INNER WORKINGS OF A MIND

OME art aficionados gravitate towards Rembrandt and Frida Kahlo, while others sing praises for Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso.

- NITIKA KRISHNA

Whoever the artist and whatever the style, one thing is certain - true art is that which pleases both the soul and eyes in undefinable ways. And abstract art has always both amazed and perplexed us with its deep meanings. Sushant Sharma's 'People Who Never Were', a recent exhibit of 10 finger-painted abstract art canvases in Gallery 78, did exactly this.

Artists may have inspirations but always develop their signature styles; Sushant, who goes by the moniker 'Sushisurge' in the art realm, created black-and-white abstract art out of faces. Now, these weren't traditional portraits or paintings - the artist basically painted the strokes in a way that resembled faces. He revealed that there is an interesting story behind this, "This was something I was exploring under reductionism; I wanted to decipher how much I could reduce from the face for it to still look like one. What I've come to realize is that while several elements in art can be replaced, a face is irreplaceable because it shows expressions, personality, and individuality."