Reversing stereotypes

KOCHI: Being a film aspirant, he was always passionate about art. Kochi-based artist Sam Thomas, popularly known as ‘Art Mowgli’ made his foray into painting with stencil art. But even in his wildest imagination, Sam could have never considered organising an exhibition with his artwork. Influenced by his love for the cinema, his exhibition titled ‘Reverse Exhibition’ contain portraitures of cine-artists.  
“I never had a plan to try my luck in painting.  It was the boring leisure time during my filmmaking course that compelled me to attempt something,” says Sam who completed his Bachelors in Communication Design from Birmingham City University.  

He remembers his self-underestimation that made several limits in learning new things in life. “I learned everything on my own. Be it painting or photography, it was self-taught. But, I placed my bar very low due to the excessive self-underestimation that restricted me from propelling myself forward,” he quips.

Interestingly, invert art form was evolved only in 2014 and it has not been attempted in India yet. It is an art technique of drawing pictures in negatives. To the eye, it is just a negative picture.  The real feel and visibility of art can be seen only while viewing it in invert mode in camera effects. “It is a fusion of stencil art with invert. I’m recreating film negatives into paintings. Unlike other exhibitions where the audience view the displayed artwork, mine will require participation with their mobile phones,” he says.When his friend asked for a copy of his stencil art on the actor Mohanlal, Sam recreated the work with least hope.

But the outcome gave him immense confidence and he developed it into a hobby. “In the beginning, I was a bit casual in painting. I made a mistake by adding wrong colours in different places. But the end result invoked a ‘invert art form’ in me. That’s where it all began,” he says.  When he decided to make numerous paintings, he wanted it to be simple and comprehensible to kids and elderly alike. “When I eventually learnt the knack, I wanted it to be easily understandable to everyone. So, I decided to stick to painting this art form instead of traditional abstracts,” he concludes.

‘Reverse Exhibition’ was on display at the Durbar Hall Art Gallery, Kochi.