How artist Mohit Mahato says it with flowers

'I want people to be relaxed and enjoy my show. There is no life-changing message I am trying to convey with my work. It is about the joy of creating and sharing that happiness with others,' says Mohit Mahato.
The artist, who hails from Jamshedpur, is hosting his first solo show at Gallery Sumukha. Mohit's sojourn into the world of art stemmed from an unfortunate firecracker accident when he was in higher secondary school. His elder brother, who was working in Bengaluru at the time, urged his mother to encourage Mohit to start drawing again.
'He suggested I start with the basics of lines and curves using my right hand, telling us there was a college of fine arts in Bengaluru where I could study further — something that was unheard of at the time in my hometown,' says Mohit, an alumni of the College of Fine Arts at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath.
After graduation, he went on to work at Gallery Sumukha for seven years; a stint that ended earlier this year. 'When you work at an art gallery, you are constantly dreaming of hosting your own show someday, of how you would work within that space etc. That was a time of learning for me,' says the artist, who used to assist at the gallery in multiple roles.
Two years ago, founder-director of Gallery Sumukha, Premilla Baid, had told Mohit he could host his show there if he could produce a substantial body of work; the result is Bring Me Flowers.
Delicate lines which seem repetitive, but necessary are a huge part of his drawing. While most are done in balck and white, a few sport a single colour, making its effect on the canvas more pronounced.
Route not taken
In 2017, Mohit began Pagal Canvas — a publication house that printed art books and graphic novels, and collaborates with different multimedia practices, in partnership with his friend, Anand Shenoy, who was a comic book artist.
'The zine culture was picking up in Bengaluru and there was no platform to showcase contemporary work by budding artists. While I enjoyed creating colouring books and the small book format, Anand enjoyed telling stories through images. That is how Pagal Canvas began in 2017, with us giving our juniors and other artists a chance to showcase the work they had created in class.'
Four years ago, the duo began a print studio called Pagal Canvas Backyard to support print culture. 'I always wanted a space where artists, students and like-minded people could sit together, discuss ideas or watch something together, building a community in the process.'
They began with screen printing comics and the circulation of booklets, moving on to hosting residencies for fellow artists. Mohit says in between juggling these responsibilities and his day job at the gallery, he found himself participating in group shows and creating cyanotypes (a photographic print).
'Whenever I discussed my idea of a solo show, people simply assumed it would be a comic book or a cyanotype. It always took me a while to make them understand there was so much more to my art. I finally decided on drawings for my first show, works that would reveal something about my work and method.'
Mohit says his mentors had always told him that drawings were his strong point. 'Once I got back home in the evenings, I would spend time on my sketches. The simple lines leading up to detailed images gave me a great measure of peace and relaxation. It was therapeutic,' says the artist, adding that Nature has been an important part of his life and art.
'If a flower knew it would fall to the ground in a few days, would it refuse to bloom? Or would a seed resist sprouting because it would change shape? It doesn't matter if I'm happy or sad, I believe Nature holds the answer,' he says, elaborating on how the natural world remains steadfast on its course no matter what.
'I wanted my work to be like that too, much like a journal of my life. I wanted to share my passion with people and show them what I enjoy doing.'
Despite this philosophical bent, Mohit says his work is for pleasure and nothing more.
On display at the gallery are seed pods, flowers and twigs that Mohit has collected over the years during his walks; some unusually shaped, others in their regular avatar. 'They inspire me to paint. I know I cannot recreate an exact replica, but they motivate me to create something.' Mohit says he once came across a seed pod that looked like the golden snitch from quidditch of Harry Potter or another one that resembled the 'Earth's ear pod'.
Well, with Nature as his guide, Mohit has created a book on flora and bound it with ceramic tiles that had flowers pressed on to the surface, as well as embedding pages in a mahogany seed pod. Small notes accompany his works which are executed on rice paper for 'that raw, authentic' feel. His collection of organic specimens is also on display at Bring Me Flowers.
Bring Me Flowers by Mohit Mahato is on at Gallery Sumukha till May 17. Entry free.

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