Manikandan P best expresses himself through art. It hasn’t been long since he started painting with poster colours and acrylic; until then, he would create striking pictures on rocks and other surfaces using sharp pieces of stones. And the elephant is his prime preoccupation. All his pictures centre around the animal and its various moods. Now that he has access to paints, he likes to paint them black, and sometimes pink. “I just like elephants. I like to draw them,” he says.
Manikandan is a Class V student of the Government Model Residental School for boys, Wadakkanchery, and he was among the 19 students who came to Kochi recently to paint a mural at Sea: A Boiling Vessel, a multidisciplinary show by artists, academics, and performers presented by art collective Aazhi Archives at Kashi Hallegua House at Jew Town in Mattancherry.
Children painting the mural
Ahead of the children’s visit, a 15x7 -inch wall was readied in a central courtyard in the gallery building and painted white. Cans of paint and brushes were arranged, which the children could use. They could paint whatever they wanted and what emerged at the end of two days was a brilliant mosaic of forms, creatures and colour.
Managed by the Tribal/Social Welfare Department, the school was set up for students belonging to various tribal communities in and around Thrissur and Palakkad districts. When Priya KG took over as their drawing teacher, she found that most of the students were talented, but had never got the chance to paint with colours. She bought them paints of different kinds and brushes and let them paint. Instead of instructing them, Priya gave them a free hand and was impressed with the results. “They had created stunning pictures of the animals, birds, nature and people they had seen around them. The works seemed like a reflection of their living conditions and their social mores. I felt that they only needed to be guided in the way the paints were used, they are already rich in ideas,” she says.
A part of the mural | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Each student has his own pet subjects or leitmotifs. For instance, Sanju Sudheer, a Class Vi student, who hails from Malakkappara draws hornbills. While Bibin of Class VII portrays man-animal conflicts. “Bibin cannot read very well, but he is affected by man-animal conflicts and it is often represented in his works,” says Priya.
The students have never visited a city; most of them have not stepped out of the school. During school break, they go back into the forests, where their families live. “The train journey from Thrissur to Kochi itself was an unforgettable experience,” says Priya, who reached out to photographer KR Sunil, her senior at Thrissur Fine Arts College, who is part of the show. He put forward the idea to Riyas Komu, the artistic director of Sea: A Boiling Vessel, who felt that the children deserved a space to showcase their talents.
“In a gallery space such as this, where art lovers from various parts of the world visit, a wall devoted to these children’s works is the best exposure they can get,” says Priya.
The mural will be on view till the end of April.
