KOCHI: World art has witnessed a sea of change due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The closure of art galleries came as a big blow to artists who have been forced to come up with new and unique ways to promote their work. ‘Seeking the Source’, an online art exhibition hosted by Moonspace art gallery based in Houston (United States) is one such attempt to provide artists with a platform to showcase their talents on the world stage. Global art including paintings, sculptures, drawings, photography and new media art are part of the show.
Zakkir Hussain ,Tom Vattakuzhy, P.S. Jalaja, Shaji Appukuttan, Tensing Joseph, E.H. Pushkin, Pradeep Puthoor and Lizzie Jacob are among the fourteen renowned artists from the country showcasing their works at the exhibition that began on Tuesday. Other than the Indian artists, works of 21 international artists such as Alexey Adonin (Israel), Alexis Hernandez (USA), Analia Adorni (Argentina), Erika Korozsi (Hungary) and Francesco Ruspoli (France) are also being featured on the show.
According to Tensing Joseph, a Thiruvananthapuram based artist, the plight of migrant labourers and nature reclaiming its space during the Covid-19 pandemic period are among the main issues that are highlighted in their exhibition. He further added that the pandemic has brought in uniformity in the way creative artists think and function.
“The pandemic has given us a renewed source of energy to contribute to the world in a positive manner during a desperate time. Artists in the past, like Edvard Munch, Egon Schiele and George Grosz who witnessed massive socio-economic changes during their period opened up a whole new visual world of hope and optimism to the society that was inactive and hopeless. Artists across the world are trying to emulate this”, said Tensing.