A unique experiment with art
Karkala: Where there are walls, there are art pieces. That is the Bahu Art Gallery at Karkala. It’s actually a unique experiment at a restaurant where paintings adorn the walls right from the reception up to the air-conditioned hall of Hotel Prakash situated in the heart of the town.
Apart from adding to the aesthetics of the hotel, proprietor Hari Prakash Shetty is providing a forum for artists to display their creative work. However, the brain behind this novel concept is renowned artist Gopala Adkar, popularly known as Gopadkar.
This idea of displaying art works on walls had always been in the ever-inventive mind of Gopadkar for quite some time. When he was asked to do the interior decoration of the hotel, he seized the opportunity. Though Hari Prakash, who is also an advocate, did not know much about art, was fascinated by the new concept.
At Bahu Art Gallery, the works of an artist are displayed for a month. However, paintings are sold on demand only after the exhibition. Thus, unlike other galleries, solo exhibitions are conducted for as long as a month during the business hours of the hotel.
The gallery, which is named after the 42-feet monolith of Bahubali in Karkala, was started in March with its inauguration by the director of Moodbidri-based Alva's Education Foundation Dr Mohan Alva, who himself is a connoisseur of art and literature. Besides, there is a small inaugural function for each exhibition.
Till date, works of K Pundalika Shenoy, Harini and Ganesha Somayaji have been displayed. Apart from himself, Gopadkar has a long list of artists like Sanjeeva Shetty, Mohan Permude, Sharath Holla, Purushottama Adve, Mohan Sona and P N Acharya.
Hari Prakash is of the view that initially they have to focus on artists of repute in order to drive home this novel concept. He, however, is not shrugging off the idea of giving opportunity to upcoming artists in future.
Hari Prakash, though anxious before, is now happy for adopting such an innovative idea. Decorating the interiors afresh in such short intervals has not only become feasible but also affordable. Interestingly, at this hotel-cum-gallery, a customer can be a buyer of an art piece and vice versa.
Oft-changing interiors, perhaps, symbolise the fast changing "tastes" of people in this fast paced age. Bahu, probably only one of its kind, is slowly succeeding in catching the attention of customers and art lovers alike.
Indira R Acharya