Are you seeing spots too?

Jyoti Bhatt's serigraphs use traditional symbols in modern ways, creating art that is slyly clever and full of little stories

- , JAYATI KAUSHIK

Jyotindra Manshankar Bhatt, aka Jyoti Bhatt, has created paintings, prints and photography that document India's folk culture. He uses symbols of traditional art to make colourful pop imagery which is both impactful and layered. I'm captivated by his 2009 serigraph Jal Thal Nabh. It features dots, in 88 colours, to form the elements of water, earth, and sky, and the interconnectedness of life, on paper. Exquisite birds fly through a cloudy sky, perfectly proportioned fish dance in the sea, beautiful flowers adorn the land between them. There's a sense of harmony and balance between these natural forces. And yet, they retain their distinctive characteristics.