More than 1,500 stalls and nearly 2,500 artists are expected to make the 15th edition of the popular ‘street art fest’ — Chitra Santhe — a special one. Set to be held on January 7, the unique art offering of the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (CKP) was flagged off in 2004.
“The number of stalls has increased by 25% compared to last year. Visitors can expect nearly 2 lakh paintings, sketches and art pieces,” said artist M.J. Kamalakshi, General Secretary, CKP.
Apart from stalls, individual artists will sketch on the spot, caricature artists mirroring images with their sharp pencils, and body artists will cater to the tattoo-craze using organic pigments and hues.
Every year, there has been a steady increase in the number of applications. But this year, the KCP was flooded with nearly 50,000 applications from all over India.
“We were forced to consider an increase in stalls as the special committee formed for the Chitra Santhe was overwhelmed by the sea of applications. Every artist in India wants to be part of Chitra Santhe now,” said Ms. Kamalakshi, adding that an artist from England, a body painting specialist, is also arriving for the show.
Around 50% of the artistes selected for the Santhe are from Karnataka. The maximum applications from other States come from Kolkata (Bengal), Mumbai and Pune (Maharashtra), Odisha and Chennai (Tamil Nadu) in that order.
Recalling how the shandy-style market for art did not initially win the respect of niche art circles, Mr. Kamalakhshi said, “CKP’s prime intervention was in bringing in an organised marketplace for making art approachable and affordable. How many artists can afford a gallery display, and how many people can afford to buy them? Chitra Santhe was brought in for bridging this gap. We dreamed of every home having at least one art piece.”
The seeds of a street-art style festival were sown in 2003 when a new committee was formed with D.K. Chowta as Secretary and Kamalakhshi as Joint Secretary. “That was the time art was thriving in the West and in Europe, with street art being the focus. We at CKP thought something on those lines once a year would benefit the public at large and artists,” recollected Ms. Kamalakshi.
About the event
* Chitra Santhe would extend from the Parishath Campus to Shivananda Circle and the CM’s Office
* All the 4 galleries of CKP will display their own priced collections
* Chitakala Samman awards will be conferred on senior artists Dr. Tara Kashyap, Shiv Manali, Sudha Manohar, Somappa Chitragar
