City based artist Ravi Kattakuri has created a niche for himself in the international circuits. Known for his unique style of bright artworks with the characteristic feminine face, Ravi was recently invited for the Lakkos International Art and Culture Exchange Programme in Heraklion, Greece.
He was the only artist from the country and among the selected few artists from across the globe for the three weeks art residency programme.
“I had submitted my application in June last year to Lakkos with attached images of my works and in November I received the invitation. It was a rich confluence of artistic ideas and gave me recognition at the European art circuit,” the artist told The Hindu . Ravi displayed three canvas works, 25 paintings on paper and also made a public art work in the course of the programme last month.
“It is important to stand out and be different when you are showcasing your works abroad. My style reflects the core of Indian culture with all its rich hues and figures and perhaps that’s what draws the eye to it. Often there are art researchers and students interacting with us and this kind of eloquent exchange of ideas in art makes it all the more exciting for me to exhibit on an international platform,” explained Ravi. He was also invited to make a wall art work in his unique style with bold colours, which drew a lot of appreciation from the art lovers of Greece. “Many people came, took selfies with me and gave a thumbs-up to me while I was working,” he added.
The artist who graduated from the Department of Fine Arts in Andhra University and pursued his MFA from Viswa Bharati University, Shantiniketan, said he was influenced by Madhubani paintings during his stay at Shantiniketan and his professor Jogen Choudhary was instrumental in opening up a different world for him.
He had earlier travelled to Switzerland, China, Malaysia, South Korea and Bangladesh for art exchange programmes and exhibited his works there. The artist is currently working on his new line of art that veers slightly away from the solitary face of a woman predominantly seen in his previous works.
“This time I am experimenting with more faces in a single canvas and with bold colours,” he said. The two main themes the artist is currently working on are ‘Mother and Child’ and ‘Friends’ and features eye-catching fluorescent colours, a pallet of hues Ravi has never used before. He is also planning to curate an international artists’ exhibition in the city in March.
“The city needs to have an eco-system for art in line with cities like Hyderabad and Bangalore so that the young talents don’t step out of Visakhapatnam after completing their art education here. To begin with, the government should support in developing a state-of-the-art gallery in the city for artists to present their works,” he added.
