This exhibition is an eclectic and evocative mix of paintings by a group of six accomplished artists of the newly formed Delhi-based Visual Arts Group Anatman. The artists in the group have evolved, over long years of art practice, a distinctive style and visual idiom all their own. Their expressive and at times surrealist works offer viewers an insight into their imaginings as they continue their art journey of self-discovery through transcendent aesthetic exploration. There is poetry and drama, mysticism and mystery in the lyrical forms, conjured-up shapes, and colour dynamics that are at play in each of their compositions.

While Kunal Batra’s deconstructed and reimagined mountain landscapes in soft watercolour tonalities invites us to take a meditative journey to the high Himalayas, Vandana Bist uses negative white spaces to stunning effect in her visceral abstract landscapes rendered with gay abandon in her stunning watercolours. In Shabir Hussain Santosh’s expressive paintings abstracted figurative forms suspended in space conceal more than they reveal in an ambience of an unfathomable sentience. Suresh Kumar Achari uses multi-layered, indigenous forms and motifs referencing humans, nature, the animal world and mythology to create captivating autochthonous narratives. Sudhir Bhagat’s vibrant paintings embrace fluid, sharply delineated forms, mythical symbolism and a bold colour palette to create magical futurist worlds that express concern for a rapidly vanishing natural ecosystem. The interdependence of living beings and their vulnerability owing to global warming is the leitmotif of Trilochan Anand’s thought-provoking series “The Shared Breath”.

Ranging from timeless figuratives, fluidic biomorphic forms, and primeval symbols to individualized whimsical landscapes and mountain imageries, the exhibition transports viewers into the realm of a magical unknown, offering them an enthralling experience.

What is remarkable about this exhibition is that while each of the six artists have highly individualistic styles and use vastly different treatments, there is yet an uncanny connectivity to their works . Their shared  perceptions and values have brought them together under the umbrella of  Anatman . Even as they find ways to explore, the artists have a sincerity of intent with each of them having a story to tell or a message to convey.

Sudhir Bhagat is a Delhi-based artist with a BFA from the College of Art, Delhi. He paints refreshing, abstracted figures imbued with mythic symbolism and biodiversity themes. His works have made 50 appearances in auctions. Besides his art, he had a successful career in design and creative direction.

Using fluidic, sharply delineated forms, mythical symbolism and a bold and vibrant colour palette, Sudhir Bhagat creates magical futurist worlds. Manifested in his paintings are a deep concern for a rapidly vanishing natural ecosystem, where owing to climate change and urban expansion numerous plants and animal species are at the brink of extinction.His oil painting on canvas, Shrinking Spaces, is a reminder of the urgent need to protect planet earth. The central figure, wearing a beatific smile, sits daydreaming in an idyllic setting of ducks, flora and fauna, and a butterfly, and in one corner, fish, a rowing boat, palm trees. There is a magical quality about the work with its flowing forms painted with an atypical palette of magentas, blues, browns, and burnt orange. The work sends out a message of hope – a time will come when there is universal realization of the need to protect biodiversity and earth’s natural resources so that the planet an become a vibrant home for all living beings.