These days, the number of professional courses outrun the number of students that are even aware of such a course.

This is the same in the field of art. In this era, we have an artist who has not done any course in fine arts but his passion and interest has brought him into the limelight. Using oil on canvas, DS Chougale brings to life paintings that speak about the traditions and realities of folk artistes and people from North Karnataka. His exhibition, titled ‘My Village My People’, speaks about the systems that are considered taboo even in today’s society. 

Starting his journey in Belgaum in 1993, he depicts life in and around the village, his experience and thoughts ranging from village life to the urban setup. Chougale says, “Folks artistes and traditions have always been the backbone through which some of the communities in North Karnataka have survived. Now it seems to be a death, both for the tradition and for these communities.’’

His paintings basically revolve around the lifestyle that is deemed low and are not part of the society in villages, especially in North Karnataka. He captures themes such as the feudal law system, devadasi system, priests and folk artists. He says, “Having this exhibition in a place like Bangalore opens up the perspective of people living in the urban world who have never heard or seen these people in communities that lie within their own state.”

This, in many ways, is true because of the urban setup of our city and most of the younger generation haven’t even heard or seen these communities and cultures ever. His works however, attempts to record these phenomena and showcase it to the urbanised society.