Art is a medium through which imagination transcends reality, explores the realm of the unknown, and unfolds the mysteries of the mundane. The much-awaited exhibition of artist Divyaman Singh ‘The Divine Elements Volume Two’ beautifully illustrates this phenomenon with its unique blend of mythology and cosmology.

The exhibition was curated by Shahzada Khurram and was displayed at the India Habitat Centre from July 2 to 8.

The exhibition’s theme explores the co-existence and contact of cosmic and earthly elements. The oil medium-based artworks revolve around the ancient concept of “Samāveśa” and present a unique blend of knowledge from ancient texts like Vishnu Purana and mysteries of the universe.

In an interview with The Statesman, Divyaman Singh shared his profound journey as an artist and his vision behind the current exhibition.

The artist said that he inherited his love for art from his mother who in turn was encouraged by her father. He shared that his maternal grandfather, Awadhesh Kumar Singh was one of the favorite artists of Jawaharlal Nehru and former president Rajendra Prasad.

Divyaman carried forward the family’s legacy and started painting at the young age of 6.

Asked about the reason for his inclination towards themes like nature, celestial bodies, and mythology for his paintings, he said, “I belong to Bihar. I am from a ‘zamindar’ family of the Chaungai region in the Buxar district of the state. I grew up seeing the landscapes and the serenity of nature, that is why I choose such topics.”

He also shared that he admires the work of renowned artists like Van Gough and Marc Chagall.

Asked about his take on the new culture of combining technology and art as seen in the popular trend of “immersive art” , Singh stated, “I am of a little old generation and love to explore the classic medium. I am not interested in combining art with technology because my connection with art is very retrospective. But yes, in today’s generation, the new artists are combining technology and art. So, anything that makes an artist happy, I am good about it.”

He also opened up about the new rise of merchandising of art in which paintings of famous artists like Van Gough are printed on products like bags, covers, and pouches.

He said that this represents the commercialization of art where everything boils down to monetary gains. However, an artist has no control over it like Van Gough never thought that his painting would be printed on a bag in the future but one cannot ignore that it also helps in publicity of the art which helps the artist in return.

Talking about his current exhibition, he said, “This particular exhibition is very academic in nature so I would like people to have a look at the research that we have done so that they can better relate to the artworks. Otherwise, anyone just walking in can also see that these works are not commercial in nature, rather are very serene in its essence and colors.”

He also shared that his current exhibition received great response from many industry maestros like Shooba Broota, G R Iranna , Yuriko Lochan and Rajeev Lochan.

Talking about his upcoming project, he said he will start preparations for the third volume of “The Divine Elements” which will be displayed next year.