CHENNAI: How do you infuse a taste for art and culture into a group of techies? Sukumari from IIT Alumni Club has a simple solution — expose them to beautiful pieces of art. While the Club has been organising art exhibitions for years now, this is the first time it is tieing up with a gallery to organise the same. When Boundaries Begin to Fade, an upcoming exhibition by the Club in collaboration with Art Houz, will see works of C Douglas and B O Shailesh among others.
“Our members are focused on engineering, though they have an interest in exploring other aspects. So we thought organising such exhibitions would be a good way to expose them to it,” says Sukumari.
Three years ago, the Club organised a big exhibition of Thota Tharani’s works. In the past two years, it has given platform for both budding and established artists. Works of well-known artists like MF Husain and Jamini Roy have also been displayed by the Club in the past years. “Last year, we had three women artists exhibiting their works as part of International Women’s Day. And a few months ago, we had city-based art collectors exhibiting their rare collections, a few as old as 100 years. We always give a chance to individual artists. If they want to display their works on our walls, they can do it free of cost,” she says.
However, tieing up with a gallery helps expand their reach and bring in a wide range of artists, she adds. “We are not big players when it comes to art. We cannot afford to invest in it. So tieing up with a gallery expands the scope,” she says.
The Club, which is located at Mylapore, is set to expand to a larger space (around 40,000 square feet) in IIT Research Park, Taramani, soon. “We will have more space on the walls to display more pieces 0f art,” says Sukumari with a smile.
The exhibition will be on from June 19 to July 3, at IIT Alumni Club, 2nd Street, Bhaskarapuram, Mylapore.
