HYDERABAD: The upcoming art exhibition titled Joyous Circuit of Life at Chitramayee State Gallery of Art presents artworks of senior artist Anjani Reddy, showcasing the vibrancy of Indian festivities, the loudness of human interaction and motifs taken from Indian mythology
Celebration of little moments of life, especially things that stay in individual and social psyche, right from epiphanies to grand festivities — all make their way into the artworks of senior artist Anjani Reddy. A visiting faculty at JNUFAU, her upcoming exhibition at Chitramayee State Gallery of Art, titled Joyous Circuit of Life, brings together a collection of paintings and wearable art, showcasing Indian festivities, colours in Indian culture and motifs taken from Indian mythology. The exhibition will be inaugurated on October 10 at 5 PM and will be open for all till October 16.
“This exhibition compiles some of the best acrylic paintings I made in the last three years,” said Anjani Reddy. “While some of them are really big, about 6 feet tall, there are also small jewellery pendants, which are part of the ‘wearable, functional art,’” she added.
One cannot escape the vibrancy of colours she uses in her paintings and to see them represent cultural aspects on varying scales is an experience in itself, something she values the most. “The subject is not just women but also our culture and traditions and how I as an artist have perceived images that were in my mind and translated them onto the canvas,” said Reddy. “My imagery is from the day-to-day life of the people and our own involvement in it. In India, there is a festival at the turn of every season. That can’t be overlooked. My paintings also cannot escape the loudness of festivities and the preparations for them,” she added.
Besides culture, she also takes inspiration from nature, with flowers springing up in most of her works. She also gives some credit to her identity as a woman, as a being who cannot escape the social relations she is born into. And then there is spirituality. “Over the years, I have seen my figures becoming more defined. As I matured, I learned how to diffuse colours more efficiently. In the Kailash painting, where Shiva is aboard, you see a lot of diffusion of colours.
I start my paintings with an abstract background and then I draw figures on them. Then the painting builds up in many layers. I let the figures dissolve into the background. As someone who grew up listening to the stories of Rama and Mahabharata, I usually end up doing some decorative elements here and there. The seasons and the environment are all important to me. Whatever I like remains with me and comes out on the canvas,” said Reddy.
Art historian and critic Ashrafi S Bhagat from Chennai says that Reddy’s works are sheer visual delight. “Her engagement with the medium of acrylics comprises control and instinctive manoeuvring, which allows for impressive articulation of concepts and forms, matched with agility and power.”
Painting with one’s own creative and artistic labour is what brings out the soul of the artist, says Reddy. She confesses that even her younger students who have taken up digital art agree that painting manually on a physical surface brings out the inner emotions of the artist. “When hand and mind are in coordination with each other, whatever comes as art out of you is a surprise to yourself. Painting a happy face on the days when I am sad is a futile attempt. I try and try but it just does not come to me and I have to try another day,” she said.
As a teacher, she is an expert in all major mediums but acrylic is her comfort zone. She also experiments with watercolours at times. At the exhibition, there is also a small display of jewellery art, which she makes on canvas pasted on oxidised metals.