Six Contemporary Artists of Indian Heritage
+ Joy Anson: Figurative Works
Fran Willis Gallery, Victoria BC – Nov 2-25
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Shahid Parvez, Untitled #1 (2006) tempera [Fran Willis Gallery, Victoria BC, Nov 2-25]
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In this two-part exhibition, the brightly-coloured images of Victoria artist Joy Anson and six artists of Indian heritage fill the Fran Willis Gallery with verve and energy. The paintings and prints of the seven artists use high-key colour, figurative abstraction to the point of distortion, a two-dimensional treatment of form, and a predominance of organic and geometric patterns.
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Joy Anson, Exotic Voyage (2006), acrylic on canvas [Fran Willis Gallery, Victoria, Nov 2-25]
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Joy Anson has been described as a primitive or naïve artist. With a whimsical and humorous sensibility, she creates charming and often nostalgic scenes of families, friends and their pets. Her work shares a narrative bent with that of Haren Vakil, who lives in Victoria, and Jaswant Guzder, who lives in Montreal. Vakil’s work is almost cartoon-like in its complex surrealism, showing people and animals stylized like robots. Guzder’s breezy watercolour-like style is loose and dreamy.
The other four artists are well-established in India: Shahid Parvez, showing paintings, etchings and silkscreens; Megansh Thapa, paintings; Alit Dutt, paintings; and Vinay Sharma, mixed media paintings. Animated, playful, mystical and impudent, the artworks depict an enticing blend of characters and events.
