It’s a never ending journey of the mind and its expressions. Expedition: The Journey of Creative Art, a national art exhibition by students and teachers of Ravi Varma Institute, Mysore, brings out the ethos of Karnataka through a maze of colours and forms, myths and traditions layered with universal truths.
Different facets of the mysteries and realities of the world revealing universal truths throb with life from the 46 paintings of 44 artists at Durbar Hall Art Gallery.
The acrylic ‘Gayaka’ on canvas of a singer who is lost in spiritual tone of his music, balancing a veena in one hand and striking the chords with the fingers of another decked in the typical attire and embellishments of Karnataka oozes with the subtle elements and character that the country stands and connects with the myths of yore.
Likewise, the silver jar on which rests a coconut surrounded by mango and betel leaves seen in most Karnataka homes is portrayed in a different light by Basavaraj S Musavalgi in his ‘Still Life’. Towering high-rises in the shape of coconut, and cityscapes in the shape of mango leaves symbolise the concrete jungles that are fast displacing the greenery.
C S Krishna Setty’s untitled acrylic piece has a chameleon hanging from a string on one plane and five human faces with differing countenances, sans eyes, sans mouth. Another face at the back of a chair with clearcut features sees all with an inner vision.
M G Doddamani’s frame of Buddha-like profile with lotus blooms here and there and is aptly titled ‘The Golden Light’. Also layered with meaning are P Sampath Kumar’s ‘Let’s Live Together’ which delves on the bond between man and nature in sublime shades, where nature kindles every nerve of humankind.
Prabha Harsoor’s oil tries to unravel the psyche of women. According to Shivkumar Kesaramadu who has organised the show, abstract art uses the visual language to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. His abstract frame that is non-objective or non-representational does not relate to anything external or try to resemble something.
Arun P Kadapure focuses on today’s children’s craze for gadgets. A little one at a monastery is seen exploring the world through a camera, his books lie open a little away from him.
Myths and black magic zoom out from some frames. Like the cat in B N Rajendra’s painting. The cat crossing one’s path is a bad omen while a black cat is considered lucky. The artist tries to point out that its just the play of the mind which can be curbed by lofty thoughts.
Mesmerising forms emerge from a riot of colours in Mohan Shankar Deamane’s work. Like M S Lingaraju’s landscape done in captivating hues.
Mother Nature blooms in a few works and is linked to womankind in an uncanny way. A few artists have brought to light how society is riddled with peculiarities and problems. While some are concrete, a few are abstract and others are a blend of the two. Some of the frames are on a spiritual quest. Some paintings bring alive the Hindu myths - ‘Radhakrishna’ by Tukuram Z Jamadar and B C Devaraju’s Mahishasuramardini. All the works stand out for their aesthetics while they trigger dialogue.
As the title suggests the show which embarked as a journey with three simultaneous shows in Mysore has set foot in Kochi and is on the way to Goa. The show will run through Thursday.