The influences of his Chhattisgarhi origins, the sounds and chaos of Mumbai and an exploration of the subconscious fill the canvas in Amitesh Shrivastava’s latest solo at this Colaba gallery
Amitesh Shrivastava works on a canvas in his studio in Borivli East
For Amitesh Shrivastava, no number of years in Mumbai will rid him of the deep-rooted earthiness of his hometown of Khairagarh in Chhattisgarh. “I grew up there, sometimes taking cows out to graze with friends,” he shares. This, the artist notes, has covered his ideas with an earthiness that only he can recognise. It is this little burrow of his own mind into which he hopes to invite the visitors to his latest exhibition, The Rabbit Hole, this month.
The exhibition marks the fourth solo show for Shrivastava with the Project 88 Gallery in Colaba. Having opened on November 12, this latest series features 11 works that are an evolution of his ‘painterliness’, Shrivastava remarks. “Painterliness is not an action, or a style. It is a gesture that is born of the subconscious. I would say it is an expression that is the result of the many inputs and information that are constantly flooding your mind,” the artist explains.