Govt to hike funds for art fair

The Karnataka government has proposed to increase funds for Chitra Santhe, the annual art fair, to Rs five lakh from the present Rs three lakh.

This was announced by Minister for Kannada and Culture Govind M Karjol, who was speaking after inaugurating the event, organised by the Chitrakala Parishath on Sunday.

The minister said that Kala Grama, which is under construction on the Jnanabharathi campus, will be completed in a couple of weeks. “The Kala Grama will have facilities for the artists to stay on the premises. The project will be a great boost for the promotion of art and artists,” he said.

The fair hosted 2,000 stalls, displaying an array of art works. From children’s art to works by amateurs and established artists, the visitors had several to chose from. The entire premises was converted into a paradise for connoisseurs, who were treated to a riot of colours, in the form of abstract, modern, traditional paintings, sketches and portraits. Varied themes were presented in different shapes and sizes, on different subjects in different hues of acrylic, oil and water colours.

Space constraint

The Kumar Krupa stretch along the Parishath was buzzing with thousands of visitors, stressing the need for a spacious venue with the fair’s growing popularity.

CKP officer G S Narayanaswamy said the Parishath was scouting for a suitable place to accommodate the increasing participation from the public in the art fair.

The Parishath dedicated the 10th edition of the fair to eminent artists who have honed the skills of several budding talents. M J Kamalakshi, Ramdas Adyanthaya, Mallikarjuna Jadhav, Ashok T Akki, Sudha Manohar, Suresh D Halbhavi,  K V Subrramanyam, Basavaraj Uppin, M R Balikayi, A L Narasimhan and K Laxman Bhat are among the artists felicitated on the occasion.