Artist Amrish Malvankar and the constant state of becoming

Bengaluru-based artist Amrish Malvankar talks about his latest series Fragments of Becoming

Being part of an international event always brings a sense of validation, no matter how nonchalant or jaded one may profess to be. For Bengaluru-based artist Amrish Malvankar, who exhibited his works for the second time at the recently concluded World Art Fair in Dubai, the experience was nothing less than self affirming.

The artist says he “always had an inclination to paint,” but since his family frowned on it as a career choice, he “took up the next best option — architecture.” However, he continued to paint and his artworks piled up at his residence, until one day his wife Tarunjeet encouraged him to hold an exhibition.

In 2009, he held his first show at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, and there has been no looking back since. Amrish quit his job and took up the palette on a full-time basis.

“I generally work on compositional abstracts,” says Amrish. “I experiment with colours, how each hue balances with another and how they play with human psychology. I started working with abstract figuratives in 2023.”

The high appreciation his work garnered at the World Art Fair in Dubai last year, encouraged Amrish to continue with his artistic explorations, and in the current series, he has made a foray into cubism.

“My main medium is always acrylic, but I also use other material such as charcoal and its powder as well oil pastels and pigments, to fine tune and balance out a piece.”

Also read: Check out these Indian artists showcasing their work at World Art Dubai 2024