Sep 22 2023 to Oct 22 2023 11 a.m.

EVENT HAS ENDED

Where

Urban Solace

32, Annaswamy Mudaliar Rd, Ulsoor 560042

Event Description

ARTISTS: Kailash Mani and Yasmine Claire

Art @ Urban Solace - The Gallery for Creative Visual Self Expression was opened in 2010 and has for over a decade launched the work of hundreds of artists; some of these artists have now grown to have showcased their work in galleries around the world while also finding collectors and owning their work across the country and from around the world. Art @ US presents an Exhibition cum Sale of two artists Kailash Mani and Yasmine Claire. Original paintings that reflect the imagery and inspiration of a free mind.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS: Kailash Mani and Yasmine Claire

Kailash Mani is a Bangalore-based English teacher by day and a visual artist by night. He depicts everyday subjects in unusual ways with the aim of inspiring mirth and contemplation.

Yasmine Claire has lived most of her life in Bangalore and is a teacher by profession. A beginner painter, she tries to create worlds she wishes to live in. She shares her home with cats, dogs and a husband.

ARTISTS NOTE:

Kailash Mani

Kailash Mani is a Bangalore-based English teacher by day and a visual artist by night. He depicts everyday subjects in unusual ways with the aim of inspiring mirth and contemplation.

“In the haunted house of life, art is the only stair that doesn't creak.” Tom Robbins, from the novel Skinny Legs and All

When considering the inspiration for my drawing, I find I cannot always provide a satisfactory answer. I am drawn to everyday subjects such as people, pets and vegetables, depicting them in unusual and extraordinary ways. I also have a keen interest in people’s relationships with others and with themselves, which I try to portray through my work.

One concept that particularly attracts me is that of anthropomorphism, in which human traits are applied to non-human objects (mostly animals, in my case). I am fascinated by the emotions some animals can convey through facial expressions and body language, and by the deep connections humans can form with other species. In my art, I try to explore the emotions we humans share with our various animal brethren. The exploration of life’s more tragic aspects is also important to many of the works in this collection. Death, addiction and isolation are some of the problems touched upon, though solutions are not presented, nor is any judgment proffered. Instead, I have tried to incorporate humor when possible, not in poking fun at serious issues but in trying to show some of the strange and ridiculous situations in which we find ourselves as humans.

Color is extremely important to my art. All the drawings in this collection were created after arriving in India, which is by far the most vibrant country I have visited. I find great inspiration in the colors I come across in my neighborhood; for example in how houses are painted and how women are dressed. I also appreciate the colors employed in various places of worship. In all these works, drawn with chalk pastel and charcoal, I have used vivid colors to try and make the subject matter more compelling and engaging to the viewer.

I hope you will not spend too much time considering the deeper meaning behind each work. Instead, I hope that these often strange situations will be viewed with interest and amusement and that the colors and shades in each scene are pleasing to the eye, while also stimulating imagination and reflection.

Yasmine Claire

"I cannot draw".

With that out of the way, I started working with acrylics during the lockdown, in between Zoom classes. I try to paint what I want to see; the kind of world I wish I lived in. A world where beauty and darkness mix with hope and peace. I paint freehand because I struggle with any other form. The experience is like a Jungian journey to the Unconscious. This exhibition is my attempt to come out from my safe hiding space and show you what I see.