HYDERABAD: Art per se is a human experience – first created for oneself and later to be shared with like-minded people. Therefore, strategising to market art to deep pockets is when the joy of creation dilutes to become a commodity to be coveted and desired.
An ongoing exhibition, ’Buy Art 2018’ at ICONART Gallery, has been consecutively propagating the idea of affordable art. This year the gallery has invited 35 contemporary artists with the concept to make art accessible to the salaried class besides the regular clientele.
On display are paintings, prints and sculptures. The artists in this exhibition are Agacharya, Aarchana Biswas, Baalabhaktha Raju, Bhaskar Rao B, Debabarata Biswas, Kiran Thadoju, Konda Srinivas, Krishma Wadhwa, Maruthi Paila, Mohan Kumar, Nageshwar Rao T, Neeraja Kongara, PC Prasad, PS Charry, Parul Srivastava, Pavan Kumar D, Pramod Ram Reddy, Raghavendra A, Raghu Akula, Rajeshwar Rao N, Ramakrishna, Ramana Akkiraju, Ramana Mora, Redon, Shravan Kumar GK, Sridevi, Sreedhar, Srinivas Reddy B, Surekha Sadana, Tailor Srinivas, Vani CH, Vijay Belde, Vijay Dhore, Vikram CH, Vimala M.
In a mixed display of figurative and abstract works the miniature wooden sculptures by Pavan Kumar D stand out prominently. We see aninteresting transition from an organic form to a slightly suggestive form as he introduces hints of colour. Bhaskar Rao’s detailed trees are a delight for the eye. His journey as a landscape artist to the tree specialist can be reviewed as the maturity of a creator who has discarded the excessiveness of imagery concentrating on an individualistic utterance.
Today artists are consenting to make art accessible and affordable. Of course, history has its records that the patrons of art were either the ecclesiastical community or the aristocracy. But, thankfully, contemporary artworks operate on a number of levels: individual passion, therapy, education and of course it’s also market driven. The exhibition is on till March 20