Three-year-old Saint John boy to have art exhibition next year

A three-year-old boy living in Saint John will be showing off his artistry early next year when his paintings will be featured at the Saint John Arts Centre.

Advait Kolarkar often covers himself in paint while he’s creating his colourful abstract pieces of work. No one instructs him or tries to change his direction; he simply paints what he wants.

“When he started crawling he used to grab colours when his sister used to paint,” Shruti Kolarkar, Advait’s mother, told CTV Atlantic.

In the few months since moving to Saint John from India, Advait has sold a number of his paintings, including one for more than $500. His mother approached the city’s cultural officer to see if some of her son’s pieces could be displayed at a local library.

Instead, Bernard Cormier was so impressed with Advait’s work that he decided to showcase it in an exhibition at the city’s art gallery.

“I’ve never seen someone that age dabble with the paint in the way that he does,” said Cormier. “I’ve been exposed to artwork all my life and I see something special in this young boy, so why not encourage him?”

According to Cormier, some may think that abstract arts looks messy or has no direction, but said there’s clear composition to the three-year-old’s colourful paintings.

“I mean most people look at abstract art and… often say, ‘I could do better than that,’ yet they never do,” said Cormier.

According to Shruti, Advait gets his ideas for the paintings from what he sees around him in everyday life and although his interest in art may fade, he’s just happy people are interested in it now.

With a report from CTV Atlantic’s Mary Cranston

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