Artists decode the word 'Shantii' at this exhibition in Goa

Shantii - a group exhibition by artists Manjunaath Naik, Osborne Carvalho, Aditi Pande and Gail Gelburd - is centred around the various meanings, usages and interpretations of that very versatile word 'Shanti', ranging from humourous and serious, to light, reverent, and lots more. The exhibition is currently on at Carpe Diem in Majorda.

Osborne's series for the exhibition was inspired by the line - 'Where is Shanti?'. He explains, "Savouring a dessert by the beach-side is 'Shanti' for a Russian tourist. For a teenager, 'Shanti' is a porn star... for a group of students watching Miss Shanti is bliss. In my work, Shanti is ageless, joyful, sinful, kinky and fun."

Aditi talks about how, for her, "The series came at a time when I have been experiencing a gamut of emotions, owing to my newfound role as a mother. Though relationships are a beautiful experience, the artist's soul is often torn between its dual existences - that of her artistic self and the other as a social/family being. Weaving in and out of the worlds I inhabit - that of the artist, a mother, daughter, sister, and wife - the works create a fabric that is familiar to most of us with its demands and tribulations. The works are an attempt to raise questions like the premium placed by society on motherhood, and simultaneously bring forth the anxiety of an artist juggling the multiple demands on her time and senses.Though not overtly brooding in nature, the series also poignantly captures the loss of contemplative space integral to the artistic existence, in the drive to effortlessly essay the various other roles that life brings along."

She continues, "Just the way relationships unfold for us layer by layer, by playing various roles themselves at different junctures, these works also reveal a similar experience on closer viewing."

US artist Gail Gelburd's photography, on the other hand, tries to capture the literal meaing of the word - peace and calmness.

"Art can reveal the soul of a place, be it external or internal. My art seeks to capture the unique qualities of an object or place and yet the universality of its sentiment. Images are often clearly visible and yet hidden as they unveil the power and wrath of the sublime. As mere mortals we search for a space, a moment when we can find a sense of calm in a world that sometimes seems to have gone mad. Out of the debris, a single lotus can emerge, or a breath can bring us back to a place where we can find peace and calm."

Her series includes images of Buddhist figures from all over the world(Japan, India, US, Korea, Nepal, China, Tibet) "who rise above or break through the debris, or mist or veils of ignorance, for a single moment of meditation or contemplation... a chance to find peace in the turmoil."

Manjunaath, who lives and works in Goa, is inspired by human forms, curves and dimensions. For him, 'Shantii' appears in the form of an animal friend, aesthetic plant life, the family, and through the pleasures and comforts of the male and female forms.