Stories in a Frame

‘Stories are like pebbles in a sling that can make us cross the barriers of time. They bring us memories from the past and can take us to magical lands that don’t exist. We experience stories with feelings that are sometimes real and often imagined.’ says Shobitha Hariharan.

In this series, she draws inspiration from mythology, history and fiction that provide a frame to our life in the present. ‘We are the carriers of history and literature, the windows that will showcase our times to the future. The sparrows in the paintings are you, the viewer and me, as we watch the times pass by. Like sparrows, our presence here is fleeting. Let’s treasure and cherish that which is timeless…’ she says.

Her paintings were showcased in an exhibition titled ‘Stories in a Frame’, held at Jehangir Art Gallery Mumbai from January 3rd to 9th 2022. Gallery#4 which has a large window overlooking the museum gardens garden worked as a perfect setting for an exhibition that celebrates the simple things in life.

The essentially ‘Still Life’ paintings in Watercolours, oils and acrylics, were sprinkled with pinches of sentimentality, and fun. The elements in the paintings connected and drew attention to each other with each frame holding a complete story in itself.

Nostalgic conversations are almost always filled with smiles and laughter. Memories evoke a wistfulness that is infectious. Many viewers at the exhibition cheerfully engaged with the artist by recalling fun events from their own unique stories.

Jehangir Art Gallery has over the decades built it’s own regular and eclectic audience of art lovers. This makes the comments in the guest book notable. Viewers reveal that they had become conscious of their happy state of mind the entire time they spent at the exhibit! Many have called it an enjoyable and unforgettable experience!

Shobitha quit a successful corporate career to pursue her childhood passion in painting. She has exhibited her paintings in India and abroad and received good response and media coverage.

As a writer she writes short stories, columns and book reviews.

You can see some of her artworks and writings on her website: https://www.shobitha.in/

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This post event press note was published in Colour Canvas issue of Jan 1 to 15 2022