Mona Lisa waits with a cup of coffee. There’s Atlas generously handing over a diamond. An Oscar award is up for grabs. The Click Art Museum at VGP Snow Kingdom has a bizarre mix of paintings of various themes. It’s got an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ vibe about it. Wide-eyed people walk about the big white space that’s brightened by 24 art exhibits.
A concept of artist A.P. Shreethar, this museum, touted to be the first of its kind in the country, uses 3D and optical illusion to wow the viewers. How else do you expect to be grinning and posing for a photograph when your body looks like its split into two halves? And rather eerily, the two halves are seated next to each other.
Then there’s a Honey, I Shrunk the Kids moment too, when you sit on a shiny red chair, make a friend stand at a calculated point and get someone to click a picture. The result — you look like a miniature version of yourself while your friend towers over you.
“I have been working on this concept for three years. I got this idea after visiting a few trick art museums in Malaysia, Singapore, Phuket and Hong Kong,” says A.P. Sreethar, who created a bank of 70 such art works before launching this museum.
He’s starting his next one in Mumbai, which will showcase all 70 of his trick arts. “The plan is to set up this concept in as many cities in India as possible. The art form is quite popular in other parts of the world, and is there in 12 countries,” he adds. The ones on display are laminated photocopies of his originals.
Ever since its launch last month, the museum has received more than 20,000 footfalls and the artist is thrilled about it. “This form of art has a 2,000-year-old history and was practised by popular artists like Da Vinci,” he says and adds, “Next, I’m working on a concept in which people can click selfies with Bharati, Thiruvalluvar and Abdul Kalam too.”
The museum has helpfully marked strategic spots to pose as well as click photographs from, so the effect is even better in pictures. No wonder the cameras are always on here. Among the most photographed ones are a large Venetian-themed mural that occupies a corner of the room. It even has a gondola where you can sit and get photos clicked and an Oscar exhibit. You can also take a selfie with a chimpanzee. And as you look around, be careful not to get kicked by Bruce Lee, who perilously sticks his leg out of the frame.
The Click Art Museum is located at VGP Snow Kingdom, East Coast Road, Injambakkam. The entry fee is Rs. 100 for children and Rs. 150 for adults.
