The Hyderabad Art Festival, that was held to celebrate 75 years of art in Telangana, centred around art and artists in the city. If some made a beeline to see a show where multiple artists displayed their vibrant art on canvases or in the form of murals and sculptures, some seemed interested in knowing the theories involved in the works of artists. To make the festival worth visiting for artists and non-artists alike, the organisers had arranged events that go beyond art shows.
At State Art Gallery, the entire first floor is dedicated to the fest and each hall has something for everyone, that reflects the rich thought processes of the artists. Contrasting themes, interesting mediums and thought provoking subjects engage the audience.
In another hall artists were engaged in a discussion on art, artists and how caste and society influences the works of many artists and vice versa. Elsewhere in the hall, artists demonstrated water colour strokes and the trick to create 3D impressions on canvases. Students watched with keen interest as the artist carefully added the final touches of red to his canvas with a spatula. Every step and approach of these artists were being documented by the students.
Kala mela
In another part of the city, away from the State Art Gallery, the ‘Kala Mela’ was the venue for a weekend of an artful outing. The first-of-its-kind Kala Mela had more than 100 artists displaying fine-art. The idea of the Kala Mela was to bring talented artists to showcase their works and conduct live demonstrations of their technique under one roof. Special emphasis was placed on highlighting traditional art-forms of the Telangana state such as Cheriyal, Nirmal etc.
