KOCHI: Kerala Lalithakala Akademi on Wednesday announced the 51st state visual arts awards for the year 2022, with Ameen Khaleel and Prakashan K S winning the prizes for the best painting and drawing, respectively.
Ameen won the award for the painting ‘Balancing on unreal surface’ (Illogical theatre series) while Prakashan clinched the prize for his drawing ‘To recover something previously lost’.
The other winners are Shaan K R for his sculpture (untitled), Sreeja P B for her painting ‘The Bread,’ Sreenath K S for New Media, Anu John David for his photograph ‘The Exodus,’ and Unnikrishnan K for his cartoon ‘Amrith Kal’.
The awardees were selected by a jury comprising seven experts led by artists Surendran Nair and R M Palaniyappan.
A jury of seven experts, led by artists Surendran Nair and R M Palaniyappan, decided the winners. Twenty-seven artists have been selected in seven categories for the awards. The awards were declared by the chairperson and secretary of Lalithakala Akademi, Murali Cheeroth and N Balamuralikrishnan, in Kochi.
In addition to these categories, five honourable mention awards, four special mention awards for art students, four special jury awards, V Shankaramenon Endowment Gold Medal, Vijayaraghavan Endowment Gold Medal and Rajan M Krishnan Award were also declared.
The awards will be given away on May 29. Minister for Cultural Affairs, Saji Cherian and Minister for Law and Industries, P Rajeeve, will attend the event to be held at the Durbar Hall. “A one-month-long art exhibition will also be inaugurated as part of the event,” said Murali Cheeroth.