- Crish Panchal’s debut exhibition ‘Tribute to Ganesh’
Designer, entrepreneur, and artist Crishanthi Viraj Panchal (also known as Crish)[/caption]
Mischievous and endearing, millions seek the blessings of the lovable Lord Ganesha before embarking on a journey. Fittingly, Crish will reveal her artistry through an inaugural collection of paintings depicting Lord Ganesha in all his captivating avatars. She also showcases other compelling themes which have captured her imagination.
Ahead of her opening on Thursday, we had a quick chat with Crish on what “Tribute to Ganesh” is all about and how she’s feeling about her first exhibition.
Crish has always been creative and used to paint in school before going into design, working in the apparel industry and going on to work in the food industry besides. Crish is a Director of the much-loved Colombo food brands The Mango Tree and Jack Tree. She was also the person behind the label Krish Ethnic Aura.
Speaking to Brunch, Crish shared that she’d actually fallen out of touch with painting in the years after she’d left school, and it wasn’t until three years ago that she picked up her brush and began painting again, starting to create what would become her first exhibition.
Eager to pour her heart out onto her canvas and express her vision, Crish’s first exhibition masterfully blends oil paintings and ceramic embellishments with bursts of colour and an insightful depth of understanding of the cultural and artistic significance of painting a deity loved by millions. The Lord Ganesha isn’t the only thing Crish’s exhibition will capture, there are several other points of inspiration. One such avenue that Crish explores is marine pollution, through a segment of her exhibition that she calls “Under the Waves”, which was inspired by a trip to the Maldives where she saw coral reefs in a very debilitating state, after which Crish was struck by the thought of “what if one day there aren’t any more corals and people don’t get to see them?”
Giving us some insight on why Lord Ganesha is such an important influence in the exhibition, Crish shared that, being Hindu, whenever she does something, she first makes an offering to Lord Ganesha. As an idol, there is also a huge number and methods of depicting the Lord Ganesha, and Crish is something of a collector of these depictions, from wood to crystal to ceramic to clay, she has built quite the little collection for herself. As this is her first exhibition, she felt it only fitting that it be a tribute to Lord Ganesha. This is not to say though, that the Lord Ganesha is the only deity she has depicted in her work, there are also some thoughtful depictions of the Lord Buddha in the exhibition as well.
When asked what got Crish back into painting, she sheepishly shared that part of why she started painting again was as a means to distract herself from empty nest syndrome when her son went off to college three years ago but is now something that has turned into a powerful form of expression, and even a personal form of mediation. “I’m a person who’s always doing about ten different things from morning to night. I’m a fitness freak, I do yoga, I’m also a black belt shotokan, I love to cook, I go hiking almost every weekend, and I’m a dancer. I love to do adventurous things, so in my palette, I have so many things I’m doing, and my mind is always running all over the place. Painting is the only place where I can sit and put my mind to it. It’s like meditation, like thinking.”
Finally, we asked Crish how she’s feeling about her upcoming exhibition and showing her art publicly for the first time. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be exhibiting,” Crish said, adding: “Having been in many fields and businesses, and in any business, however smart you are, your success also depends on the people working with you and for you. With my paintings, from beginning to end it is only me and my thought process.”
Crish’s inaugural visual art exhibition, “Tribute to Ganesh” takes place from 10 to 12 December at the Barefoot Gallery Colombo, and will be open for general viewing from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.