Treasure Art Gallery presents The Mind’s Eye: a seminal exhibition of Prabhakar Kolte

For curatorial advisor Uma Nair this show is important because it will show art lovers and artists how important abstraction is as a journey of devotion and dedication. Treasure Art Gallery TAG is formally launching itself into the contemporary Indian art sector with a select retrospective exhibition of the veteran modernist Prabhakar Kolte from Mumbai.

Prabhakar Kolte solo show to unveil after 15 years in Delhi New Delhi, 24 September 2021: Prabhakar Kolte, an abstractionist who has spent his life in the journey of abstraction is all set to unveil a historic show in the capital city Delhi after 15 years. Kolte's last show was held in New Delhi, in 2006 with a catalogue essay by critic and curator Uma Nair. Now 15 years hence about 60 odd works with three installations will be showcased at a new gallery set up in Defence Colony called Treasure Art Gallery. Director Tina Chandroji of Treasure Art Gallery is extremely honoured and happy about setting up in Delhi and hopes to add to the city's clientele of art in the art market with contemporary Indian art. TAG opens with an exhibition of Prabhakar Kolte the premier abstractionist who has created abstract masterpieces in paper, on canvas in acrylics and oils for the past 50 years. Kolte is a vintage name in the world of abstraction and one of the greatest Professors of Sir J.J.School of Art Mumbai. "We would like to add to the city's character of art shows and hope to expand our reach with established artists as well as emerging contemporaries," says Chandroji a second-generation art collector. "We hope to serve the arts in many ways and are looking forward to establishing new connections in Delhi which has a thriving art market." The Kolte solo show has stellar works of art and they range over a period of time while most belong to the past 10 years. The curatorial advisor for the show is curator and critic Uma Nair who has written a series of essays for a seminal catalogue. With this exhibition, Delhi art lovers will view art in a large space built over two floors in Defence Colony. The show is slated to open on 9 October 2021. Amongst canvasses and works on paper and drawings are three intriguing installations that add to Kolte's repertoire of creativity. The show is expected to run for a few months so that many art lovers and students of art have the opportunity to discover this great master from Mumbai. For curatorial advisor Uma Nair this show is important because it will show art lovers and artists how important abstraction is as a journey of devotion and dedication. It will show art lovers and collectors the importance of colour and contour and composition when an artist of great merit creates. Nair hopes to take this show to a few other important cities to showcase the depth and journey of abstract master Kolte whom she considers one of the finest in the domain. "In an age where many artists think abstraction is just colour and a few strokes, this exhibition will unravel the truth that abstraction is born of inner journeys," says Nair.

"The world of abstraction is about transcending superficial whimsy and entering into the dynamics of design as well as deeper contemplative experiences," she adds. Treasure Art Gallery: Located in the heart of New Delhi at Defence Colony, Treasure Art Gallery (TAG) is born out of a vision to build an institution dedicated to modern and contemporary Indian art. Treasure Art Gallery (TAG) is formally launching itself into the contemporary Indian art sector with a select retrospective exhibition of the veteran modernist Prabhakar Kolte from Mumbai. TAG a gallery with a difference, is aimed primarily to offer a panoramic view of the arts they represent. We aim to encourage collaboration with institutions and artists by bringing in an active discourse around art and to create business partnerships. TAG also aims to support seminars, workshops, lectures, discussions, and talks that contextualise art within critical dialogue. We truly respect and value the modern masters and simultaneously encourage emerging, cutting-edge contemporary artists. Our objective is to provide a cohesive environment where younger artists are able to contextualise their work alongside the masters of Indian art and find avenues for their own journeys. Prabhakar Kolte: Prabhakar Kolte was born in 1946, in a village called Nerurpar of District Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. He received his Diploma from Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai in 1968. He also taught there between 1972 and 1974. The artist has a number of solo shows to his credit. He has participated in many important group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. He is the recipient of 'Druga Bhagwat Award' for his Book 'From Art to Art' - a compilation of various articles on art, in 2010. He has been writing about international and national artists for the Mauj publication (Marathi magazine). One of the pioneers of Indian Abstract Expressionism, Kolte has been successfully carrying forward his unique abstract language for over five decades with timely innovations, experiments and changes within the same, in order to make the paintings fresh and alive. His early works show a strong influence of Paul Klee, the Swiss artist and teacher whose childlike figures belie the sophistication of his richly textured surfaces. Kolte's abstract layering with paint echoes cityscapes where the signs and textures give a glimpse into his modernist consciousness. His early works are characterised by a single, dominant colour in the background, on which lighter and more complex geometric or organic forms are juxtaposed. The operative system that Kolte found out for his works was a sort of colour field but fundamentally different from that of the colour field abstractionists of his time like Marc Rothko, Robert Motherwell, Clyfford Still and so on. What he made was not even remotely similar to the paintings by KCS Paniker in the south or GR Santhosh or Biren De in the north. He was even different from his immediate predecessors like Raza, Gaitonde, Ram Kumar and Swaminathan. But the most interesting thing about Kolte is that throughout his career he has been having the spirit of this international abstract movement that later condensed into a life philosophy rather than being just a mere art style or lingua. Kolte was a conversion of life into terms of colour. It occupied everything pertaining to life; from music to harsh mundaneness. Using an aesthetic alchemy, he turned them into pictorial expressions that opened up wider and narrower slits allowing entry to the viewer and sealing it the next moment, a sort of visual trapping for aesthetical engagement. For more information, please visit our official website: www.treasureartgallery.com Curatorial Advisor: Uma Nair Opening: Saturday, 9th October 2021, Preview: 6.00 PM- 9.00 PM The exhibition will be on view until, 10th December 2021, 11.00 am-7.00 pm (Sunday Closed) Venue: Treasure Art Gallery, D-24, Defence Colony, New Delhi- 110024 Treasure Art Gallery Info@treasureartgallery.com +91 98199 90890 PWR PWR

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