HYDERABAD: I treat art as a visual language; we express the story with the colours and sketches. I wish Hyderabad very soon becomes the hub of art, culture, lifestyle, and many more to compete internationally,” said Sudha Reddy, Director of MEIL Group and Chairperson of Sudha Reddy Foundation at the inauguration of News Art Fest 2024 held at Chitramayee State Gallery of Art recently. This exhibition made the nation peek into Hyderabad as it features 200 contemporary artists in various styles and genres, both well-established and emerging artists, offering a diverse experience to the spectators.
Curated by Hyderabad-based artists Bolgum Nagesh Goud, Laxman Aelay, and Manvinder Dawer, founder of India Fine Arts, Mumbai, the exhibition refined the looks of the state gallery with an array of artistic works everywhere. “It all began three years ago. Manvinder is our close friend, so whenever he visits Hyderabad, he used to tell us we will do a show in Hyderabad. Due to our busy schedule, including Laxman’s, it could not happen for two years. Finally, last year, we took it seriously and took it step by step. So initially, we planned with 100 artists. Later it reached 150 artists, and now finally, we have nearly 238 plus artists. Our main motto is to promote emerging artists and also to provide a platform where young artists get a chance to interact with senior artists and learn from them,” explained Bolgum Nagesh Goud, curator of the show.
From abstract to contemporary works, new media, sculptures, and installations, the exhibition encompasses multiple themes and styles. The abstract paintings of Prabhakar Kolte to installations (New Media Art) of Rahul Mitra, every piece holds the essence of their background. Figurative artwork of Farhad Hussain, Sudip Roy, Akshay Anand Singh beautifully showcased the rich cultural tapestry of Hyderabad. The inkwork of Bairu Raghuram, painting of Anand Panchal, K R Santhana Krishnan’s Door were driven by the serene beauty of villages. A A Almelkar’s ‘Kamakshi Devi,’ Moksha Kumar’s ‘Apavargha- Krishna’s Leela,’ Ramesh Gorjala’s ‘Saraswathi,’ Vivek Kumavat’s ‘Dancing Nandi’s’ draw Mythological elements in their works.
Talking about the event, Laxman Aelay said, “We started this in a very small format, but slowly it evolved. Almost every state has art fest happening on a large scale, so we wanted something like that in Hyderabad as well, to create awareness among art enthusiasts in Hyderabad. So far, it’s been a wonderful show.”
Additionally, new media artwork gathers all the young artists from Hyderabad. This part of the show was specially curated by Anand Gadapa and Dr Nirmala Biluka along with Bolgum Nagesh Goud, Laxman Aelay, and Manvinder Dawer. A few highlights of New Media Art include Vinita Dasgupta’s ‘Storyteller: Ah! Megacity,’ Madhu Kurva’s ‘Japamala,’ Rahul Mitra’s ‘Box City,’ Mahesh Mothe’s ‘Typewriter,’ Masuram Ravi Kanth’s ‘Spandolika,’ and many more.
“I’m very happy to see how they have been collecting work from everywhere. I was not surprised, but I’m very happy to see that my work has shown there as well. These three small works depict the universe, the world I am very often showing in my painting world of fantasy. It’s very detailed work, but it’s a kind of personal universe that I have been building up time after time, year after year,” said Maya Burman, French artist.
Emphasising on the upcoming editions of News Art Fest, Manvinder Dawer said, “It’s a proud moment for all of us. I think it’s the biggest art event that is happening in Hyderabad. We’ve got about 300 paintings, sculptures, and new media. So we have got many things planned out for the future. We wanted to do this once in two years because it’s too much of an effort to do it every year. So what we are planning to do is, maybe we will take one smaller edition next year to Chandigarh. So we will go to smaller cities. But our main focus will be on Hyderabad. So when we do a two-year thing, we probably do it in Hyderabad, in a bigger format."
“I think it’s such a unique concept that they have brought with varied. And usually, we don’t get to see everything together either it will be Masters, or it’ll be the newer, younger artists. So I thought this was a wonderful fest that they are going to be doing every year to bring a whole range for everyone to enjoy and understand in one,” says Raksha Narayan, art collector.