A new captivating exhibition opened recently by Arushi Art Gallery at the prestigious Kalamkar Gallery in Bikaner House where the works by Roy Thomas have been displayed which allows folks to delve into the world of limitless wonders and boundless imagination of Roy’s mesmerizing paintings which take you to an unfathomable depths and unveiling unending vistas. He took some of the famous sculptures like the Thinker and Michelangelo’s ‘La Pieta’ and submerged them into the deep water giving birth to a completely new vision of creating such a realm that is adorned with enchanting nature’s truth.
Powerful elements like morality, anger reverberation, and environmental issues have been critically evaluated which were Roy’s enduring journey that developed over the years demonstrating a remarkable spectrum of unyielding authenticity.
The paintings reflect the human negligence and haunting realities of nature. He aims to make us ponder about the preservation and protection process that will render them into the ecological balance. Roy challenges the established norms and creates a collection of works that embodies alternative genres that push the boundaries of creative evolution. Every painting of his invites one to consider the vanishing values of our era. The diverse themes interwoven in every masterpiece transform the aesthetics of each painting. He also awakens our consciousness to look at the loss of some of the historical wonders. Moreover, the act of ‘observing’ and ‘questioning’ the truth ignites and unveils a new dimension, capturing the subtleties of ordinary existence.
Roy’s works talk about the ecological system of the world and bring out the major artworks and heritage from the ancient world to the contemporary one in such a way that it inspires you to ponder the future of our world. We continue to ignore the environment and indulge in material pleasure in a way that our unwavering lust for occupying things contributes to the harm of nature which has been displayed in a way that everything is underwater and requires human attention before they vanish.
The delicate idea of the artist brings life to those figures which vary from the dancing girl of Harrapan civilization to the Statue of Liberty. The focus is underlying on exploring the ways of comprehending the nature of reality along with the preservation of such important structures and figures that hold powerful imagery in the social strata. It’s important to understand his works in a way that offers a wide range of history which is losing importance day by day; his work aims to create thought in the viewers to critically scrutinize the value of preserving ecology for upcoming generations.
When asked about the inspiration and process, Roy explained, “In my last exhibition my focus was on Raja Ravi Varma’s and his contemporaries’ works. Here, I am considering sculptures. It’s a conscious effort to paint sculptures from the masters, from ancient history to contemporary works from Harappan civilization to Subodh Gupta, etc. So, most of them are submerged in water for one reason: that one-day climate change will lead to extreme global warming. It’s an artistic version of mine to see all the works underwater. I started with the abandoned things, I was looking for the sculptures that have been abandoned for so long from there I started my journey to this. That was the process of my thought process, and then I shifted to this.”
The gallerist Payal Kapoor shared her views on the works, saying: “He works on subjects that are happening in current conditions. His work is based on how ecology and the climate of the world are changing, and it’s almost like we’re seeing images where our paintings or sculptures got submerged in today’s world due to climate change. Most of his works are concerned about this change only where you can see some growth happening over time. Roy addresses very serious issues where older values of our culture and tradition have been obliterated, and the growth that has been covered in today’s society has been forgotten Sometimes you’ll see an animal in the middle of a cathedral.
It’s about the disappearance of tiger and old vintage spaces which we’re forgetting and getting into the modern or contemporary world. In this work, you can see Roy’s interaction with Manet’s works and Rembrandt’s work. His works focus on the changing times and how things get lost in time we need to search again to preserve all the heritage. His work has so many connotations and layers, being there in the present but yet delving into the past.”
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