Sculpted to perfection

Stone exhibition

The 11th International Granites and Stone Fair ‘Stona 2014’ is on at Bangalore International Exhibition Center, Tumkur Road, till February 15.

This exhibition has a variety of stone slabs, different stone designing projects, machines and equipment required for smooth cutting, polishing and maintenance of stones. The highlights of the exhibitions are offerings from across the globe like Italy, Turkey, China, Vietnam, USA and Germany. Also a creative manifestation of about 50 artisans are being showcased at the separate space Shilpa Gram, at the exhibition.
Many artisans from across country including those from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh are showcasing their work at Shilpa Gram.

This exhibition space has artworks for interiors and daily utilities like vases, jewellery boxes to grand statues that could be included in landscaping and in the garden area. “Trends have changed in the garden area. People used to earlier opt for huge statues or figurines in Roman styles, but now they go for simple items like leaves and plain benches and smaller bowls and plates that add that classy touch,” said Gordhan Banjara, a stall representative. He further said that he has brought elaborate pillars to the exhibition since people’s taste vary, and their demands too vary according to the proportion of their interior and exterior spaces.

The Shilpa Gram area is provided free of cost to the artisans and it also houses other contemporary designs in traditional themes. One can find items like figurines of ‘mother and child’ and Ganesha idols done in style. “I was searching for a Ganesha idol that would go with my house well and yet didn’t look very religious. I think I have found something like that that’ll perfectly fit the space,” shared Anandita, a homemaker.

An artisan from Rajasthan, Bindu Joshi can be seen polishing her stone idols at the exhibition.

 “I work on Jaisalmer stones mainly and also on limestone. I’ve been working on stones since ten years now and I find myself expressing the relationship of humans with nature quite often through my works,” said Bindu. She agreed that contemporary designs and art pieces are selling like hot cakes nowadays than traditional designs. “Everyone wants to have something that is trendy for their exteriors and interiors,” she said.

Other attractions included a huge statue of Sachin Tendulkar, with which many people clicked pictures. Also at one of the halls, there was a variety of peace monuments which are exported to other countries. Arun Kumar from Amman Granite Pvt Ltd, commented, “We are showcasing different designs that are chosen by people from abroad for cemeteries. Swarovski crystals, paints from Germany and other embellishments have been used to decorate these tombstones. We export to countries like Poland and France and their the trends keep changing.”

Krishna Prasad, general secretary of the All India Granites and Stone Association, said that this year’s edition is different from the past editions since it is much bigger. “We have three halls with exhibits and two open spaces, one of them being Shilpa Gram and the other being a space for heavy machinery,” he detailed.