THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 75 divergent paintings resulted from the hard work of 36 artists from across the state became an eye-catching sight for the art lovers who visited ‘Chithra Sancharam’, the national level painting exhibition at Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery at Vyloppilli Samskrithi Bhavan.
Though only a few among them were established or known artists, each work of them stood unique and interactive. Most of them are from different walks of life with no common connection other than the love for art. It is a platform for young and talented artists who have only known each other through social media.
The influence of social media in helping talented artists to come to the mainstream scene can be seen in the exhibition. The organisers believe social media has got a huge role in helping artists to become popular. “Not many of the artists who are participating in the exhibition have dreamt of exhibiting their works with renowned artists. This will be an encouragement for them to excel in the field,” said Shyju K Maloor, one of the curators.
Chithra Sancharam is planning to expand its wing to social service too. “It is a platform for promising artists to learn from each other. We are planning to extend our wing to help the society in social causes too,” said Shyju.
Expressing her happiness, Swapna Augustine, who paints with her legs said, “It’s like a dream come true. Though I have organised solo and group exhibitions, this one is close to my heart as I’m able to meet people who are working in the same field and interact with them.”
Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran inaugurated the four-day exhibition on Thursday. The programme was presided over by Kerala Lalithakala Akademi secretary Ponniam Chandran. Santhigiri Ashram organising secretary Swami Gururethnam Jnana Thapaswi and art director Rajasekharan Parameswaran spoke during the function.
The exhibition co-curated by Vipin Iritty will conclude on Sunday. The next Chithra Sancharam exhibition will be held at Hyderabad soon.