Eco Musings

Urvi, the on-going exhibition of paintings at La Gallery 360, showcases the works of ten artists from across Kerala

Environmental depletion, mindless exploitation  and an inevitable sense of doom form the general themes of Urvi, the exhibition of paintings that is on at the La Gallery 360 here. The exhibition that showcases the works of ten artists from across Kerala touches on all aspects of ecological deterioration.

“It was not a subject that was thought up and worked on, but this exhibition is of the paintings of artists who work on similar lines,” says Antony Karal one of the artists.

In one his works Antony has intricately placed three islands around a water body during the monsoons. The painting very distinctively shows his sentiments towards his motherland. The medium that he has used is wood, colour pencil and packing paper.

Even if human beings disappear from the face of the earth it will not affect our environment. But if any other creatures, plants or animals disappear the whole ecological and biological system will be affected and it will also affect the existence of human beings, this is what is portrayed through 2 other pictures of Antony’s in the series titled Portrait. “The artists have been inspired by the things that happen around them,” he says.

Somehow the child in Dodsy Antony’s paintings strangely resembles the artist. And on further enquiry we come to understand that it is no accident as the child in her paintings is none other than her own child through whom she tries to find herself. “These paintings are the ones which I had attempted after a break. To be precise, sometime after childbirth I was going through this period when I was not working and that caused a considerable amount of mental stress in me,” says Dodsy the sole woman participant of the group show.

We a see a painting in which a young child reach out to the skies drawing the curtains. “The curtains resemble my dark period and it is I who is trying to reach out to the light. And it is only after I could complete these works that I felt some kind of relief,” Dodsy adds.  

A landscape artist, Aji Adoor’s works are often inspired from the travels he does. A travel buff that he is, he tries to research the maximum about the picturesque untouched places that he visits often. His pictures include not just the landscapes, but the traditions, folklore and myths associated with each place are all imparted into his paintings.

A Buddha’s image, helicopters descending on Buddha, the epitome of peace, lot of black and red form the crux of Shaju Nellai’s untitled work. These paintings have just one thing to say, violence. “But the violence here does not just mean war alone. It means all kinds of violence,” Shaju adds.

Other recent issues like Kasturirangan and Aranmula airport feature in K T Mathai’s and Shijo Jacob’s works respectively.

K T Mathai’s work titled ‘Idle Unmood’ shows the humbug of people. “They are fools and they have not realised it yet. And all around them the earth is depleting as a result of their activities,” the artist adds. His works also have traces of spirituality in them. 

Jyothilal Govind, whose works are titled ‘Organic Decorations’, says, “through these I have tried to show that technology and organic world are not different things but one.

A P Sunil tries to bring in some sarcasm in his works with ‘Silk Dreams of Smitha’ and ‘Holy Box’. “I chose to do a work on Silk Smitha only because I wanted to show that she was not a bad lady just because of the kind of roles she did,” Sunil says.

The exhibition is on till May 16.

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