In last few months Dr Udayraj Gadnis, the spiritual painter, exhibited three series at the Cosmic Heart Gallery – Dew Drops of Wisdom, Womb of Time and Cosmic Sounds. Currently, the gallery shows a body of work that has a few pieces from all these series.
Gadnis’ USP has been depicting varied forms of deities in bright hues that he creates using precious and semi-precious stones. His tantric meditation has helped him earlier to take his work to the next level which enthralled the viewers. The Ganesha, the Shiva, the Hanuman… they exuded energy that attracted the viewer.
Dew Drops of Wisdom_ Ganesha |
His Sun series, Suryakal, that was exhibited at the Bihar Museum Biennale exhibition radiated a glow. It was not just the gold that he used, but it was the glow of his heart and soul.
However, the current body of work lack that quality. And one is surprised to see that.
“You are bang on!” Gadnis exclaims. “These works do lack the heart that my earlier works had. And I am not ashamed to admit that. But don’t you want to know the reason?”
Dew Drops of Wisdom_ Ganesha |
Of course I want to know the reason why an internationally acclaimed artist suddenly starts painting such below the mark work. “Because I worry about my parents who stay here in Mumbai, while I stay in UK and exhibit all over the world.”
Why worry about them impacts his work? “Because if I paint with my heart and soul, then I will, probably, draw attention and wrath of the radicalists. And then they might harm my parents when I am not around.”
Womb of Time |
Gadnis fears that in the current scenario, his tantra paintings might be misunderstood and he therefore resorts to paint safe stuff that one can digest, comprehend, appreciate and buy. “You say you miss the soul… but for the first time in my life, my Dew Drops of Wisdom exhibition was sold out within 90 minutes! What do you have to say about that?” Gadnis questions. “It’s just unbelievable- that’s what an art buyer / today’s audience want. They just want a great ‘body’ of work!” he exclaims. “To find my heart or soul one has to see the paintings I exhibit abroad — that’s Tantric Eroticism and profound orgasmic bliss on canvas. Come to England! Where I live and paint for the the last 15 years! I am a free lion there — back home I am a caged peacock.”
Does that mean that the art scene in India or Mumbai has changed so much that the art quality has depreciated in value and is less liberated? “Less? Where is the liberation? What has gone wrong with us – the liberal Indian? Why are we under such pressure to get things right all the time? What happened to our bold and honest expression of erotic art and culture. Why are we the liberated ones looking for golden cages?”
Saraswati – Vandana – Dew Drops of Wisdom_ Ganesha |
Gadnis is especially upset with quality of work and and the way this year’s Art Fair was. “You need a ‘Karan Johar’ to promote an art event? A fashion show that looks like a carnival parade? It’s a circus- I don’t know the .mals nor the acrobats- but I definitely know the clowns. They just stand out… There was no trace of ART academicians / scholars / critics / archivist / students/ teachers/ activists/philosophers at the fair. Such profound censorship- self imposed and state imposed! How can true tantric art and culture survive openly in such toxic environment?”
Having said that Gadnis concludes with a hope that with true Hinduism finding its way into lifestyle slowly but steadily, there are chances that we become the old India before the Victorian culture influenced us. “And we are free again to express ourselves as freely as we did during the days Kamasutra was written.”
