Swasti, the contemporary art gallery located in Healthcare Global (a medical facility focussed on oncology), intends to positively impact cancer patients through art. On display are paintings and artwork by a set of young budding artists with distincitve personal styles.

An exhibition is cheduled to be held at the gallery in the bio speciality centre of HCG tower on P Kalinga Rao Road on December 22.

The first set of displays will be auctioned and the funds raised will be shared between the artists and the HCG foundation.

The foundation’s share of auction proceeds will be used to provide subsidized treatment to deserving patients. The gallery makes life at the hospital more colourful as opposed to the grim picture painted by traditional hospitals thereby acting as a creative care unit.

It was Bhagya Ajaikumar, a Master in Fine Arts from the School of the Art institute of Chicago and an acclaimed artist, who came up with this unique idea of blending art and oncology.

She is an educator, artist and has held many positions in the field of art while she lived in the US. Her inovative works were displayed in Boston Museum of the Fine Arts and at a New York show. Today she teaches visual art at the University School of Design in Mysore.

Bhagya says that when she meets a cancer patient, who are going for long term treatment, the patient and their families are facing a lot of turmoil, but a visit to the gallery helps to smooth life and give a positive perspective of life.

 The gallery also plans to develop a training centre for art as therapy and to encourage patients to exhibit their artwork.

An exhibition of contemporary Indian artists’ work in the lobby of HCG’s headquarters in Bangalore provides a fund raising avenue. The permanent gallery will display paintings, sculptures and installations from different group of fledging artists throughout the year.

HCG, established in April 2006, is the largest private sector group that provides oncology care in India. It has received over 30 lakhs in donations from various sources and helped over 30 patients meet their medical expenses.