Realty meets art at the venue

AHMEDABAD: Jitu Oghani, a faculty member at CN Seth College of Fine Arts and Prashant Sitapara, a city-based artist have one thing in common - a fascination towards rapid urbanization and industrial growth.
The GIHED property show in the city has successfully created a rare combination of art and infrastructure with 14 artists from different parts of the country assembling at the exhibition ground to participate in an art camp for all the days of the exhibition.They are not only exhibiting their paintings, but are also creating new ones at the venue itself.
While confluence of nature and urbanization is signature in Oghani's works, Prashant conceptually respond to the phenomenon of industrialization in his "Industrial lotus".
Debraj Goswami from Kolkata, who is now based in Vadodara, was creating an amphibian vehicle - a common autorickshaw, a satirical take on the uselessness of modern razzmatazz of vehicles before nature's onslaught like waterlogging. Jignesh Panchal captures the speed of urban development in the strength of his green horse, while Vipul Rathod's minimalistic silhouettes of the skyline keeps the spectators guessing.
Most of the artists in the show have dealt with aspects of city life, nature and urbanization. Kailash Desai's acrylic mountains and landscapes capture forms in splash of colours, whereas Kanu Patel's sepia-hued tales of papers in conversation with trees is steeped in nostalgia. Sanjay Barot's human anatomy and Vijay Shrimali's lions have flavours of nature, as has the seeds in Bhopal-based Hemant Rao's dry-pastel and acrylic canvasses. Raj More from Mumbai, an artist whose muse is the city of Mumbai, has captured the mood of Ahmedabad with a reflection of Teen Darwaza in a speeding youngster' helmet. Ronak Sopariwala's deep-hued textures give a feel of heritage buildings and their time-torn walls. Radhika Dave stands out in her miniature frames and textile artistry.
Says Apoorva Desai, an eminent artist participating in the show and the co-ordinator of the GIHED art event, "My vision was to create exposure for Amdabadis towards creative art, and the GIHED show definitely is a place for potential buyers and appreciator of art."