Shillong, March 8: Now Shillongites can take a trip down the art lane, tippling their favourite drink at the same time. The ?happening? Centre Point Hotel?s Cloud Nine lounge bar today has more than one reason to attract the connoisseurs of art.
An art gallery, inaugurated on Saturday on the Cloud Nine premises, promises a little for now and a lot more in the days to come. Budding painters Rachel Wall, Reginald Rani and Tania Das got a much-needed break when their murals drew art connoisseurs by the dozen on the inaugural night of the studio. The gallery aims to promote young and upcoming talents by showcasing their works.
?The amazing potential of the new generation of artists prompted us to give them a platform and help sell their works,? Larsing M., managing director of Centre Point Hotel, said. He promised that a new exhibition would be held every month at the gallery.
The opening of the gallery saw 27 canvases on display, of which 14 paintings of Reginald Rani won accolades for their melancholic overtones. A self-taught artist, Reginald has already exhibited his works at the Lalit Kala Akademi in New Delhi and Raj Bhavan in Kohima during the Spring Festival of Arts and Crafts.
The winner of the 2001 state award, Rani enjoys working in acrylics apart from oil, watercolours and charcoal. ?Most of my canvases have a strong autobiographical element and carry with them a sense of despondency,? he said.
Rescue Me, Seclusion and Agony are some of the better works of art by the budding painter, who is, in his own words, more into abstract art though the ongoing exhibition showcases his realistic canvasses.
Realism is also a key element in Rachel Wall?s paintings of which one is a self portrait called Skin Deep. A resident of Australia, Wall studied in the Meadow Bank School of Arts in Sydney before exhibiting her works in fund-raising events for the church.
She made four canvases at a week?s notice and is glad of ?the effect it has had on Shillongites?. Currently on holiday, Wall paints pictures, which are ?an expression of the thoughts and feelings of the time?. She generally works in mixed media and has a ?keen interest to know more about the art scene in India?.
Tanya Das, though not formally trained in the field of art, has ?passion for the stream evolved from my interest in reading?. She has participated in exhibitions in Nagaland and Assam.
Her works in oil reflect mixed influences of expressionist and abstract forms. A self-confessed optimist, Tanya revels in the use of vibrant colours to lend broad brushstrokes to her creations.
?But then, I also use colours to convey moods which could at times be somewhat desolate,? she explains. Her art brings to life the paradoxes of human emotions, as one of her canvasses is aptly called Contradiction. The mass communication student paints pictures that look precise on the surface, but open up a wide gamut of perspectives on closer inspection.