BENGALURU:National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) has been witnessing a lot of buzz since September. Connoisseurs of art have been making a beeline to behold Bengaluru’s famed artist S G Vasudev’s retrospective exhibition titled Inner Resonance – A return to Sama. Created and curated by Sadanand Menon and designed by Miti Desai, this month-long event has been showcasing various works from Vasudev’s renowned series such as Tree of Life, Tree of Life and Death, She and Tree and Earthscape.
This weekend, eminent Kannada poet Prathibha Nandakumar, will be showcasing a poetic performance Kalpavrukshada Swagatha as a tribute to Vasudev’s art, life and outlook. This soliloquy features performer Balu Nagendra and vocalist Sparsha RK, with music composed by Tejaswi Haridas.“Having known Vasudev since decades I have interviewed him on different phases of his life. In fact, most of us artists, while viewing this retrospective exhibition, felt emotional. We grew up around his works. He is an exceptional man who has always responded to other forms of art – be it theatre, movies, music or poetry,” says Prathibha.
“He always has been closely associated with literature and writers. He has artworks based on A K Ramanujan’s poems. In theatre, he was associated with B V Karanth. I remember he once did a 12-drawing series on 12 poets, which was made into a calendar. I have been featured in it. When he lost his first wife Arnavaz Driver to cancer, he did not paint with colours for two years. Then he shifted to Bengaluru from Chennai. He started painting with colours again and I call it the best phase of his artistic career. His works underwent an essential shift. I could perceive a remarkable luminous quality in his works,” recalls Prathibha, with much fondness.
Balu Nagendra, who will be enacting the monologue, is excited about his performance. “The NGMA pond is the most suitable venue for this enactment based on the experiences and perspective of a legendary artist. It is difficult to categorise it,” he says.Singer, Sparsha also agrees with him saying, “This is a mixed art form and a novel experience for me,” says the young singer.
Even for music composer, Tejaswi Haridas, the show has been a delightful experience. Sounding excited while rehearsing for the next show, he says: “Vasudev sir is known to work while listening to classical music. That really helped with my composition, which I have enjoyed working on.”The director, Prathibha gearing up for the show says, “I have curated several poetic performances earlier, but this one is very personal. It is an intensive experiment, crystallised in the form of a theatrical. I wrote this one for Vasudev and for myself,” she states, before signing off.
Inner Resonance - A return to Sama will be showcased at the National Gallery of Modern Art on September 27, at 6.30 pm.