There is a sense of equality in the way the paintings are placed at the Museum Auditorium as part of the ‘24 frames’ exhibition organised by the Kerala Chithrakala Parishath. All the participating artists, from the novice to the well-known veterans, are given equal space and equally prominent displays. Twenty-four artists from different parts of the city, all of them members of the Chithrakala Parishath, have displayed their art work here as part of the exhibition.
“This is the 12th year of the Parishath’s exhibition. All of our members can exhibit their works here. There is no screening process as this is basically a space for displaying their talents and to reach out to the public. All of them are of different levels of experience and talent, but here everyone is equal,” says Venu Thekkemadam, secretary of the Chithrakala Parishath.
It really is a motley crew here, from retired Government servants to surgeons, students and even an employee of the Technopark.
One of the works that literally stands out is that of S.K. Shibu Raj who has done a peculiar relief work using china clay of two love-struck peacocks. The entirely handcrafted work, also gives the impression of a brass sculpture with its clever use of golden hues on clay. He does art direction for Malayalam films.
T.C. Rajan, Parishath president, had on display a part of his series on things which are fast disappearing from our public spaces. The two paintings depict a temple pond and a kid waiting by the doorway of an old house.
Other paintings on display range from simple recreations of sceneries to surreal artwork like that of a baby hung out to dry on a hanger to a mermaid all chained up and lying helpless on the ocean floor.
The artists say there has been not much of sales at these exhibitions though there have been many enquiries. They are also concerned about the reduced space at the Museum Auditorium, their permanent venue for the exhibition, due to the construction of a permanent stage for the weekly drama performances of the Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi.
“We still lack a proper gallery with the required lighting for the individual paintings and with aesthetic use of space. Here it is cramped up now, with the construction of the stage,” says Mr. Venu. The exhibition will conclude on Monday.
