Digital-only Chitra Santhe, Bengaluru's biggest cultural fest, from Jan 3

Art amidst pandemic

The Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (CKP) has completed all arrangements to host its annual art exhibition Chitra Santhe on a virtual platform due to the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic.

The 18th edition, to be held digitally, starting January 3, will feature 250 renowned artists exhibiting more than 400 artworks. It will be the first cultural event on a mega scale in Bengaluru.

CKP chairperson B L Shankar said people from across the globe can take part in this year’s Chitra Santhe without barriers. “The artworks will be exhibited in all the 12 galleries of the CKP and the same will also be uploaded to the website for people to see,” he explained.

Besides the artworks, cultural events related to the exhibition and other discussions on artforms can be seen live on the website chitrasanthe.org and also on their Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channels.

Infosys Foundation’s chairperson Sudha Murty will inaugurate the 18th edition of Chitra Santhe, while Cooperation Minister S T Somashekar will throw open the CKP’s Diamond Jubilee on January 3.

Dr C N Manjunath, Director, Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, will inaugurate the exhibition of artists specially invited to the event.

The CKP will also felicitate five artists as part of the Chitra Santhe celebrations and has chosen Neelima Sheikh from Vadodara for the prestigious Prof MS Nanjunda Rao National award which contains Rs 1 lakh in cash and a citation.

Renowned artist P S Kumar has been chosen for the D Devaraja Urs award, Vijay Bagodi for the Y Subramanya Raju award, and R Raju for M Aryamurthy award. This apart, the HK Kejriwal award will be given to Dr Choodamani Nandagopal. All four awards will have Rs 50,000 in cash and citation.

Artists from 22 countries

With the digital medium breaking down barriers, artists from 22 countries will take part in this year’s exhibition. “So far, 1,223 artists have registered for the event, including artists from 20 states,” Shankar explained.

Artists from Germany, Poland, England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, France, the US, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Iran, Netherlands, Bhutan, Nepal, Australia, Mexico, Egypt, Indonesia and Russia are scheduled to take part and exhibit their works.

The lockdown against Covid-19 has left the premier art institute economically stressed.

“Because of the Covid restrictions, we could not hold any events and student admissions were very minimal. This has affected our revenue severely. Yet, we decided to hold the event in the interest of artists by spending from the Savings. With participation from India and overseas, the 18th Chitra Santhe will set a new record,” Shankar explained.