Detachment
Vivek R. Singh
‘Bloom’ is a collection of paintings by artist Roohi Kapoor, showing at the Lalit Kala Akademi
from the 28th of March to the 2nd April 2013. Recurring themes of fantasy and reality run throughout
the show and, as the title suggests, Roohi’s works represent positive reflections on nature, women
and life itself. Painted in a combination of abstract and realist styles, her use of colour is bold and
vibrant whilst the content is often soft and dreamy, creating an imagined world of magical realism.
Roohi Kapoor’s vibrant canvases have that quality that artists most yearn for, the ability to make
time stand still. At her most recent exhibition, the titles of Kapoor’s work received almost as much
attention as the art—The Dreamer, Purple Haze, Mr Here and Mrs Now—evocative titles that lend
a storyteller’s verve to the static canvas. Mostly, her art is an expression of her life, moods, feelings,
though the techniques to depict these change and evolve constantly. An admirer of European
experimental art and in recent times particularly influenced by the methodicalness of the sightsize
technique, Kapoor’s work—though still new¬—has been applauded by critics and curators for
its surreal blending of the abstractions of thought, with the minutely detailed human bodies that
experience them. Having attended a range of experimental courses in Europe, Roohi enjoys playing
with technique to evoke curiosity and response, and has held widely appreciated solo exhibitions in
recent years.