‘Kovai Art Street’, a two-day event organised as part of Coimbatore Vizha on Race Course Scheme Road, was inaugurated on Saturday by Prasanna Krishna, Chairperson of Young Indians.
At the entrance of the ‘Kovai Art Street’ are colourful umbrellas installed 30 feet above the ground. Around 110 artists are here to exhibit and sell their art. Siddharth Manoharan, one of the organisers of the event, said that around 50% of the artists were from Coimbatore. “Others are from all over India. It includes established artists like B.Santhanam to home-makers who have a passion for art,” he said.
Basic art classes are conducted for the visitors at the venue.
Artist Deivanai Manicken said, “I am a home-maker interested in art. I use pen and oil pastels as my medium. The response is really good so far. A number of my paintings are already sold.”
There are also stalls for drawing live portraits at the venue. A 3D waterfall has been drawn on the road by the students of the Lalit Kalakshetra. “It is a waterfall, but only an aerial view can get the 3D effect”, Vignesh Raj, secretary of Lalit Kalakshetra, said.
The street also has stalls that sell easel boards and other stationery items for painting. The trees are decorated with golden lights, balloons and lotus shaped danglers. There are also stalls that serve quick bites like French fries, bakes and pizza. A food truck is parked on the street.
A live performance by singers from the city will be held at the venue in the evenings. Anyone can perform at the event.
Mithun Govindasamy, a student from Tirupur says, “The installations are beautiful. It is a great initiative and one of the best opportunities to see so many artists together.” The street will be open today from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
