BENGALURU: Starting the year on a colourful note is MKF Museum of Art, which has an ongoing exhibition called Hues 21. It displays 25 pieces of work by young artists from Kolkata, which are all being displayed in namma Ooru. It will go on till Jan. 30. All the works were created during the lockdown, says Shirley Mathew, the museum’s art consultant.
“It’s wonderful to see how their imaginations work even when they were in a closed environment,” says Mathew. The artists whose works are displayed are trained at Swar Sangam, a non-profit organisation under the Birla Institution for Visual and Performing Arts in Kolkata.
Among all the works is a painting of a pumpkin slice, with some seeds fallen on the ground. It might look ordinary at first but the detailing makes it look like a photograph more than a painting. Speaking about more such works on display, Mathew talks about one piece where the artist has painted a lady from the Mughal times, complete with costume and jewellery from the era.
For a twist, the woman is also holding onto a mask. In another painting, a worker is holding some buildings in a mortar pan on his head, which mostly seems to have been inspired from the migrant labour issue that the country was facing.
Mathew, an artist herself, considers her intentions behind the exhibition to not just bring in the beauty of art during this time but also to support these artists. So far, she is happy that the show has been getting a positive response from people.
“Some artists, curators and art historians have seen my post on social media and they have been appreciative. Visitors too enjoyed viewing their works as all 25 are from Kolkata,” says Mathew.
The art exhibition is on at MKF Museum of Art, Lavelle Road, till Jan. 30