Firmly rooted

Archana RD King's paintings deal with her love for trees

We often go to exhibitions to admire works of fine (sometimes not so fine) art, but it isn't often we get to know what went on in the artist's mind when he/she was putting thoughts to the canvas. So we see the paintings as they are, but fail to comprehend the story behind them.

But Branching Out, a solo exhibition by Archana RD King, promises to give you an insight into the artist's mind. Nature, or more specifically trees, is the focus of the 21 oils on canvases that are on display. There is a poem along with every canvas on display that will give the viewer a chance to know what was going on inside the artist's mind.

Food for thought
Sample this: "I told grandpa to not let them cut the neem tree/But he would listen to no one/I begged them to spare my green friend/But they would listen to no one/There she fell...came crashing down....". The poems, which have been sung by a friend, play in the background.

"I always update my Facebook status messages with poems. And every painting has a story behind it. So I thought I'll put them down with my works," says Archana. A Delhiite, for the artist, paintings are all about nostalgia. So her favourite, Neem Kaleidoscope, comes from a childhood memory, that of her grandfather getting a neem tree chopped.

"Having grown up in Delhi, neem and gulmohar are my favourite trees," she says. Archana feels she can relate to trees. "Trees are rooted, yet they are growing. So even if we are stuck somewhere, that should not stop us from growing," she says. The artist has used palette knife for her artworks. Archana believes in 'branching out' in real life too. So she has also opened an online gallery.

At: Convention Foyer, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road
On till: December 2
Timings: 11 am to 7 pm
Ring: 8826981665