A thematic melange of acrylic paintings, charcoal works and sketches adorn the walls of the Durbar Hall art gallery. The exhibition, ‘Haunting Insights’, by T R Udayakumar is a poignant reflection of the pitiable condition of human beings.
The works which are a blend of charcoal and acrylic illustrate the acumen of the artist. They are striking and gratify the senses of the onlooker.
The exhibition depicts myriad issues that haunt the common man.
“ We live in a world of disharmony and social injustice and they haunt us in one way or another,” says Udayakumar. The charcoal and acrylic work of Buddha meditating on a chopped tree under the preying eyes of vultures depict the hatred and the merciless attitude of the people in today’s world.
“There isn’t an iota of love or compassion in society and people live in a world of violence,” says Udayakumar.
This charcoal work of Buddha also hints at the deforestation that is creating an imbalance in the nature.
His paintings focus on serious issues concerning the environment and humans. Being dismayed with the technological boom, Udayakumar says that technology has warped people so much that it has led to the marring of their personalities.
One of his paintings, of scarecrows whose heads have been replaced by barcodes, depict the deplorable condition of man entrapped by technology.
Another section has a rich ensemble of ‘Theyyam’(a traditional folk art of North Malabar) paintings done in acrylic colours.
Through his works on Theyyam, Udayakumar tries to bring in a congruity between nature and man.
Udayakumar was fascinated by the colours of the folk art since he was a child. “The make-up of the artist has always enchanted me and that is how I started working on paintings of Theyyam,” says Udayakumar. “It has always surprised me how a theyyam artist, who is actually a common man, is treated as a God-equivalent for a couple of hours and later forgotten.”
Hailing from Kottayam, this skilled artist’s tryst with art began twenty-five years back. An alumni from the Raja Ravi Varma College of Fine Arts,Mavelikara, Udayakumar has conducted many art exhibitions, with six of them being solo. He has designed the cover pages for over 2000 books penned by eminent writers.
“I have done the book covers for writers like Thakazhi, O V Vijayan. M Mukundan,M T Vasudevan Nair and many other renowned writers of Malayalam,” says the artist.
The exhibition concludes on Saturday.