Seven friends, who are also artists, have come together for a group show called “Regrouped”.
Having graduated from Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat (KCP) some decades ago, their works are on display at CKP’s Art Complex.
The artists -- Arathi H.K., Hiranmayi, Kapila, Jagadish, Jaya, Raghavendra and Suresh -- spent five years together at the Department of Painting during their training in the Bachelor of Fine Arts before branching out on their own.
Arathi’s black and white drawings, titled “Pages from MY Diary”, depict her journey through life. They revolve around the relationship between the body and mind. Her thoughts are found to be ironical, conflicting and synchronising. “The mind contemplates to go beyond physical pleasure and pain. And, the images represent the abstract feelings,” explains Arathi.
Hiranmayi’s colourful compositions are landscapes, brimming with a play of colours.
She chooses to keep her subjects “free of any complications and looks towards variety and diversity in her daily routine” to keep herself motivated. An avid reader, Hiranmayi says she gets her inspiration from books and movies. She adds, “I try not to be monotonous and follow a similar style even in my works. Therefore, my paintings appear diverse,”
Kapila has shown how self portraiture can be therapeutic. Her paintings, apart from being self portraits, deal with the universal aspects of life such as love, technology, relationships with cultural overtones. Her colour palette is vibrant. “Jagadish is not interested in sending any harsh messages to his viewers. His paintings are an exploration of geometric shapes and colours, juxtaposed with each other. His intention is to create a sense of curiosity by taking the viewer deeper into his paintings with a lavish use of brilliant reds, yellows and blues. His emotions are captured in his play of light and shade.
Jayalakshmi’s paintings are based on spiritualism. Her works seem to be guided by her emotions. Her colours are warm, energetic and vivid. This artist chooses with care to create a peaceful atmosphere. She says she is inspired by Hindu deities like Shiva and Durga along with the teachings of saints like Ramakrishna and Vivekananda. Raghavendra’s ‘Untitled’ works are not “by chance”. They are patiently crafted to appear just so. He wants the viewer “to interpret” his works as they choose and does not impose any conditions on them by way of explanations. His aesthetic approach is refreshing as it offers the viewer freedom of thought. His paintings have a lyrical beauty that portray his passion for music. “It is the flow of emotions and compositions that envisage in my mind at a particular time, place and frame of mind during the work in progress which leads to the creation of my work,” explains Raghavenera.
Suresh a painter, currently involved in teaching art, has diversified his mode of expression toward photography. He loves “Macro Photography” which indicates his patience and passion for detail. His subjects -- bugs and rare insects -- show his proximity towards nature’s less appreciated tiny creatures which can be extremely tricky to capture. “When you get really close to these, they seem even more alien than you imagine and this makes them absolutely fascinating to me,” he notes.
The exhibition will be on till July 23 at CKP’s Art Complex, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
