Sara Arakkal says of her long years at managing Galerie Sara Arakkal that it’s been like running a marathon. “Now of course, things are slow but typically I don’t have the time to breathe. I am constantly looking up art, picking up works and approaching artists. I spend a good amount of time doing my homework. Then, I also help with setting up shows for Yusuf,” she says.
The gallery is currently hosting its 10th Annual Show that features 70 works by 45 artists. “The tough task was pruning the list of artists from 60 to 45,” says Arakkal who has curated the show. “And as every year, we are highlighting emerging talent. Five artists Raghu Kondur, Venogopal E K, Girish Kulkarni, Kalidas Sonar and M N Patel have their works put up along with those by seniors.”
Despite this being a milestone show for the gallery, Arakkal has followed no theme to the works. There was no commissioned concept. “That would be impinging on the creative freedom of the artist. Each artist is set in his/her style and medium which is original to him/her. Trying to set a theme would be asking for things to go haywire. Most artists I approached were thrilled to participate in the show. In fact, it’s the seniors who sent in their paintings much before the others. Jatin Das, who is based in New Delhi and was visiting Bangalore, was the first to turn in two watercolor drawings for the show,” says Arakkal.
The 10th Annual Show is on at Galerie Sara Arakkal, BEML Layout, ITPL Road, Brookefield, till October 15.