New Delhi, Apr 4 (IANS): A strong colour palette representing the mythical forms that the Australian aboriginals once followed is not the work of a master artist but that of 12-year-old Nehmat Mongia.
Nehmat's paintings, exhibited at the India Habitat Centre in the capital, seem beyond her years.
"All my works have been inspired by the Australian aboriginal contemporary art and reflect an inspiration that pre-dates European colonisation," she said.
"Some of the pieces like the Australian Bindi, The Dots Say A Lot, The Target, Bandit, Captured Soul and Chakraview are mythical representations of the landscape, hunting and foraging lifestyles that the aborigines once followed," Nehmat, a student of Modern School, Barakhamba Road, added.
Curated by artist Kanchan Chander, the exhibition also displayed art works of professionals from other fields like Guneet Kumar (real estate consultant), Anita Kumar (teacher) and Pallav Chander (college student).
Chander said: "Each of my students have their own artistic style and through this exhibition, I have tried to provide them with the essential professional exposure in order to broaden their horizon. The exhibition offers a lot of variety for the viewer -- portraits, landscapes, aboriginal art and interesting calligraphic abstracts."
Forty-six year-old Guneet's paintings are based on personal experiences and are in watercolours. For example, there is a series on the Safdarjung Tomb which came out as a result of her numerous trips to the monument.
Calligraphy teacher Anita's paintings are all about converting her style into art. So you have a beautifully calligraphed 'Om' that seems like an abstract at first but careful observation reveals the meaning.
College student Pallav, who is also a theatre artist, has just one inspiration, the human face.
"Since the age of ten, I have been acting in theatre and what caught my attention was the varied emotions a person could express through his or her facial features. Portraying the various emotions through one's face on my canvas is, therefore, what my paintings are all about," Pallav said.
The exhibition, which started April 1, concluded Sunday.