At KYNKYNY Art Gallery’s latest exhibition, The Revisiting, Kolkata-based artist Avijit Dutta’s captivating and emotive tempera paintings delve into the murky realms of memory, imagination and time, inviting viewers to encounter fragments of bygone eras filled with the essence of personal histories, cultures and everyday life.
The exhibition, which began on June 22 and 23 at physicist Sir C.V. Raman’s historic bungalow in Malleswaram, has now been moved to KYNKYNY, where it will go on till July 19. The scientist’s abode, which is steeped in history, adds a layer of depth to Avijit’s work, which is partly inspired by his visit to the place last September.
The Revisiting of Avijit Dutta | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“Walking on the land where Sir C.V. Raman spent so much time felt like a real privilege,” he says over the phone from Kolkata. “The trees and foliage all around cast a kind of peaceful magic. I imagined conversations, voices, the cooing of pigeons, and flowers and exotic butterflies adding colour and richness. It was a surreal moment that sparked many ideas, most of which I took back to Kolkata. Over time, these ideas took shape in the form of my works.”
Avijit’s journey as an artist spans nearly 25 years, marked by constant evolution and intense self-exploration. He says, “Art has been a constant journey of change and evolution, marked by new insights, understandings and implementations.” This constant transformation is evident in his latest collection, where he reinterprets the past not as static or frozen but as a dynamic, shape-shifting narrative reconstructed through emotion, metaphor and imagination.
Key to her creative process is the influence of her mother, whose memory fuels her artistic inspiration. “My mother has been a central figure in my life journey and has deeply influenced my work as an artist. I lost her at a very young age, and I have constantly tried to recall the fleeting, fragile moments I spent with her. Her tastes, style and mannerisms are fresh in my mind.”
Avijit’s art is also inextricably linked to the soul of Kolkata, a city he calls “a bastion of creativity, grandeur, culture and slow, poignant decay.” Kolkata’s history and unique character are woven into his paintings, evoking a sense of nostalgia and mystery, much like flipping through a forgotten photo album.
“The concept of ‘The Revisiting’ is about taking art out of its traditional confines and placing it in a new space, giving it a new form, light and freedom,” says Avijit. This approach allows his work to touch viewers in new and transformative ways as they encounter imagined spaces, vanishing time and emotional encounters that go beyond the ordinary.
Nature, which is a recurring motif in his works, is not just a backdrop but a central character in his stories. Dogs, antelopes, birds, butterflies and horses inhabit his crumbling palaces and regal settings, symbolising the passage of time and the complex interrelationship of human experience. His works, rich in imagination and layered with an aged patina, reflect the multifaceted quality of the mind, blurring the boundaries between past and present, reality and fantasy.
“Art often begins abstractly and, for many, transforms into something more figurative and form-like. In any artistic journey, memory is a vital currency that fuels imagination and creation,” he says. “We live in the present but bring the past alive through memory, art, poetry, music and writing.”
For Avijit, the process of creation is as important as the final work. “The last few months have been very hectic in putting this collection together. I have tried to make it diverse and interesting, and I hope my efforts will be appreciated.”
Abhijeet says expression is the most important aspect of art. “Art must have a soul; otherwise, it will be just like any other object.”
The Revisiting can be seen at KYNKYNY Art Gallery until July 19,
