Upcoming Indian artist Guruvinayak Singh Budhwar is exhibiting 26 paintings as part of a virtual show by the Korean Cultural Centre India, titled “Belle du Jour” or ‘Beauty of the Day to deliver the message of hope and vitality in daily life even in the pandemic era. The exhibition is on view till August 21.

The exhibition invites viewers to recognize themselves in the artwork and fall in love with aspects of their existence. In these uncertain times, this exhibition would be an attempt to revive hope and convey positive human sentiments among the audiences, and perhaps, may even assist them in understanding their inner complexities.

“Before sitting down to paint, there is a certain thought which runs in my head , that is — Every thought, every emotion, every dream that one has can be captured, and I am grateful to be able to give them material weight through my skill. The technique I use in my artwork is surrealism which allows me to exaggerate the features of my subjects; in most of my paintings, I try to capture the dynamism of the subject with the aim of highlighting the incorporeal features like aggression, courage, life stories, by changing their proportions relative to their environment, or by having symbolics engraved within their existence such as celestial bodies, plants, birds and so on,” Budhwar said.

“I believe that everyone who has ever existed, human or otherwise, can find common ground when it comes to experiencing emotions and being alive, and I tend to represent both these aspects in my art. Urges which we frown upon, or the ones we appreciate, I have tried to present to the viewers of this exhibition,” says the artist.

The exhibition displays 26 artworks by the artist that are from two different eras — one from when he first dabbled into surrealism, and the other from what he calls the “Triunity” era, in which one major element is repeated three times in the painting.

One of his paintings, ‘Mira’ shows the spiritual journey of the modern woman who is often torn between responsibilities and muses, leaving her soul trapped in the tussle of these thoughts. The painting ‘Flower Pot’ shows the multiple ages of a person and corresponding creative ability. The first has a sea of thoughts, which got encapsulated in the dryer, middle age, and then to the dead old.

Hwang Il-yong, director of Korean Cultural Centre India, said, “Every year, we strive to realize cultural public diplomacy between the two countries by sharing art discourses between Korea and India and forming a network through collaboration with local artists by supporting the exhibitions of young talented Indian artists every year. Through this first non-face-to-face online exhibition, we plan to create a new platform that provides an opportunity to participate in our Cultural Centre exhibition outside of Delhi and across India.”

“Though, I do feel during the preparation of the exhibition whether it be online or offline, I ended up exploring myself in terms of artistic ability, creativity and visualization. I can certainly say that Belle du Jour was not only an opportunity that humbled me but also helped me extend beyond my previous horizons,” says the artist.

Catch this virtual exhibition on www.kcci-exhibition.com.