All those of you who are looking to bedeck your homes with trendy diyas, colourful lamps, Lazy Susans, planters, or just about anything made out of glass, head to the Kabadiwali exhibition at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, being held from September 24 to 28.
On display is mostly functional art made of recycled glass bottles and magazine paper on reclaimed wood, and, hence, the name.
The bright and vivid shades that merge into each other are a result of expert fusion of coloured glass. No artificial paint or colour has been used.
For Chennai-based glass artist Anjali Venkat, working with glass has been an addiction since childhood. “As a kid, I used to break glass bangles and melt them over a candle flame to make strings of glass and collect every bit of glittering glass, tile or mirror I could lay my hands on,” she quips.
Being ‘green' is a habit for her. “I have always been inclined to reuse things and give an aesthetic twist to everyday materials.
Her love for the art has taken her across continents — Australia, the U.S., Norway, Italy — for workshops and to learn different ways of working with glass. She has also dabbled in pottery and painting.
Interestingly, the fascination she has for the art does not extend to her art pieces. “I have never wanted to have one of my own works as keepsake. In fact, I'm completely detached once the product is finished. The hard work that it requires is what drives me to finish it,” she says.
While she has been holding annual exhibitions regularly in Chennai for quite some time, she has only recently ventured outside the recesses of her studio and is exploring the Bangalore art market for the first time. How she managed to build a clientele outside of Chennai is another interesting tale.
Most of her outstation clients got in touch through the social network. “Facebook is an ideal platform to network with like-minded people. More than a space to market, it helps create awareness. Moreover, creating a Facebook page does not require much technical knowledge, as an HTML page does,” says Anjali.
The artist is already gathering fans in Bangalore. “I love her unique aesthetic sense. The amount of effort and hard work she puts in is evident in her works. The finishing of each product is flawless and so attractive that you want to keep buying more,” says Melissa Arulappan, an avid user of recycled material.
“Her work is refreshingly simple, but with a great style,” notes Mala Dhawan.
Get a first-hand experience of Anjali's art at the Chitrakala Parishath from 10.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.
