A trip to Tirupati reminds devotees of the long-winding queues and waiting endlessly to have a fleeting glance of Lord Venkateswara. “Even if the wait is endless, the darshan is worth the wait,” states artist Kappari Kishan whose one such visit to Tirumala has resulted in a series of works put up at the newly-inaugurated Pipal Tree gallery in Fatehmaidan.
The spacious gallery on the second floor of the complex has a wall luminous with exhibits on the Lord of Seven Hills. “Last year when I went to Tirumala, I was overwhelmed with the way devotees express their bhakti . Despite facing difficulties, they never lose focus in their devotion to the God,” states Kishan, who is also an art instructor.
“It is that devotion and belief that inspired me to create this series,” he adds.
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For the exhibition titled ‘bhayayami’, Kishan has used four mediums — canvas, stone, paper and wood.
At the entrance is a wooden creation which evokes the spiritual feeling. Next are two stones depicting an outline of namam . “This can be used like a paper weight,” he says. Besides a collage work on paper, the canvases are filled with different images of the God with a spotlight on gold colour.
“Lord Venkateswara is a rich god. That’s why gold colour is oft-repeated,” says Kishan.
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The works showcases the artist’s quest for inner peace and harmony. Like his earlier works which have large human forms in the foreground blended with different elements in the background, this series too has images of the Lord with namam partially covering the eyes and exquisite jewellery. The interesting feature is the story being narrated in the background. “I have used different elements of the wild like cows, and elephants and there are also women praying,” he says.
Siri Yarlagadda, curator of the show says, “Lord Venkateswara is a household name. We decided to start off the gallery with a theme which is good and acceptable. ”
The exhibition ends today.