Saturday saw around 50 aspiring artists busy working at their easels at the Rangoli Metro Art Centre, at the Boulevard on M G Road. Led by renowned artist S G Vasudev, who has been working on his theme-based series on eyes titled 'Rhapsody', around 50 students from Chitrakala Parishath, Srishti School of Art and Ken School of Art participated in 'The Joy of Vision'. The event was organised by Shankara Eye Hospital to promote eye donation through creative expression on the occasion of the National Eye Donation Fortnight spanning from August 25 to September 8.
According to a press statement sent out by the organisers, chief medical officer of Sankara Eye Hospital, Dr Umesh stated, “The most important gift one can give after one's life is the gift of sight by donating their eyes. All religions support organ donation and to eliminate avoidable blindness, we need to make eye donation a family tradition.”
"I think it is important for the artist community to contribute to social causes. A few years ago, 50 to 60 contemporary artists painted buses to spread awareness of how to use public transport, and it gave me great joy to see how many people gathered around and took notice," Vasudev told City Express.
Talking of the relationship between eye donation and the visual arts, the artist said, "This is a cause especially close to the hearts of visual artists as without sight, it is impossible to appreciate their creations. And, personally, I think the more people who realise the importance of donating their eyes and creating joy in another's life, the better."
According to Vasudev, the event also facilitated interactions between artists and the people, lending encouragement to the former and making the awareness campaign more effective.