Memories of his recent scuba diving trip to Lakshadweep unexpectedly washed over Lower Parel-based illustrator Ashley Mendonca as he stood gazing at paintings on the walls of a second-floor Colaba art gallery on Thursday evening.From coral reefs to oceanic pearls, the fluid Tantra series by artist Trishla Jain evoked free-flowing images in the eyes of beholders on the opening evening of ‘The Quiet Interlude‘ at Akara Art, Mumbai, on May 8.Coinciding with Art Night Thursday, the exhibition drew a mix of totebag-toting art lovers and umbrella-carrying architecture students. Some leaned in to interpret the meditative dots of Jain’s Tantra works, while others stood back to take in the geometric precision of her Yantra series.”We’ve placed the two series on separate walls so they don’t interfere with each other,” explained Puneet Shah, founder and director of Akara Art, which had earlier showcased ‘The Quiet Interlude’ in Jain’s hometown of Delhi. This is the gallery’s second time hosting the San Francisco-based artist after a sold-out 2023 show. “Many, including myself, are drawn to the calmness and colours of the Tantra series,” Shah noted.”You can see the cityscape here,” said lawyer and gallery regular Soumya Shanker, pointing to domes and a sun in a watercolour-and-ink canvas titled Sundance. Stepping back, she admired One, a geometric piece that reminded several viewers of a silk chatai. “It’s incredible that she painted something that looks like handwoven fabric,” she said.Former Alliance Française de Bombay cultural assistant Sheryn Mulla admired how “ink and watercolours go together,” while aspiring architect Vaibhav Jaitly was drawn to Air, a Yantra canvas embedded with gold.”Some are organised, some are organised chaos,” observed UK-based student Shashi Kapur, who is visiting Mumbai. She was particularly drawn to Constellations, a blue-hued canvas in a quiet corner. “Blue is my favourite colour,” she said, adding that the works inspired her to meditate.‘The Quiet Interlude’ Akara Contemporary ColabaTill May 30 (Tues- Sat)
