HYDERABAD: A series of works done on cloth, executed in Batik process are on display at the Rabindra Bharathi gallery. The solo show brings forth a wide array of works done by artist Prakash Balaiah.
For Prakash, batik is like a family tradition that he got introduced to as a child. His father, popularly known as Batik Balaiah has dedicated almost five decades in exploring the medium and coming up with beautiful works using batik process. He has been frequently awarded and honoured for his consistent work with a single medium.
Prakash’s affinity for batik has been inherited from his father but he has been able to carve a niche for himself in the same field of creativity with a marked personal stylisation. The present show contains works that completely revolve around and beautifully assimilate multiple aspects, nuances and visual excerpts about the people and life in Telangana .
While talking about one of his works from present series Prakash explains, “ The horizontal work is a collage of the Telangana life, history and cultural magnificence. The portraits of two remarkable poets, Kaloji Narayan Rao and Daasarathi from the region adorn the upper section of the work. I have amalgamated the images to symbolically represent the Cultural diversity on a single picture surface, the excerpts from festivals such as Bonnalu, bathukamma, the lambardis, the quwali artists all got mentioned in this work.”
The artist has worked with utmost finesse and has excelled in accentuating the beautiful, aesthetically appealing aspects of the medium, batik to completely support and enhance the spirit of his works.
The play of sweeping lines, colour areas with the visible fine veins formed due to the application of wax, make for a very interesting picture surface. The artist’s maturity and perfection in handling the medium gets exemplified in each and every work.
One of the works depicts Buddha seated beneath the bodhi tree. The work excels in bringing forth the spiritual, sublime and magnificently mesmerising personality of the God. The quiet ambience and the play of textured sections weave a picturesque ambience. The closely rendered thick cluster of leaves in the tree, create a feel of momentum and yet they refrain themselves from disturbing the serene equilibrium exemplified through the composition.
The artist with a marked affection recreates plenty of images of rural women engrossed in their mundane work and also while relaxing and getting engaged in small retreats. These women surrounded by plenty of flora and fauna make for a memorable experience for the viewers.
The present show will be on till June 8