'We want to take art works to people’s homes, hearts': KLA President Pa Sa Kumar

Karnataka Lalithakala Academy President Pa Sa Kumar explains the academy’s activities to build a bridge between artists and art enthusiasts, in an interview with DH’s Divyashri Mudakavi.

Hubballi: Karnataka Lalithakala Academy (KLA) President Pa Sa Kumar explains the academy’s activities to build a bridge between artists and art enthusiasts, in an interview with DH’s Divyashri Mudakavi. 

Excerpts:

KLA recently held a unique art exhibition titled ‘Manegondu Kalakruthi’ in Bengaluru. How was the response for the initiative?

Through ‘Manegondu Kalakruthi’, we want every home in Karnataka to own an artwork by making it available at affordable prices. Often people find artworks exhibited in galleries inaccessible and pricy. So, we had displayed a variety of quality artworks starting from just Rs 1,000 so that every art enthusiast can have access to artworks and appreciate it. This will help in developing a generation of art appreciators and encourage artists in their creative endeavours. 

What are the other efforts to bridge the gap between art and art enthusiasts?

The Academy has also come up with the programme ‘Nimmondige Naavu’ as part of which, a group of artists will tour various parts of the state and exhibit their artworks. During the exhibition, an art critic will talk about various forms of art and educate people about it. Enthusiasts will also get an opportunity to interact with artists to understand art and the aspirations and emotions behind every piece of artwork. We also invite children to involve themselves in creating artworks at the venue to spark their imagination and curiosity.

Usually, people get entangled in daily chores and do not find even a moment to experience the beauty of artworks. Our aim is to reach their doorsteps through this ‘mobile art gallery’.

Is the Academy creating any new spaces for emerging artists?

Yes. This year, the Academy is planning to conduct an annual competition for students of visual art schools with an aim to find at least 10 emerging artists every year to encourage them creatively and support them financially. The competitions conducted by the Academy until
now were for artists above the age of 25 years. But we want  to provide opportunities to younger artists as well.

What are the challenges that the Academy is facing in promoting visual arts?

We want artworks to be made affordable, but at the same time, they should not lose creativity and essence. Also, the budget earmarked for the Academy is limited. As a result, we find it difficult to reach remote districts of the state.

Making people realise the need to develop an eye for artworks is another challenge. Art works not only enhance the aesthetics of our surroundings but also help us learn the language of the eyes. 

How have visual arts transformed over the years?

Visual arts have seen drastic changes over the years. Newer forms of arts like body art, video art, conceptual art, minimal art and others have emerged. Even graphics, which was earlier not considered as visual arts by the traditional genre of artists, is being considered an art by the Academy itself. We have even conducted workshops on it. Some artists disapprove of our concept of realistic paintings as they feel the concept gets distorted once 3D object get converted to 2D on canvas. But art is always free flowing and we need to accept change and give equal consideration to every art form.

How is the Academy trying to reach tier-2 cities of the state?

Our first priority is to engage art, artists and art enthusiasts under one roof in the four divisions of Karnataka, including Kalaburagi, Mysuru and Kittur Karnataka. I also want to hold more art promotion programmes in primary and middle schools.

Are there any efforts to document and revive traditional art forms of Karnataka?

There are books that deal with visual art forms of Karnataka like Mysore paintings, Surpur paintings, Ganjifa art, Kaavi art and Hase Chittara.

We want to create an e-archive of these art forms so that these can be viewed on YouTube and also on our website. We want support of donors to conduct competitions of traditional art forms so that the global audience can be introduced to them.

Is artificial intelligence affecting creativity in visual arts?

Technology will definitely dominate visual arts in the next few years due to its speed and assistance in commercial art works. However, it is all temporary as it is not original intelligence. Technology cannot surpass human creativity. 

Highlights - interview

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Technology like AI is temporary cannot surpass human creativity - Pa Sa Kumar, President of Karnataka Lalithakala Academy