The Village Gallery has to its credit of conceptualizing and presenting landmark exhibitions such as “The Other Ray”, exhibition of film sketches by filmmaker, Satyajit Ray; Graphics by M.F. Husain; the solo shows of Ganesh Pyne each showing a different genre of his work for the first time; Self Portraits of 24 eminent artists, Drawing Installations by Sunil Das; “A Tree In My Life,” exhibition of over 100 works as a tribute to the Tree by 51 eminent artists; tribute to Mahatma Gandhi in the works of Haku Shah.

Nestled in a bylane of New Delhi’s upmarket Hauz Khas Village, The Village Gallery has made major contribution to art, by presenting shows of historical significance showcasing uniquely, works of master painter, M.F. Husain, Paritosh Sen, Ganesh Pyne, Haku Shah, Arpana Caur, Meera Mukherjee, Manu Parekh and other eminent as well as upcoming artists.

The gallery has been involved in socially useful activities, working with women inmates of Tihar jail and collaborating on fundraising exhibition with Sahara and UNDP, HIV/AIDS program.

It is now set to present a significant show of one of India’s highly respected and eminent artists, Veena Bhargava. This major show of paintings, mixed media and drawings will be on view in the capital after twelve years.

A deeply reflective artist, her imageries spring from her urban experience – from “the media, mythology, the calendar and almanac, kitsch, popular film culture and going back in time to the Indus Valley Civilization.”

Her works are a dialogue between the figurative and the abstract, a trend characteristic of Indian contemporary art. They show her supreme mastery over the medium as in the use of color, compositional balance, and the integration of different media.

In the words of her mentor Paritosh Sen, one of India’s great living masters, “I have been watching her progress closely, with keen interest. The contemplative nature of her work demands, considerable thought.”

“The fragmented motifs Veena uses in her imageries are culled from her keen observation of this bewildering urban scene.”

In Veena Bhargava’s own words, “By temperament I am a sensitive person excited by creativity, affected by misery, poverty and the plight of the underdog.

On one short street in Kolkata, I have counted five shrines. This observation triggered my concerns and acted as a springboard leading to the present ongoing series of open ended works – “Cities, Ideas and Icons.”

The Village Gallery presents
Cities, Ideas and Icons
Paintings-Mixed Media-Drawings
by Veena Bhargava
Venue: Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Center, New Delhi
Date: December 19 - 24, 2006
Time: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Village Gallery, 14 Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi, 110 016.
Ph: 91 11 26853860, Email: art@thevillagegallery.co.in,
Web: thevillagegallery.co.in