Preserving heritage houses for artistic purpose

The majestic yet graceful structure of Kodial Guthu, which reflects the traditional coastal architecture and rich legacy of Bunt community, is now evoking an overwhelming response through the artistic endeavors it houses.

. Efforts by INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) and ‘Artkanara’, a trust formed by an enthusiastic group of artists from Mangaluru, Udupi and Kasargod districts, have reaped dividends and the heritage ‘Guthu’ House on G G Road in Ballal Bagh, is now a vibrant art hub.

. “An objective to encourage art appreciation and patronage, was realised with the partnership of INTACH, Artkanara trust and art patrons,” informs Subhas Chandra Basu, serving as a convener of the Mangaluru branch of INTACH. Basu is an architect who works on the conservation of heritage structures.

. After a few months of restoration process, that begun in 2015, the Guthu House Chavadi was eventually put to use. “’Chavadi’, the entrance part of Guthu House, was converted into an art gallery ‘S Cube’ run by Artkanara trust. People besides appreciating art works also feel proud of their heritage,” Basu told DH .

. He thanked Guthu House family in particular, Pratibha Karanth, who supported INTACH in the restoration of ‘Chavadi’ or the welcoming entrance of the Guthu House. Prathibha Karanth hails from Kodial Guthu family and is wife of Dr Ullas Karanth, Director of the Centre for Wildlife Studies.

. Former member of Lalita Kala Academy and S Cube Art Gallery curator Rajendra Kedige says the beauty and serene atmosphere of the traditional house is retained while setting up the art gallery. “For artists, there has always been a need for such a creative space,” he emphasises.

. The gallery serves as a space for display-cum-sale of varieties of art works including paintings, metal, stone and wood sculptures by prominent artists of the region like Ramesh Rao, P N Acharya, Purushottam Adve, Venki Palimar, Syed Asif Ali, Santhosh Andrade, Vishwas and Permude Mohan Kumar.

. Camps, appreciation programmes and exhibitions by individual artists are also held here. A workshop on ‘Kaavi’ art, painting competition on the theme of Mahatma Gandhi, an exhibition based on life and achievements of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya, held in the gallery, received good response.

. Kodial Guthu Center for Media Art and Design

. ‘Chavadi’ rose to prominence with the establishment of ‘Kodial Guthu Center for Media Art and Design’ by Artkanara and Mindcraft studios. The institute offers short term courses in visual studies, art journalism and design school focusing on students, said INTACH co-convener Nemiraj Shetty.

. Harsha D’Souza, an insurance executive, also redesigned his old house and turned into a gallery, ‘Kadri Rocks Art Gallery’ at Kadri Rocks. The Gallery owner says when he moved into his new house, he wanted to retain his grandfather’s house.

. With the help of artists, he developed it into a gallery in the beginning of 2019, where he could exhibit a wide range of artifacts including terracotta and metal sculpture which he collected during his travels. He has been organising art camps at the gallery.

Preserving heritage houses for artistic purpose

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