BENGALURU:City-based artist Sujith Kumar GS Mandya is paying tribute to the renowned painter Yusuf Arakkal, who passed away in October last year.
Sujith is doing so with his solo exhibition ‘The Bull’, an aesthetics of anxiety.
Talking about his association with Yusuf Arakkal, Sujith says, “I have walked pillar to post showcasing my work. It was Yusuf and and his wife Sara who promoted my work during my days of struggle. They had my first solo show in their gallery. They have spent about a lakh and a half to promote my work.”
The series of paintings and drawings express the angst of the human mind. Presenting the bull in his over 50 artworks as a metaphor for an anxious mind of a human being, Sujith says, “I have studied the animal and its behaviour closely. They are very strong and powerful. You can understand that from their body language, but unlike humans, they cannot express emotions.”
Sujith launched his The Bull series in 2012. He says, “I was inspired by Sunil Das, a famous artist from Kolkata. He is known for his Bull series, but I have developed the series in my style. As an artist, I have tried to show my versatility with this series.”
The series has been showcased in cities such as Mumbai, Chennai and in foreign countries — USA, Singapore and UAE.
Through his series, he wants to convey the message - live and let live.
“I have researched about the Pamplona bull race in Spain and Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu. The bulls are tortured in such races,” he informs.
Sujith has done an AM [Art Masters] and GD in drawing and painting from Shree Kala Niketana School of Art, Mysuru.
His favourite medium to work on is graphic, pencil and oil on canvas.
He says, “From childhood, I have been into arts. I found studying difficult.”
The show, ‘The Bull’, which is spread over two galleries of Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath is on display until February 28.