CHENNAI: The choppy waves of green-blue seas carry three white boats, with red flags, across the horizon, as cawing birds soar past an endless sky. With practiced motions, Vidarthe — a hearing, and speech-impaired artist — brings life to this landscape on canvas during a live demonstration at the Cottingley House, British Deputy High Commission Chennai.
Vidarthe’s eye for nature — which depicts crystal-like drops of water or a multicoloured-butterly — fills most of her works and has won her accolades like the Prathyaha National Award. The 34-year-old’s love for art began at a young age and she won several competitions over the years, says Uma Maheswari, the artist’s mother, adding that for her daughter, art expresses what words fail to.
As part of ‘This-Abled Dialogues’ exhibition, Vidarthe’s works find a place, along with those of 16 others from across India. Organised by the all-women team of Art Houz UK and British Deputy High Commission Chennai, the exhibition, featuring 50 artworks, focuses on fostering inclusive spaces and challenging societal norms.
Accessible exhibitions
From Vincent Van Gogh to Frida Kahlo, differently-abled artists have long demolished, expanded, and redefined what art can be and do. And the world and often inaccessible exhibition spaces have been forever grateful for the contributions of these trailblazers.
“Disability, often viewed through the lens of limitations, is a concept that stills the potential and abilities of individuals. We are here to shatter stereotypes and embrace the extraordinary power of art to transcend barriers and revive the human spirit,” says Sabina, founder, and director of Art Houz UK. The future of art world must allow equal opportunity to all artists, especially in marginalised communities, she adds.
According to the director of Art Houz UK, milestones like ‘This-Abled Dialouges’ mark a significant step towards promoting inclusivity and recognising the immense talent that exists within the community. This event has invited individuals to break barriers and express themselves, says Sabina.
Range of art
“The first paintings were discovered in caves in southern France and Spain, depicting life over 40,000 years ago… I wonder if artists thought their paintings would be discussed in June 2023 by a Scotsman in India,” says Paul Dryden, MBE Deputy Head of Mission - British Deputy High Commission. Centuries have passed since the cave paintings, and a glance around the room reveals an evolution and range of art, styles, opinions, and ideas.
From Balamurugan’s acrylic paintings that linger on pastoral scenes and festivals like Jalikattu to visually-impaired Arunava Mondal’s abstract works chronicling nature’s moods or polio survivor Mallikarjun V Koralli’s puppet-like figures of colourful women, the walls seem to conduct lessons on art theory and life. Ashik Ali Kham’s experimental works weaves wildlife in their usual habitats and hearing-impaired artist Karan Aroras’ curious brushes paint flower sellers bargaining with customers or narrow lanes of Old Cochin Street.
Dharwad-based Kiran Sherkhane’s works, which can be interpreted as the intersection between identity and expression, show pastel figures of persons with disabilities, gripping items like pink flowers or orange fish. Armed with this fearless vulnerability, the artist is set to win the Lalit Kala Akademi Award. “I don’t normally get emotional. I am Scottish, I’m from Dundee and it’s illegal there but when I heard the news (about the awrad), there was a lump in my throat,” says Paul. As he explains, art remains a powerful force between history, landscape, beauty, and satire. The exhibition will be open to the public until June 28 at Art Houz Gallery in Nungambakkam.
A PLATFORM FOR TALENT
Art Houz UK is a worldwide artistic platform. It is a stage that displays tales of talented artists and bridges the gap between the physical and virtual domains of modern experience and connecting people with the art they love.