A series of abstract artworks by A Viswam on display
| Photo Credit: special arrangement

Walking through Lalit Kala Akademi today envelopes one in a journey of the city’s artistic culture. For one sees the dance of Radha/Krishna on a canvas as well as their grandmother’s folktales come to life, all within the same walls. Drawing its essence from India’s rich flora among other things, Pallava Artist Village’s A Mixed Bag, currently on display at the gallery, features senior as well as budding artists from the city.

Curated by National Award-winning artist A Viswam, the exhibition is an homage to the artworks of late artists ‘Village’ Mookkaiya, Veera Santhanam, M Balasubramaniyam and Natesh Muthuswamy. The display features over 200 pieces of artworks and sculptures by over 80 artists from different walks of life. The gallery will be showcasing work by several renowned artists and sculptors including G Raman, Asma Menon, Athiveerapandian, Manohar Natarajan and Elanchezhiyan.

An artwork by ‘Village’ Mookkaiya
| Photo Credit:
special arrangement

A stroll through the right side of the gallery engrosses one in a sea of abstract artworks by curator Viswam. With brushstrokes that run across blues, greens and reds, he is inspired to mirror the uniqueness of movement in Nature. He says, “I was inspired by Nature and its five elements. I particularly wanted to show the floating aspect of Nature.”

KR Karthikeyan, an artist from Pallava Artist Village , is a textile designer who has translated his interpretation of the ‘tree of life’ in his art. His artworks feature unknown flowers and leaves seen in the wild and mimics their unsung, vibrant details. “My concept is that the tree is the forest. I wanted to show unity through my work,” he says.

Sculpture by Elanchezhiyan
| Photo Credit:
special arrangement

On the other hand, budding artist Sujatha Narayanan connects with art through the medium of spirituality. She is inspired by Andal, the only female poet in the twelve poet-saints in Vaishnavite texts. Sujatha sees the saint as “a feminist symbol since she is given the right of prominence over men.” Also growing into the world of art is young artist Rekha Senthoor, who captures the realm of landscapes through acrylics. “The hero of my art is not the tree, it is the acrylic paint. I want to go with its flow,” she says.

An artwork by Sujatha Narayanan
| Photo Credit:
special arrangement

The gallery will also be featuring artworks of students from the Government College of Fine Arts, Egmore and Government College of Fine Arts, Kumbakonam alongside more seasoned artists. In order to inspire artists from all disciplines, the exhibition will feature evening interactions with writers and filmmakers at the end of every day.

A Mixed Bag will be on from November 28 to December 3 from 11am to 7pm at Lalit Kala Akademi, Greams Road, Chennai. Priced at ₹5,000 onwards.