Beyond the boundaries of imagination

The recently concluded exhibition, ‘Art Walk Bengaluru’, that was organised by Sublime Galleria in association with ​​The Oberoi, featured the works of three distinct artists — Srikala Reddy, AV Ilango and MS Sundarmurthy.

Each of them let their work do the talking and had different stories to tell. Though all of them had different approaches to their work, they came together to paint on a common theme — ‘The multiple hues of India’. Each artist had considered a singular aspect of the country’s culture and heritage and chose to present it from his/her perspective.

While Srikala Reddy captured on canvas, an Indian classical dancer’s desire for perfection, AV Ilango had called on his childhood memories to depict glimpses of everyday Indian life.
MS Sundarmurthy’s works portrayed the diverse culture of the country, with special focus on the common man.

Each of these artists had developed their own unique language of expression. Talking about her work, Srikala said that the idea of working on a series on dancers struck her after she visited Nrityagram dance village.

“It is a beautiful space, designed to nurture creativity, compose, rehearse and perform — all in the midst of an inspiring natural setting. A chance visit to the dance village introduced me to odissi. The performances I saw at Nrityagram and my meeting with Surupa Sen and Bijayini Sathpathy inspired me to work on the series,” said Srikala. She said that her latest work ‘A walk down a winding path’ represented her spiritual journey as an artist through a dancer’s life.

She added that her work is an odyssey of discovery, an ode to the sublime aesthetics and an attempt to capture the human body in moments of sheer grace and divine harmony.
MS Sundarmurthy had worked a lot around landscapes. He works effortlessly with both the brush and the knife.

“Landscapes and nature inspire me a lot. I also try to capture on canvas a lot of what happens around me on a daily basis. I always try to paint things that are positive,” he said. Sundarmurthy confessed that he always wanted to be a painter from his younger days.

“My family wasn’t very convinced and wanted me to get into the government services but I was sure that I wanted to be a painter and worked towards fulfilling my dream,” he added.

Inspired by his childhood memories, self-taught artist Ilango’s series of works captured the everyday life in a village such as agricultural activities, trade and also religious celebrations.

The images of harvest, fairs and festivals that resound with folk songs, music and dance found place in his paintings. The bright costumes, pulsating music, bellowing traders, echoing loudspeakers — Ilango vividly replicated all those scenes on canvas.