An Inbox full of art

The best way to revive a century-old, long forgotten palace in the city would require some out-of-the-box thinking. That is exactly what the art show Inbox, which will be held as part of the Ramaniyam art festival, is planning to do.

As many as 83 established and upcoming artists from across the country will come together for one of the largest contemporary Indian art shows. “We are exploring the concept of ‘disposable culture’. Today, we live in a world where we create short-lived products and burden the Earth by consuming tonnes of natural resources. It is this very concept that we wanted to highlight and that’s what we are doing t,” explains Lakshmi Nambiar.

Curated by artist George Martin, the show is an endless supply of works.

“I was part of the corporate culture for a really long time. But it was only after my mum passed away that I began to look at the real meaning of life. I started thinking about a lot of things and realised that materialistic things don’t matter much. So when George explained the concept of the show, it just resonated with me and I decided to go ahead,” explains Lakshmi, who adds that all the artworks are three-dimensional.

“Ramaniyam is celebrated in memory of my mum. Mum always made sure that budding artists got enough exposure in the field of art and this time too, I have made sure that happens. Among the 83 artists, apart from the established ones like Laxma Goud, Bose Krishnamachary, Riyas Komu and T. V. Santosh among others, there are also artists who have just finished their MFA. This is a small way to promote their talent,” she says.

While conceptualising the show, Lakshmi was sure of one thing. “I didn’t want the show at a gallery. I wanted the venue to have a life and history of its own and when I discovered the Hill Fort Palace, I thought it was perfect. Here was a century-old palace in the heart of Hyderabad that was forgotten by everyone. What better place to showcase an art show that deals with disposable culture,” Lakshmi asks.

But it wasn’t that easy. The exhibition took close to a year to fall into place and the venue too was finalised a few months ago. “The Hill Fort Palace was a hotel once upon a time. But then a series of events led to the abandonment of the hotel and for about 20 years the palace wasn’t used. So when I heard of it, I approached the Government and everything just fell into place!” explains Lakshmi

The show, however, is not just about artworks. It has much more to offer.

“Throughout the programme, we have many events lined up. There is a pottery workshop, a musical show, we also have created space for upcoming artists to come and work in the palace. Apart from that, there will be caricature artists and a small space in the courtyard where guests can come,” she says.