When one scurries about in a self-searching journey that is life, the discourse of Buddha ‘living the present to the fullest’ may not pique his intrigue. Instead, he might dig deep into his past or design a future in his spiritual journey. Nonetheless, Seby Akkara painted a life cycle and indulged in its contours in his self-search. The cycle consisting of 19 paintings displayed at the Vyloppilly Samskriti Bhavan art gallery, has all the vivid hues of human emotions. Symbolical images such as ‘Kindi’ and ‘Chool’ (broom) chime in often in the acrylic and charcoal works while illustrating this unfathomable but gritty world.
“With these works I am trying to deal with small and big affairs of life. The paintings are mostly philosophical. As I favour symbolism, most of my paintings have images that convey different meanings,” says Seby.
The self-taught painter who has no art background to boast of, took into painting about 10 years back. Except the Economics theories occasionally revisiting in his paintings, Economics or Hotel Management degrees he clinched in his journey have not helped him much in his art career. Though this is Seby’s second exhibition in Kerala, he has been part of 26 exhibitions conducted around India and abroad including Ireland and Singapore.
This Thrissur-based painter had his first outing as an artist at Goa, where he was doing his hotel management course. One of the art studio owners in Goa spotted Seby’s potential and started encouraging him. Shortly this youngster became a full-time artist catering enchanting paintings to Goan audience.
As if in a soliloquy Seby confides in his ‘Life Chalice’, “Everybody wanted to drink, many people try, few people drink, still a drink to drink, with many hands it made, but a few people drink, the life, the cycle”. On his attempt to ‘drink the life’ this young painter conquers a surfeit of feelings in his paintings while falling prey to an inner combat.
The ‘Kindi’, which symbolises the older generation, is kept upside down so that the ideas and men that fall from the new-generation repel instead of falling into it. What better way to show the conflicts between two generations than this? Similarly, ‘face to face in diminishing marginal utility’ probes deep into the first theory of economics, ‘diminishing marginal utility’. With two apples kept face-to-face he gives the theory’s definition a new angle.
“For a hungry consumer, the first apple given to him will be the most appetizing. Once he has eaten that apple his appetite diminishes. Hence, the second and third apple given to him in the same size and colour won’t appeal to him as much. So the first apple in the painting is red and inviting, while the last is plain with a little bit of red hope hidden underneath,” says Seby.
Seby, who is also a sculptor, often gives new dimensions to his sculptures while using the same subjects in his paintings. Whilst maneuvering the tangled legs and hands of men and women in his paintings to act as an embellishment, he likes to give them meanings as well. The omnipotent mouse which controls the life-framed computer, delves deep into the circle of life in search of oneself. Seby, who is a fan of intermedia art doyen Baiju Parthan’s work, is quite philosophical; consequently, his works are always human related.
The exhibition inaugurated by N Prasanth IAS, Managing Director of Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC), will conclude on Monday.