Reading beyond obvious brush strokes, colours ranging across the spectrum from bright hues to stark black, infinite emotions confluence as one. Gallerist Sara Arakkal defines this unified confluence as Infinity – The Power of Eight, inherent in the works of eight artists from Gulbarga, currently featuring in her gallery. “While curating these works, I observed the beauty of life and human existence bonding the art of these creators in infinite dimension.
I felt that the thoughts of these artists cannot be confined to the concept of ‘finite’, which is why I chose to title this show ‘Infinity - The Power of Eight’.
Take a look at this combined power, and the combined work of these eight Gulbarga artists crusade for preservation. As Suryakanth Nandur says: “I use abstraction to represent the hills, the moon, sun, flowers and sometimes human form, because we are not paying heed to nature.” Artist Ambaraya Chinmali, who has roots in rural Gulbarga, adds: “My works represent the stark realities around us. I come from a region where it rarely rains. Malnourished people are common here.” Nature finds dominance through kundalies, in artist Ramakrishna Nayak V’s works.
“The primary colours I use are black, white and saffron, signifying the deep connection between the sky, forest and the earth,” he explains.
As does Mallikarjun C. Bagodi, whose works are abstractions of fervent contexts of destruction and war, painted in innovative oils. He attributes these renditions to the idea that: “every artist seeks inspiration from nature.” To Kalidas B Sonar, who depicts love through his paintings, the inspirations are Indian folk art, heritage and nature. “Many of my paintings, especially Radhakrishna, is a symbol of love in each other’s conservation. In my Magnanagiruva painting, the male and female are surrounded by animals and birds in the lap of nature,” he says. Similarly, artist B.N. Hariprasad’s works represent contemporary social matters, depicting snakes winding around a girl’s hair, even as she wears a curious expression.
“The girl’s transition replaces the identity of the snake with that of a man. It depicts the identity of togetherness and the fantasies of a maiden,” he explains. As does Ashwini G.K’s works, which are explorations of the feminine form. “My compositions, which have varied moods and styles that oscillate between figuration and abstraction, boldly express that the identity of a female is not her body, but the volcano within her real self,” she says. Through these contexts with nature, the summation of the works on display is infinite. As Ramling Belkote who renders his expressions in two colours says: “I depict the rural world in black and white, the charm of these colours rendering them infinite.”
Through this infinite thread, Sara Arakkal, has given these lesser known artists the forum to represent their renditions of the rural in colour, in black and white, through love, rage, power, passion and the natural flavours of Mother Earth.
Infinity: The Power of Eight is at Galerie Sara Arakkal upto May 20 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. (Sunday holiday)
