You know you are a lucky soul when you’re surrounded with interesting, talented people. And every now and then my friends make me feel even more so with the things that they do, with the things that they are passionate about.
Ichha Bhojani did just that Friday evening with her first ever fine art photography and mix media exhibition titled ‘Ever After’.
I knew she had been working on it for almost an entire year, compiling photographs from years ago, working on charcoal sketches and screen prints to bring together an amalgamation of different sorts of art under one strong and intricate frame.
But I didn’t really know how long she had been planning on it, so when I asked her, this is what she had to say:
“I had been thinking about exhibiting my work for some time now (since 2005) but didn’t feel confident enough to and also found very little free time while keeping a full-time job. In Dec last year, after showing some of my existing work to family/friends and receiving a positive response I decided to take a year off for myself and put together a show. The Viewing Room also responded positively and so, with a gallery in place, I decided to get to work on my first collection.”
When you go through her works at the exhibition you notice the predominance doors, windows, stairs and passages in photographs and sketches. Clearly they fascinate her and I must add, it does make it rather surreal.
Ichha is an ardent follower of the Baha’I faith and says that this exhibition is an expression of her spiritual identity. She has used photos from her travels across the world and her hometown to create compositions that are metaphors for the relationship between the body and the soul. The journey of the soul is an integral element of the Baha’i faith and it is through the realisation of its timeless yet transient nature that believers find a renewed purpose.
I spent a good hour and a half at The Viewing Room going through all of her work, as did everyone else who walked in that door. Friends, family, art enthusiasts made the opening night of ‘Ever After’ feel electric.
The exhibition is on from 11 A.M to 7 P.M till the 19th of December at The Viewing Room, Elysium Mansion 4th Floor, Opposite Cusrow Bagh, Walton Road, Colaba Causeway, Mumbai – 05
Go!!!