still prefer calling it 'Bombay') was as searing as a frying pan this Sunday (Oct 27th, 2013), but somehow it only mattered for a small stretch of time as I settled myself around my paintings to display at Art Hop in Bandra in that late October morning. The excitement was building up inside me minute after minute. Technically it was the third time I was displaying my artwork to public. But, for me, it was first such display where people came only to take a look at artwork and nothing else. I wouldn't want to talk about the first two times now. You and I are going to have a long journey together, and that is when I'll slowly tell you the side-stories. For now, lets talk about what I felt at Art Hop.
It was only a day before the actual event that I realized how big a deal it was. People from various parts of the city hopped from one venue to another to witness and revel in the sea of artworks that consisted of paintings, photographs, installations, and what not. For an aspiring artist like me, this was an opportunity to know and understand the likes of people. I mean, imagine people coming from all over just to witness art, no other agenda. It sure sounds wonderful; and it was every bit wonderful as it sounds.
It was an overwhelming display of artworks at various venues spread out in Bandra. We couldn't visit all of those, but we managed to take a tour through two of the places. And, during those minutes we spent there, apart from the brilliant artworks that were displayed, what caught my interest were the people who had come. Plain, simple people. After a certain period, in fact I was more interested in observing them than the artworks. Oh, you're free to make your own assumptions about my credibility as an artist who'd observe people rather than the artwork. Still I feel you'd understand what I mean if you indulged in reading further.
I believe, we humans are very fascinating and we carry some sort of fire within us - a magical power that we don't realize more often exists at all. And studying a human figure and its action is quite like mesmerism. That is exactly what happens to me. I recently read a blog, 7 Strangers, written by a good friend. Her emphasis was on the fact that how often strangers have influenced our very life - "Every friend was once a stranger". I totally agree with her, for every time an art-enthusiast came to my paintings and spoke with me, that stranger no more felt like one. The flow of words was as easy as breathing. And, you could feel that this stranger carried similar fire within him too. I haven't had many chances to exhibit my art yet; but, now that I'm getting it, I get to converse with people who admire art and realize that they are immensely brilliant no matter how boring and dull they seem to be in the first go. All you've got to do is build a channel to connect, which is talk. So, it's not surprising how my attention got drawn to people around me despite the grand display of artworks.
My artwork didn't get sold in the Art Hop, but what I gained out of it is priceless conversations with equally amazing individuals. And, I thank us - we humans - for being the most fascinating creatures of this world.
~ RN
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