An art exhibition of paintings in watercolours on display in city

A master of watercolours, Shyam Karri is is exhibiting his work for the first time in a solo exhibition in Chandigarh. Prana - the breath of life, curated by Mehak Bhan, the exhibition will be on till August 12, and is a collection of 70 nature inspired paintings.

An architect and furniture designer, Shyam’s love for art goes back to his childhood, in the picturesque landscapes of Vishakhapatnam, its seashores, paddy fields and thriving biodiversity. Born with an artistic bent of mind, as a kid he would gravitate towards creative outlets, be it poetry, words, painting, creating things. “I have always strived to search for harmony amidst the chaos, and I must’ve been 15-16 when I realised art strikes the most harmonious balance of them all,” says Shyam, adding, “It was finding a path to exploration.

The closer you get to a medium, the more harmonious you become with the self.”

For Shyam art is the medium through which he explores the deeper dimensions of life. “When I started painting, it was a search for life and existence itself…I never thought of selling my work until a couple from Holland at the Bodhizendo in Kodaikanal, a retreat where I spend time and paint, insisted on picking my work. It was 2017, and I sold my first artwork.

I still remember the joy and light on their face, and trust me, no architectural project has given me that kind of satisfaction of being valued, appreciated and respected.

” Turning his work into a commercial activity was out of picture. Instead of placing a price on his work, he would let people decide and in lieu of the painting would ask them to buy him the water color tubes, cotton paper, the brushes because those are expensive. Over a decade, Shyam has become one of the few contemporary Indian artists to use watercolour as a serious, soulful practice and also as a metaphor for life. “Watercolor helps me practice Zen, to become attentive to ‘the presence’ and express the moment as it is,” he says, adding, "The process is exhilarating and compels me to remain attentive at any given moment."

Shyam, who started painting watercolours nine years back, patiently walks the tightrope of ‘control and no control, mind and heart, rationality and intuition’.

He believes the more time he devoted to an artwork, the more he thinks and as a result the fear trickles in. “My philosophy is not to overthink. Just go with the flow…one has to be spontaneous with water colours, allow the viewer to be part of the story and imagination, and for that I leave a lot of white space in my works.

To be fluid is my style of painting, for it also frees one from fear of attachment.”He also celebrates slow living and intuitive expression in the age of overstimulation and is in the continuous process of building creative communities outside mainstream systems.