Adaptive Realms

Jaipur Centre for Art presents its first exhibition dedicated to miniature painting, an art form that has long been a mainstay in Jaipur’s artistic heritage. Miniatures have endured the vicissitudes of time: even as the Mughal influence waned, and the centre of patronage shifted from Delhi to the plains and hills across the Indian landscape. Each transition left its imprint on the practice, including the one that evolved and flourished in the state of Jaipur.

One thinks of miniature and imagines a microcosm, a dense and saturated view of the world. In that sense, miniatures are an invitation to look closely at perceptions fully assessed. The artists exhibited, through their creative practice, have made a departure, partly or in full measure, from the tacit expectations of a miniature. This exhibition offers a close and intimate look at these departures and traces their arrival into the contemporary realm.

In Sumakshi Singh’s work, one finds the artist’s skill and technique employed to startling effect using thread and lace. Waswo X. Waswo’s works nearly redefine the landscapes that are a fixture in his works, bringing in motifs of lived experience. Aisha Khalid’s works demand pause and a careful assessment of the social and cultural contexts they portray. 

Presented by Blueprint12, artist Rajnish Chhanesh’s mythologically inspired miniatures bring a crisp perspective to the ideological landscape; Vivek VC’s dreamlike scenarios are an avalanche of details hidden and peeking, speaking of the conscious and unconscious, whereas Geet Jangid maintains the historical approach while rendering the sublime in the details. 

For the artists, the sources of inspiration continue to be eclectic: mythology, geography, fiction, and history. And the result is a pleasant medley of condensed perceptions: often rich, often mysterious, always edifying.

PRESENTED BY BLUEPRINT12 AT JAIPUR CENTRE FOR ART