Geru

    Viewing Room    

This exhibition is an ode to us, Contemporary Indians, recognised world over for our global outlook but who continue to uphold our Indian tradition and culture. The essence of our culture permeates our lives through art, cultural practices, eclectic Indian food and fusion Indian clothing and countless other intangible ways. Some of our choices are purely and intrinsically Indian, while others are a beautiful blend of both. As a society, our interest in the past has been surging in India and there is a renewed sense of pride in all things intrinsically Indian.


My own interest in our heritage is very personal; I spent years on end appreciating classical art  in the hallowed halls of the National Museum, New Delhi as I pursued my Master’s in Art History there; there was a serious culture for art and all things Indian and ancient in my home and I even painted a page from the Chaurpanchashika as a Mewar style miniature for my own wedding card.


As author Namit Arora writes in his book, Indians - A Brief History of a Civilisation, ‘We live with this illusion that our physical and cultural worlds have a certain solidity and stability, that despite inevitable change, they will endure long after us, bearing our legacy and progeny’……even when we are aware of the many lost worlds that archaeologist have dug out’. 


Acknowledging the value of Indian heritage and the urgency to preserve it, Art Centrix Space launches a new vertical- Art Centrix Heritage.

This title of this inaugural show - गेरू / Geru , is a painterly nod to the natural hand mulled Indian red ochre pigment that has been used for centuries in India. You’ll find traces of the pigment ebbing throughout the collection of vintage as well as contemporary but traditional paintings on exhibit here. Utmost care has been taken to source the most exquisite paintings from the finest schools of painting which use only natural pigments and stone colours on the finest cottons. Browse through delightful and detailed Vaishnava tradition Odisha Patachitras, Kalighat paintings from Bengal with elaborate compositions depicting rural life, a stunning Mata Ni Pachedi from Gujarat, some of the finest Pichwais with Srinathji as the central deity, genuine old Tanjores from a private collection, adorned with vibrant hues, iconic composition, gold foils and intricate embellishments and have stayed untarnished for over 80 years, and secular miniatures from Rajasthan.


For us as a gallery, it is imperative to show only genuine works. Among the vintage paintings which are both authentic and rare, a particularly exquisite Jaina Pichwai exhibited for the first time ever, comes from a private collection. Traditionally called Shatrunjaya Patas they specifically map the pilgrimage centre of Palitana on the Shatrunjaya hills in Gujarat. The Rasa Leela is a 60 years old work again from a private collection and the massive Annakoota Pichwai is some 90 years old. 

Supporting contemporary Indian art for the past 12 years, I felt it was equally imperative to showcase the works of contemporary artists who consistently work to push the boundaries of Indian heritage towards finding an important place in mainstream contemporary Indian art. Venkat Raman Singh Shyam, an important artist from the traditional Gond painting genre and nephew of Jangad Shyam, is a well established artist from this genre of painting who has developed his own unique language.

Satyabrata Sahoo, an Odisha based contemporary Indian artist represented by us is entrenched in Indian heritage and his almost miniature terracotta installations and sculptures are extremely powerful in their fragility, creating a unique harmony between strength and delicacy.


The duo together represent India as a culture that continuously evolves and not merely changes: it sort of flows like many tributaries of our rivers, finding new paths then merging into the vast Indian seas and oceans.


  • Monica Jain

Miniature
Heritage Textiles
Natural Pigments on Old Handmade Paper | 12 x 16 inches | 2018
Village Life I
Heritage Textiles
Natural Pigments on Old Handmade Paper | 16.5 x 11.5 inches | 2019
Royal Procession
Heritage Textiles
Natural Pigments on Old Handmade Paper | 19 x 14 inches | 2019
Village Life II
Heritage Textiles
Natural Pigments on old Handmade Paper | 14 x 19 inches | 2019
Raasleela II
Heritage Textiles
Natural Pigments on Old Handmade Paper | 16 x 18 inches | 2018
Srinathji Swarupam II
Heritage Textiles
Natural Pigments including semi precious stone colour on cotton cloth | 16.5 x 12.5 inches | 2019
Miniature
Heritage Textiles
Natural Pigments on Old Handmade paper | 12 x 16 inches | 2018
Srinathji Swarupam I
Heritage Textiles
Natural Pigment colours including semi precious stone on cotton cloth | 21 x 15 inches | 2018
Sharad Pichwai
Heritage Textiles
Natural Pigment colours including semi precious stones on cotton cloth | 33.4 x 21.5 inches | 2017
Gond
Heritage Textiles
Acrylic on Handmade Canvas | 76.7 x 32.7 inches | c. mid 1980’s
The Rooster
Venkat Raman Singh Shyam
Heritage Textiles
Acrylic on Acid Free paper | 30 x 22 inches | 2006
Nandi
Venkat Raman Singh Shyam
Heritage Textiles
Acrylic on Acid Free paper | 30 x 22 inches | 2020
Pattachitra
Heritage Textiles
Natural pigments and semi precious stone colours on handloom silk | 58 x 40 inches | 2022
Geet Gobind
Heritage Textiles
Natural pigments and semiprecious stone colours on handloom silk | 73.5 x 37.5 inches | 2024
Kalighat
Heritage Textiles
Natural Pigment colours on cotton cloth | 29 x 36 inches | 1998-1999
Kalighat
Heritage Textiles
Natural Pigment colours on cotton cloth | 29 x 36 inches | 1998-1999
Kalighat
Heritage Textiles
Natural pigment colours on cotton cloth | 29 x 36 inches | 1998-1999
Untitled
Heritage Textiles
Semi-precious stones, gold foil, natural pigments & ground semi precious stone colours | 14 x 11 inches | c. 1930s
Vishnu & Garuda
Heritage Textiles
Semi-precious stones, gold foil, natural pigments & ground semi precious stone colours | 29 x 23 inches | c. 1930s
Group of Saints
Heritage Textiles
Semi-precious stones, gold foil, natural pigments & ground semi precious stone colours | 15 x 19 inches | c. 1930s
Saint
Heritage Textiles
Semi-precious stones, gold foil, natural pigments & ground semi precious stone colours | 9.4 x 7.6 inches | c. 1930s
Nataraja
Heritage Textiles
Semi-precious stones, gold foil, natural pigments & ground semi precious stone colours | 9 x 7 inches | c. 1930s
Kamdhenu
Heritage Textiles
Semi-precious stones, gold foil, natural pigments & ground semi precious stone colours | 9 x 7 inches | c. 1930s
Vishnu Anantasayin
Heritage Textiles
Semi-precious stones, gold foil, natural pigments & ground semi precious stone colours | 17 x 23 inches | c. 1930s
Hanuman
Heritage Textiles
Natural Pigments & ground semi precious stone colours on handloom silk | 67 x 45 Inches | 2021
Ganpati
Heritage Textiles
Natural pigments and semi-precious stone colours on handloom silk | 44 x 25 Inches | 2021
Rasleela- I
Heritage Textiles
Natural pigment & ground semi-precious stone colours on cotton cloth | 36 x 24 inches | 2022
Tree of Life
Acrylic on acid free paper | 30 x 22 Inches | 2019
Satguru
Heritage Textiles
Acrylic on canvas | 48 x 36 Inches | 2024
Away from the Rooted Nature
Satyabrata Sahoo
Heritage Textiles
Terracota | 42 inches dia | 2024