Mapping Manhattan” featuring artworks by Murali Harathi of Plainsboro opens at Plainsboro Library on Monday, April 2. Although the exhibit was on display in December in the Open Palm Court Gallery at the Indian Habitat Center in New Delhi, India, this is the premiere in the United States. The exhibit, featuring 16 of his recent watercolors present the magic and wonder of Manhattan, is on view through May 5. There is an art chat scheduled on Sunday, April 15, 3 to 5 p.m.##M:[more]##
The theme of the present series is very close to his heart. “Every person carries a little image of Manhattan in their imagination, whichever part of the world they live,” he says. “Mapping Manhattan captures that little image which I was carrying in my imagination for past 25 years.”
Studying to be an architect in the early 1980s, he observed New York’s physical forms including the skyline and urban scenes, in terms of scale and planning. His works capture the character of the city beyond with a focus on the culture and the people.
He told The News in 2004 (November 5, 2004) about the current exhibit featuring a series of paintings depicting post-9/11 Manhattan. “I travel to Manhattan every week and explore,” he says. “It is still a new city to me, and so it takes some time. But it has always been a leader in urban planning, and I find a great deal of inspiration in it.”
Because he does much of his work right in front of his subject, Harathi believes that his new watercolors represent an identity of Manhattan beyond the photographic medium. “They carry with them a nostalgic value,” he says. “I feel that I am continuing the tradition of the art of watercolor for the last 100 years.”
Past exhibits include group shows “Erasing Borders,” “In Diaspora: NJ Artists of Indo-Pakistani Heritage,” and “Contemporary Indian-American Art.” His juried shows include “Annual Small Works Juried Exhibition” at New York University and “Pushing the Envelope” with Garden State Watercolor Society. His auction shows include Christies in 2005 and Montgomery Arts Center in 2006.
On the way to the United States he lived in Oman and New Zealand. The family has lived in Plainsboro since 1999. His daughter, Sri, is a student at High School South. His wife, Chandrika, works in Newark.
“Cities are tools of social change and the center of opportunity irrespective of race and social status,” he says. “Cities, the centers of social and cultural for centuries, are the source of performing and visual expression for authors, photographers, and artists.”
— Lynn Miller
Art Exhibit, Plainsboro Public Library, 641 Plainsboro Road, 609-275-2897. First day for “Mapping Manhattan,” an exhibit featuring recent works of Plainsboro resident Murali Harathi. An architect by training, Harathi presents the magic and wonder of Manhattan. Art chat on Sunday, April 15, 3 to 5 p.m. On view through May 5. Monday, April 2, 10 a.m.
