BENGALURU : One-and-a-half years ago, Kannada film actor Samyuktha Hornad discovered her love for painting, sketching, doodling and just about any artwork. While she has been in the limelight for her films, she did not feel satisfied and took to art while doing theatre in Mumbai. When a stranger appreciated her work and offered to buy them, she realised she could pursue this head on.Not many may know that she is self-taught, never having attended any painting or sketching classes as a child. Casting aside her popularity, she wanted to create a quiet place for the undiscovered talent of amateur artists and bring them to the limelight.
“On the day of the launch, we exhibited Dushyanth’s paintings. He is a 21-year-old student whose works are based on news and current affairs. They are mindblowing. Who will ever know of him unless there is an exclusive platform of this sort? At the same time, we had well-known artists such as Baadal Nanjundaswamy, an expert in his own niche form,” says Samyuktha, who is eager to be known as an artist and not just an actor.
“Of the several artwork entries we received, I carefully picked out a few for the launch. One of them was by an IT professional, who had a whole book of caricatures and sketches. He is a corporate employee with a 9-5 job. It is important for him to come home every day and dabble in art. These are the kind of people I want to highlight through ARTery studio,” she adds.
Samyuktha grew up in an atmosphere where her grandparents were into theatre and were surrounded by fellow artistes. She also realised the need for a space to meet like-minded people. She believes, it is hard to find spaces where artists can sit and think, cut off from the outside noise. “There may be art cafes but they are restrictive. This is a home-like studio meant for serious art, with no distraction,” explains Samyuktha, who does not restrict herself to any particular medium.
“I go crazy with my artworks. I call them method acting doodles or MAD. I can’t put a name to the kind of art I enjoy creating. I doodle, use pen, pencils, crayons, paints. I once created an artwork out of cigarette smoke and ash. This space is meant more for other artists and not me,” says the 27-year-old. Samyuktha goes on to say that the dedicated space will house only a small number of people, who will have to call and ask before walking into the studio. The idea is to keep it serious and not turn into a place to hang out. She got the idea for the art space when she attended graphic novel classes earlier.
“We had only one teacher and five students at the graphic novel class. On the same lines, I wanted a quiet place for interactions, workshops and exhibitions,” she says. The space is open to dance, theatre, music, bloggers and other art forms as well. The studio’s logo is a heart with arteries and veins. “What I could not express in words, I find that I am able to emote through art,” Samyuktha says. Next on her list is a soundproof room within this studio in JP Nagar, to conduct film screenings, again for a handful of people. Be it storytelling events or rehearsal place, the studio aims to welcome art lovers. An upcoming workshop in this space will be held by an engineering student, who can sculpt intricate drawings.