PRESS RELEASE*
Akhilesh
UNTITLED
Aicon Gallery, Palo Alto
September 7 – 30, 2007
Opening reception and artist interview, September 7, 6-9pm
Akhilesh belongs to a particular breed of artists who cleverly incorporate their provincial backgrounds in their art and imbue it with a fresh outlook. He has been influenced by tribal and folk traditions and has transported this aesthetic into the grid-like form. What results is a rich tapestry of colors and shapes. His background in textile design is clear. Line and color exist in dynamic and intricate patterns – a mosaic of sorts. The geometric equilibrium that pervades his paintings is guided by desire for regulated order. The shapes and tones may vary but they compliment each other. This achieved balance is almost lyrical in quality and has been described as eliciting the rasas of both tradition and modernity. His supposedly "untitled" series include carefully chosen adjectives – 'consciously', 'touchably', 'practically', etc – and so despite his attempt to broaden the interpretation of his works, an emotive direction is definitely present.
In a way, Akhilesh has not put forward anything new. All of the characteristic elements – the usual suspects – of his style are present. However they disclose a more mature understanding of this signature idiom. In this sense, he reveals the evolutionary tract underlying his work. And so while we can come to expect little surprises in this exhibition, these recent canvases as a whole present a new phase in Akhilesh's journey. The longer Akhilesh wanders, the more complete his goals become
Akhilesh was born in Indore. Despite his initial resolve against becoming an artist, he went on to earn a Diploma in Fine Arts. He later took up Textile Designing. His base is in Bhopal.
For more information and visuals, please email at:
paloalto@aicongallery.com or call at: 212 725 6092