A burst of creative energy

The art scene in Bengaluru was vibrant and electric by the end of last year and the mood is all set to continue.

Towards the end of last year, it was refreshing to see that the art scene in Bengaluru started to look up with a sudden burst of energy, with multiple art shows, festivals and other art events.

In November, late artist Yusuf Arakkal’s retrospective ended at the National Gallery of Modern Art, and while the exhibition was ongoing, there were several outreach programmes that were held — gallery walks and a panel discussion, among others, were organised in conjunction with the show. Kerala-based senior sculptor, Anila Jacob’s show was also held at NGMA at the same time where she presented her recent works in wood, bronze and copper. Jacob was part of the Madras Art Movement in the 1960s and has been sculpting for more than 50 years.

Senior artist Krishna Setty’s retrospective 'The Realm of Manifestation' with an enormous body of work, comprising almost 300 paintings, drawings and sculptures among other media, was recently previewed at NGMA and the in-house curated exhibition will continue till the end of January. Setty’s recent works explore notions of desire, sexuality and tradition in context with human experiences and stories while layering motifs and symbols, with strongly metaphorical language. His early works are more academically oriented and the entire body of work offers insights into his five-decades-long artistic journey. This too was accompanied by gallery walks and panel discussions.

The end of last year also saw Gallery Kynkyny reopen its physical space in the city with a group show. This was followed by a mini-retrospective of artist G Subramanian, who is popularly known for his collages. His mixed media collages layered with acrylic paint and ink are based on traditional and mythological themes and motifs, and this exhibition traced this journey from 1972 to now, the last 50 years.

City-based artist Runa Biswas’s show ended recently at MKF Museum of Art, and it hosted an art and poetry session with a small gathering of artists, gallerists and collectors to discuss the Bengaluru art scene, and steps that could be taken to address its shortcomings.

December also saw the India Art Festival, which was held for the second time in the city, and it presented around 30 art galleries and 400 artists, coming from 40 different cities across India, Singapore and USA. A cross-disciplinary art project with the farmers' collective and visual and theatre artists, poets and writers — ‘Art and Agriculture: An Aesthetic of Regeneration’ with installation, text, images and film attempted to spark a rethink and to establish deeper connections between art, communities and agricultural land. This three-year research and community-based project was curated by artist and writer C F John and was presented at the festival, but will hopefully be shown again before a wider audience.

Apart from these, there have been several other shows and activities that have taken place in Bengaluru, and there is much more on the anvil.

For instance, ‘The Christ Series’ by the late artist Yusuf Arakkal is being exhibited this month at the Bangalore International Centre. These works are being exhibited for the very first time. Arakkal’s interpretation of Christ is unique, it imbibes elements from multiple sources — both cultural and ethnographic.

The author is a Bengaluru-based art consultant, curator and writer. She blogs at Art Scene India and can be reached at [e-mail]

Dab Hand is your fortnightly art world low-down.