Portraits from Within: An artist's journey to self-realisation

Moss, paintings, plastic straws and pearls have been bought together to portray a glimpse of self-realisation and a journey close to nature by Indo-French artist Mario D’Souza who has been on an artistic exploration in the capital city for the past three months.

“Portraits from Within”, is a collection of works which the he sketched during his three month residency at the Windmill Studio here.

The sketches and the colors stacked on the walls of Alliance Franciase de Delhi, where the exhibition is on display reflects D’Souza’s connectivity to daily life and experience in the field of art where he has tried to transform both the function and the purpose in his artistic execution.

“My research was to understand the purpose of ‘Baramasa’ - the seasons which keep changing. So these seasons gave me the colour and these colours came in myriad forms of flora and fauna which I have sketched in detail,” says D’Souza.

The artist has learnt sculptures at Chitrkala Parishath in Bengaluru and studied various forms of art including installations in Paris where he went on a scholarship from the Institute Franciase.

His works are close to nature and reflect a transition between sensation, transformation, hybridisation and emotion.

Born in Bengaluru and having lived in France for a decade Mario D’Souza has fused cultures and experiences in his works.

“This is my personal body of work where the thought, sensitivity, intuition, sensuality and even eroticism blends in to pleasure into a sort of hymn to life,” says D’Souza.

The artist’s references to Indian miniatures and colours not only connects him culturally to his upbringing in Southern India but also has a space on the walls here too.

D’Souza has come up with a collection of prints from Mughal era inspired by “Baramasa - the seasons” a series of poetry based in Rajasthan.

“Whatever I have put here represents life and movement, the straws have been put up in a geometry to create objects whereas my paintings are inspired by flora and fauna which I have seen being in Delhi since past three months,” D’Souza says.

D’Souza says although there is a cultural difference in expressions but art altogether in myriad forms itself is a global idea.

“The difference in expressing art whether in India or in Paris is just cultural but still the art in any form is a global idea so having it in a miniature in my work is to show the art and the origin. I don’t think there is a specific distinction to be drawn with art anywhere in the world,” says the artist.

The art exhibition is on display at Alliance Francaise de till February 6.