10.06.2018

Ghan Shyam Kashyap‘s Quest for Peace

On June 10, 2018, a solo show by the Shimla-born Delhi-based artist Ghan Shyam Kashyap called “In Quest of Peace” opened in the International Roerich Memorial Trust (IRMT), Naggar. The Chief Guest of the opening ceremony was Mrs. Purnima Chauhan, Principal Secretary, Language and Culture, State Government of Himachal Pradesh and ex-officio General Secretary of the IRMT.

“Everyone is searching for peace of mind, and it is found in holy places of various religious traditions,” says the artist commenting on the title of the exhibition. Taking inspiration from this idea Mr. Kashyap displayed a number of works depicting the holy places of Himachal (Bhima Kali temple in Sarahan, Masroor rock-cut temples in Kangra, the Lakshminarayan temple complex in the city of Chamba, the Parashar Lake with its natural marvel – the round floating island, the Nako Lake and village in Kinnaur, and the dramatically set Ki Gompa in Spiti), and some other states of India (the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Phugtal cave in Zanskar associated with the great Indian Buddhist yogi Padma Sambhava, and the night view of Benares, the eternal city of ghats and temples.

He also exhibited a new series inspired by the beautiful and enigmatic Angkor Wat and Siem Reap temples in Cambodia. The series fuses the ancient and modern expressions of spirituality depicting Buddhist monks wearing ochre robes and perusing scriptures seated amidst the ruins of the millennium-old temples with exquisite stone-carved images of blissfully smiling gods.

Developing his previous series on the ancient monuments, Mr. Kashyap also displayed three works including the vignettes of Amer Fort in Rajasthan and the Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur with their elegant arches, open-work balustrades, and trellised windows.