An exploration of child psychology through art

Master artist Pablo Picasso once said, “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working”. And, for 49-year-old Indira Purkayastha Ghosh, a teacher, her daughter and students became the inspiration for her exhibition. The exhibition titled, No Child’s Play, is being organised in the Capital at three different art galleries and showcases sculptures in a wooden medium. Ghosh has been creating these wooden works or the last twenty years, reflecting her own experiences and incidents in each work.

Out of the many sculptures that will catch your eye at the exhibit, it is Ghosh’s ‘Lessons from my daughter’ that brings out a childlike innocence and pursuit of maturity all at once, something that is sure to teach you a thing or two too. The idea behind this, Ghosh says came from her daughter.

“My first inspiration was my daughter. My artwork, ‘lessons from my daughter’ illustrates how a child can teach you much more about life. My daughter taught me a very important life lesson and I wanted to carve that learning in a sculpture. The sculpture shows a child draped in a saree emphasizing maturity.” Ask her why the exhibition is titled ‘No Child’s Play’, and Ghosh explains that she wanted to emphasise that the artworks aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. “I realised it as a teacher that not all students of mine are capable of making an artwork. Even those who want to copy a certain art couldn’t. The artworks on display are carved after spending much time, energy, dedication on them.”

Talking about the exhibition, curator Rahul Bhattacharya says, “The exhibition’s title and subject really were impressive and I found it very interesting how the artist made these artworks which aren’t for children but depicted the innocence and child psychology flawlessly.”

A graduate from Banaras Hindu University, Indira lives in Chattisgarh and often puts up her solo exhibitions across the country. But, what makes this special is how each artwork is a reflection of child psychology. One of the artworks in the exhibition, titled ‘Muclay Express’ shows how youngsters absorb the mistakes done by grown-ups. You can catch the artworks on display at Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Center and Ark Konsult Gallery, Hauz Khas Village for a span of one month.

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First Published: Aug 04, 2019 15:36 IST