Fifty years ago, when Aekka Yadagiri Rao made his first sculpture, little did he know that he would be standing amidst his second digital art exhibition. “The days of paints and brushes is almost vanishing. With the evolution of technology, art is also getting a make over. Every field is fast-changing, so why not art? We have to keep alive the traditional art, but we don’t have to stick to it completely. Contemporary times are giving scope for change,” said Yadagiri Rao.
His latest art exhibition, The Deviant, a digital art show is currently on at the Iconart Gallery. An exclusively abstract art show, Yadagiri has shown the best of mixed media art on the 24 frames that are on display at the gallery.
Ask him why he named his art show, The Deviant, Aekka explained, “The reason here is very personal. Deviant here means my transition from being a sculptor to a digital artist. Like, when we consider the flow of water, when blocked it always branches into a tributary and deviates.”
Huge frames with subtle colours have been created with the aim of leaving it to the viewer to perceive the art piece as they wish. Two of the bigger frames, titled 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram', are painted in hues of blue and black, drawing the curiosity of everybody, while the others portrayed the natural phenomenon of rocks and a village setting, among other subjects. One particular frame which features a man’s arm is the only one with a human element. The artist has been often questioned about the reason behind it. “I leave it for people to decide. Many have different versions of it depending on their experiences and how they want to see it,” he mentioned.
It took Aekka about four months to create these frames. And five main elements that he kept in mind while creating them were aesthetic value, composition of the collage, balancing the colours, contrast and the over-all effect the painting would have on its audience.
“I made a collage once and was very happy with the result. Later on, I experimented with collage and digital art and what came of it was very good. Technology has improved a lot since and when the world is experiencing all of it, why should I limit myself to it? Digital art is picking up, but Cubism and other forms of traditional art are vanishing.”
Born in 1938 in Old City and popularly know for his sculpting, his inspiration was his uncle Raghava, a sculptor himself. Under his tutelage, he started making Ganesh idols from plaster of paris for the Vinayaka Chavithi festival. He graduated with a diploma in Fine Arts from Osmania University and taught at the College of Fine Arts department in JNTU, retiring as a professor 30 years later.
Aekka said that his need for experimentation led him to creating these frames. “Though sculpting is my area of interest, right now I cannot handle big stones or take up large scale projects. So, I thought why not experiment. It is the expression of the same mind into a different media. And digital art was my gradual progression,” he said.
A strong supporter of the Telangana movement, he is know for the Telangana martyr memorial. “I want to work more on the issue and contribute how much ever I can as an artist. I don’t want it to get diluted,” he expressed.
The Deviant, a digital art exhibition will remain on display till April 30, from 11:30 am to 7 pm.
