THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Art is breaking ‘sound’ barriers and becoming a universal language at the Chithrasala gallery in Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan. Here, artists speak not through words but their creations, offering a rare insight into their inner world and silent observations.
‘Echoing Eleven’, the annual exhibition by final year art students of the National Institute of Speech & Hearing (NISH), which opened on Tuesday, buzzes with creativity and ideas.
The second phase of an exhibition held earlier at NISH, the show features a collection of paintings and applied art projects created by eleven students with speech impairments. The exhibition showcases their best works from the past five years of study.
“The name of the exhibition reflects our mission: to echo our 11 students’ emotions and expressions through art,” says Rakesh P S, head of the department of fine arts at NISH.
“Typically, people who have hearing or speech impairments don’t have as much exposure or opportunities for communication with others. We believe that events like this exhibition can help bridge that gap, allowing them to feel more connected to society and encourage understanding and appreciation for their creativity,” says Rakesh.
There are no mediators or teachers present to communicate with the public; instead, the students interact directly with visitors. Teachers have observed that this significantly boosts confidence.
In addition to the paintings, the exhibition features applied art projects that showcase advertising designs and essential elements a company needs to promote its products. Each project is a live collaboration with established companies or shops in the market.
“The public is showing great support. They are very curious to know how these students work just like any other artists and what kind of training enables them to create such impressive work. Most people are appreciating the talents of these students,” says Rakesh.
The exhibition concludes on September 29.