Oscar Wilde once said “Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known”. Were he in Bangalore, in this day and age, he would have been proud.
Artists all over the city are challenging and tweaking the very definition of art. No longer is it a quaint craft accessible and understood only by romantic and moody artists. No longer does it only consist of pencil sketches and brush strokes done by the dreamy lady, or the spurned lover. Art is reaching out to a whole new meaning.
They refuse to restrict their imagination to easels and brushes. And Bangalore, has heaps to offer in the art forum. Whether it is creating art from scrap, or making something out of everyday objects, there’s a whole new perspective on the concept of art itself.
ScrapturesIf you thought automobiles were functional only when they were, well, mobile — think again. Forty-seven-year-old Ilyas Ahmed makes sculptures out of automobile spare parts. He has made over 250 of these. A welder by profession, he makes these “Scraptures”, as he calls them, without any assistance. He says “I use automobile parts because they don’t rust easily, owing to their high chromium content, and hence last longer than regular sculptures”. His sculptures vary from two to six feet, and usually weigh about 120 kilograms. On the reason for this twist on regular sculpting, Ilyas says: “It is good to be unique. People rarely replicate this kind of art.”
Out of the boxWaste not, want not. The 38-year-old Vijayakumar Perinchery would swear by that. He works in an advertising agency, and pursues art as a hobby. His home-made floor lamp, made entirely out of cardboard boxes, corrugated sheet and stainless steel glasses, is as eco-friendly as it is one of a kind. He says “If I buy a floor lamp from a store, I know that maybe 10 other people own the same thing. But I know this floor lamp is 100 per cent unique! It is difficult to execute if one is not creative. It’s also a great stress buster, and helps me refresh my talent. And it’s a great feeling to do something for the environment”.
Chalk it upGreat things do come in small packages—as small as 8 mm to 1cm. That’s the size of the elephants that Shridhara S. carved out of chalk. He made as many as 1,050 of these, just using a ball point pen and a blade, and for this feat he holds a Limca Record 2013. He enjoys conveying a message or proving a point through his art. He says “People think chalk is used just for writing, but I wanted to prove it can also be carved”. He also impeccably replicated 40 currency notes using just paint and paper. And why did he do that? “I wanted to prove that man can do better than machines, because man invented them”. Touché.
Art truly is all about the individual. And whether it is to prove a point, or just stand out from the rest, artists are experimenting with different kinds of art, and giving it a refreshing angle.
