Mahendra Kadia
Mahendra, an artist born in 1956 in Ahmedabad, is known for his dry pastels on paper. Graduating with a Diploma in Drawing and Painting, he is the recipient of the Gujarat State Lalit Kala Academy, Art Theatre at Calcutta and National Fellowship of the Department of Culture.
Mahendra Kadia‘s life is an unconventional journey of an artist finding his life’s purpose through the process of art; this is reflected in the way his artistic style has emerged over the last four decades. From clear lines his style moved towards abstraction and eventually it completely evolved into free flowing strokes that depict the human pursuit of liberation and tranquility.
Kadia has always been open to learning. In his early days he found mentorship in celebrated artist-sculptor Piraji Sagara. Later he joined Sheth CN College of Fine Arts in Ahmedabad. Here formal education coupled with his own keenness led him to put hundreds of hours of practice and hardwork to evolve his unique artistic style. His realistic figuration of birds started fluttering in untamed motion on canvas to take the form of controlled lines. The artist began experimenting with tools and inspired by American artist Jackson Pollock, Kadia used drip technique to paint birds while using a wooden stick ‘Kitta’. The artist went through a time-honoured journey to evolve his lines into strokes, and fluttering and flying birds into flowing emotions.
Kadia has also served as a professor at the CN College of Fine Arts. He is also popular as the face of L & P Hutheesing Visual Art Centre, where his association dates back to 1983. Since 2008, he is serving as the Honorary Director of the center. A recipient of National Award by Lalit Kala Akademi, Kadia’s persistence in artistic pursuits is an inspiring tale. Within his own family, his influence has created 11 artists across generations. In January 2018, Kadia showcased his retrospective in Ahmedabad, and it was extremely well received. His artworks can be found in the collections of luminous personalities including Jaya Bachchan, Sangeeta Jindal and Urmila Kanoria, and also on display at the reputed National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi. The visual art proponent’s abstract birds will forever flutter to enrich our aesthetic sensibilities!
His exhibit with us is an acrylic on canvas made in 2017.
