Help began to pour in both financially and in terms of volunteering efforts days after Vizag was battered by Hudhud. The art fraternity has also come forward to do its bit. “We felt we had to do something. I contacted artists I knew and they agreed to part with one or two of their paintings. The proceeds from the sales will go to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s Relief Fund,” says Hanumantha Rao of Gallery Space.
Perspectives from Vizag
The Art for Cause exhibition has 72 paintings from 52 participating artists, both established and up and coming names. Among them are works of artists from Vizag. B. Bhaskara Rao’s work shows a landscape that’s been stripped of its beauty. He painted this piece soon after the Hudhud devastation and says, “I’ve done a number of paintings depicting nature. The 50-year-old trees of Andhra University have always been an inspiration and one can find a lot of greenery in my paintings. In this painting, the colours are mostly white and the landscape is distorted.”
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An alumnus of AU, Bhaskara Rao says this exhibition is a method through which the artist community can respond to the natural disaster. “We heard that celebrities were coming forward to donate huge sums. As artists, we can respond through our canvas. More than 10 paintings have already been sold and many artists have agreed to contribute 50 to 100 per cent from the sales to the cause,” he says.
Rajasekhar, another artist who did his bachelor of fine arts from Andhra University two decades ago, has displayed a painting from his recent series inspired by the fishing community in Jalapet, Vizag. “During campus days, we used to spend time among the fishermen and study their lifestyles. This painting is from a recent series. I drew from my memory of the fishing communities and observations made during a recent trip,” he says. Rajasekhar’s work is dominated by sepia-tinted browns, complemented by occasional use of other colours.
The exhibition is a mosaic of techniques and perspectives expressed over a period of time. Bala Bhakta Raju’s brush strokes depict a Ganesha with a tanpura. Palak Dubey’s is an acrylic sheet mounted on glass, taking viewers into an idyllic garden fit for angels. Tailor Srinivas offers a new look at rural men and women through a purple-tinged canvas, only to be offset by striking turmeric and vermillion on the foreheads. Fawad Tamkanath presents a street-side view of Hyderabad through a cycle rickshawallah lounging on his vehicle and enjoying a smoke. His daughter Afza Tamkanath’s sketch reflects the relaxed state of mind of a group of urban young women engaged in conversation and laughter. We don’t see their complete faces and the painting conveys all it has to through the body language. Playful strokes can also be seen in Priyanka Aelay’s canvas, from the sprightly elephant to rose-tinted look at life.
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A more mature look at people and lifestyles come from established names such as Sachin Jaltare, Sisir Sahana, Vaikuntam and Laxman Aelay. Sculptors Shivarama Chary and Srinivas Reddy have contributed their sculptures for the exhibition.
What Art for cause, in aid of Hudhud victims
Where Gallery Space, Road no.12, MLA Colony, near Lotus Pond, Banjara Hills
When: Till November 5