Self-taught Indian artist offers helping hand for Covid-affected

New Delhi:  Moved by the plight of the most vulnerable among us, during Covid-19 times, Vikash Kalra, a self-taught artist, has come forward with a helping hand for the most-affected segments of society via his art practice. Through an online exhibition titled Rebuilding India Brick By Brick, the artist will donate art sale proceeds to the needy segments he has identified.

As an artist, Kalra’s work is marked by abstractions created with fervent strokes and vivid colour application. They are reflective of Christs sufferings, as also a sense of hope and rebirth, drawn from Biblical concepts such as the resurrection of Christ, the Last Supper and the unspoken dialogues reflected in the eyes of suffering humanity.

His forms of tortured bodies mutate into passionate strokes that convey an emotional side of the artist. His seemingly abstract plays of colour are thought provoking and deliver an understanding of humanity, using a link with the Biblical past as his modus operandi.

The works on this online show are divided into five categories, titled Jesus, Still Life, Landscape Figurative works and finally a study in heads. They also display influences from the art practices of Marc Chagall, F N Souza and Pablo Picasso, among others. What makes Kalra, who took to painting while manning a book store in Delhi, special in his art is instilling a sense of hope.

The collection will be displayed for viewers and buyers, at the online art platform of AllianceF Art which has joined hands with Habitat for Humanity, an organisation spearheading the WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) programme in India. The show is open for online viewing from till January 15 at www.alliancefart.com.