A retrospective show on the multi-faceted artist Sirpi Jayaraman opened in the city on Tuesday as part of the ‘Pride of Puducherry Art Movement’ led by Aurodhan Art Gallery.
The second solo exhibition in the art movement series features about 20 frames of Mr. Jayaraman, former Principal of the Bharathiar Palkalaikoodam.
This is the first exhibition of the artist since his death last year. It is supported by the Arikamedu Art Academy and Pondicherry Book of Records.
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The earliest students of the artist paid tributes to their guru, who was also a sculptor, actor and author. , He moulded a generation of artists who gained recognition across India and abroad.
“The city’s art and culture scene owes a lot to Sirpi Jayaraman and it is an irony that he did not get the recognition deserving of his talent or contribution,” said J. Gopal, regional director of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in Puducherry.
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High praise
Mr. Gopal recalled an exhibition of select works of Mr. Jayaraman, hosted by him in the Pretoria Art Gallery in 2010 and the high praise it received from art critics and historians.
Mr. Jayaraman’s students K. M. Saravanan, founder Artist Kala Academy, Soucoumarane, secretary, Arikkamedu Art Academy and R. Rajendra, founder, Assist World Records also spoke.
The Pride of Puducherry series hopes to unify through art, said Aurodhan founder Lalit Verma. Aurodhan has already held over 100 shows of music, dance, art and photography as part of its ongoing ‘Oneness through Art’ campaign.
120 shows
“We launched the initiative five months ago hoping to do about a dozen events, but ended up doing about 120 shows,” he said.
“The experience was a reaffirmation that while there is no dearth of talent here, artists lack a platform to showcase their work to a wider audience. This is what we try to address through the shows,” he said.