The theme could be considered both creative and mundane, depending on the quality of interpretation. The balcony is portrayed here as a space that opens to the outer world of tranquillity. In the urban jungle, where trees are uprooted and replanted in constricting pots that remain inside or on the periphery of the living space, the balcony is the only way out to infinity and calm.

However the outside, which is an expanse of uprooted trees, of pieces of the sky visible through a labyrinth of skyscrapers from the balcony, induces the feeling of being trapped. Dark colours of the night, interspersed with green for life and red for harsh reality, depicting free movement contained in solid forms, all form a panorama that points together towards obstruction and deprivation. The juxtaposition of dark and light, of green and red build a message that is conveyed in stages, from one tableau to another.

A realistic style containing an element of abstraction, a fine eye for detail and a high level of sensitivity characterise Barua's burgeoning style. The series of paintings and drawings stand witness to tedious research behind the depiction of a clearly enunciated idea. The integrity of thought and of form, the subtle social commentary, the poignant religious symbolism and the obvious aesthetic value of Barua's work deserve a special mention.

Barua graduated with a Masters in Fine Arts from Chittagong University in 2001. He has participated in a few group exhibitions and has received the Best Award in the Berger Young Painters Competition in 2006.

The exhibition ends today.

By Roopam Singh-Le Berrigaud, an art critic