Art Review :: Volume 21

(Art Review :: Volume 21 Treasures of Old Pune)

Treasures of Old Pune

An exhibition by Anisha Kotibhaskar and Pratik Patki

(4th November 2017)

Anisha Kotibhaskar

As our cities expand, we see less of what used to be. Walking in the peth areas of Pune inspired me to capture the places that flourished centuries ago. The wadas and other structures have intriguing architecture, and time has transformed it in many different ways, which can be seen in the forms, textures and colours. To depict this, I have used handmade paper as the medium. Vibrant inks and acrylics further aided the depiction of the coloured surfaces.

Anisha has spent her childhood in several places across northern India, seeing the chaos around, yet living in spaces with pristine silence. She loves to bring this contrast to her artwork, be it in the form of colours, textures or forms. She started with oils, then moved to Acrylics, and is now experimenting with other mediums. She shuns finer details, and likes to bring forth the bigger picture, something that’s more rustic. Her art slants towards representation or suggestive style, rather than replication of an idea from reality to canvas. That’s why palette knife is one of her favourite tools.
In January 2016, she won an award at the Hyderabad Art Society, 2016, for her painting titled ‘The Market’. She set up an experimental art stall in Seasons Mall, Pune, in 2016. She often conducts knife painting workshops. In Oct 2015, she exhibited her paintings in a group exhibition at the Hyderabad State Art Gallery.

Anisha’s Art

Pratik Patki

Walking through the old city, you come across these old buildings sandwiched between the newage apartments. An old wooden door beckons you to enter, maybe at your own risk. Take one step inside and you are transported into a world full of life and its contrasts. Brightly painted exteriors, yet dimly lit rooms, partially ruined building yet livelier than any of the ones around it, multiple families living in the same space yet hardly any differences… These beautiful structures along with their families have stood the test of time, but who knows how long before the next treasure trove is demolished for another apartment to take its place. This exhibition is an effort to tell their story to those who have never heard or seen it.

Pratik is an Engineer / MBA turned photographer. For him each photograph is a medium to share his unique experience with the rest of the world. Every frame of his is a story of the special bond between him and his subject. Pratik has experimented with different genres of photography and continues to do so, but it is travel and street photography that is closest to his heart. He loves to take the viewer on a journey of the moment that created a photograph, evoking similar emotions through a combination of the picture and his associated writeups.

Pratik captured the beauty of Karwar, Kolhapur and Mumbai for the culinary journey of Smita Deo for the book “Karwar to Kolhapur via Mumbai” published in April 2016. He pens down some of his elaborate travelogues at www.pratikpatki.com