Actor and avid art collector Raveena Tandon, who attended artist Kiran Chopra’s exhibition, praised her distinctive artistic language. “I knew of Kiran ji’s works, and when I looked her up further, I realised that she is one of the staunch pillars of the art foundations that we have in our country,” Raveena said. “Kiran ji’s works are exquisite. Other artists have their own ways of painting, drawing and interpreting what they feel, but to achieve this kind of depth in black and white, like Kiran ji does, is very difficult! And then, of course, the vibrancy that comes through with the spurts of colour against the black is beautiful. I am an avid art collector, and I am too excited to be here!”Chopra’s spiritual works also struck a chord with Raveena. “There are some stunning paintings of Mahadev and Parvati, Krishna and Meera, Balaji and others. This is the spiritual side of me that makes me love these works even more. They are so beautifully done. And, of course, Kiran ji’s black-and-white works stand out beautifully as well,” she said.The evening took an unexpectedly personal turn when Raveena discovered that Chopra had once been a neighbour of her parents at their family home in Gwalior. Their families had known each other years ago, making their meeting in Mumbai feel more like a reunion than a first encounter.The connection made the occasion even more special for Raveena, who added one of Chopra’s paintings to her collection and asked the artist to autograph its back with the words, “With love from Gwalior”.“And another thing that really struck me was our old connection that we are catching up on… Kiran ji used to be our neighbour in my dad’s family house in Gwalior. So, that makes it even more special for me. And I am very happy that I am here today, and I’ve got one of her paintings that will be treasured forever,” Raveena said.Chopra’s 48th solo exhibition marks 35 years of her artistic journey and is dedicated to her late husband, Arun Chopra. It features around 20 mixed-media works spanning spiritual, mythological and semi-abstract themes, alongside her signature black-and-white paintings.
