Noted artist T.V. Santosh is not just helping art students hone their painting skills, but he’s also trying to refine their ability to talk about their artistic practice.
“Discussion is an integral part of the learning process, be it in academics or art. It helps students to process information, rather than simply receive it. The ultimate idea of discussion is to get students to practise thinking about the course material and enhance art,” he told five students, Subhadip Bhattacharya, Daina Mohapatra, Natasha Sachdeva, Puja Mondal and Prachee Batra, at the workshop under the Kochi Biennale Foundation’s (KBF) ongoing Master Practice Studios programme at Pepper House in Fort Kochi.
The painting workshop is the third such workshop organised by KBF this year. Previously, eminent artists Valsan Koorma Kolleri and Orijit Sen had led sculpture and non-fiction comics workshop respectively as part of the programme in Kochi.
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“The main aim behind this workshop is to observe the work done by the participating artists and find a positive solution for the problems or visual crises they face, with the help of collective discussions. These can include technical or conceptual issues. It also aims to develop an awareness regarding contemporary art,” said Santosh, who was a participating artist in the third edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
As part of this workshop, Santosh plans to produce a new painting as well. This is to showcase the technical and conceptual aspects of his work to the participants, allowing them to directly watch and respond to his process.