CHENNAI: The works of 13 artists, some new and some established, come together at an exhibition organised by the Delphic Council of Tamil Nadu at the Focus Art Gallery, Alwarpet. Curated by Sangeeta Harinarain and Kalpana Yuvarraaj, the show, which will go on till September 25, is focused on providing a platform where budding artists can get their work noticed, besides being a fundraiser for the Delphic Council.
Ishrat Akhter, president of the Delphic community of Tamil Nadu, gave the gathering a brief introduction to what the Delphic Council is about. “The story of Delphic Council goes far back when the Olympic Games were first started during the Greek Civilisation in the BCE era. What the Olympic Games did for sports, the Delphic Games did for art and culture,” she explained.
The decline of the Greeks brought an end to both the Olympics and the Delphics, and while the Olympic Games was revived in the late 19th century, the Delphic Council was established only in 1994, in an effort to revive the Delphic games.
Three international games have been held since then, and Ishrat expressed hopes for a larger Indian presence in the fourth edition. Part of the aim of the show, she explained, is to instill new energy into the art scene in Tamil Nadu, also to go beyond the traditional art forms the state is rather known for, like Bharatanatyam. “The aim is to bring together artists and make each other understand the culture and art of the world. By bringing artists from various countries together, the Delphic community hopes it can make the world a better place,” she added.
Sangeeta Harinarain introduced the gathering to the works of some of the artists who made their debut at the exhibition, as well as a triptych of horses that was shipped from Delhi by Michael Silas, an established artist. Co-curator Kalpana Yuvarraaj highlighted the presence of Dr Rajashekhar, art teacher at Anna University, whose works are also on display. “I am a die-hard fan of his geometric, semi-abstract and abstract work, and we have Dakshinamoorthy sir, who focuses largely on temple themes. One of our participants has sent his work all the way from Australia,” Kalpana said.
The art exhibition and sale is on till September 25 at the Focus Art Gallery, Alwarpet.
Curators
Sangeeta Harinarain & Kalpana Yuvarraaj
Artists
Kalpana Yuvarraaj
Augustine Annadurai
Kalidas
James Manikkam
Rohini Yuvaraj
Dakshinamoorthy
Raja
Rajashekar
Kayalvizhi Sethukarasu
Gayathry
Michael Silas