Artists from Bhopal are camping at Akar Prakar where an exhibition of their works curated by Akhilesh is on. Some of the artists who gave contemporary Indian art an identity of its own have lived and worked there, and Bharat Bhavan still produces young artists who make it big. This exhibition is titled Amurta, which roughly translates to formless. So these are all non-figurative works.

Here there is one large work by J. Swaminathan — a green lightning of a bird flying over greenery (picture right) — and smaller but charming watercolours. There are besides a vintage Husain, a pointillist NS Bendre and a Raza.

The works of the younger artists give some indication of current developments. Smriti Dixit contrasts shiny black and white material and threads using textile the same way that one does pigment, creating a work of complexity. Hukumlal Verma’s strokes of black and pink are waves that inundate the canvas. Tartan checks may seem to be the inspiration behind Ritu Gurjar’s canvases but a closer look reveals their complexity. Most interesting are Mahindra Soni’s weightless, miniature veggies.