A concocted harmony

Reflecting the contemporary relationship between humans and animals, the mix-media artworks that are part of the show titled Balance, offer an immersive experience to onlookers. The director of Shrishti Art Gallery, Lakshmi Nambiar elaborates on the show. She says, “Artists have captured animals and humans in frames together right from the days of cave paintings. This exhibition  showcases artworks from seven  artists depicting the relationship in their visceral perspectives and styles.”

The varied artworks have been rendered by artists from Hyderabad as well as some other cities. Especially noteworthy are the works by local artists Adarsh Baji and Gangadhar Mukinapally. Comprising charcoal and newsprint on canvas, Adarsh’s works symbolically create a satire on our society. “The illustrations subtly bring forth reality. In my work ‘Now, My number’, goats  wait for their turn under a butcher’s table, symbolising  a livelihood for one and a  gourmet dinner for another,” says the artist.

Another noteworthy series of work, done in iron, bronze and wood by Gangadhar Mukinapally, highlights bright hues of the modern-day lifestyle. Titled ‘Synthetic Life’, the sculpture manifests the artist’s belief that ‘ignorance is not bliss’.

“Through my work I showcase the artificial lives that people lead today by ignoring their origins and adopting unnatural lifestyles with no emphasis to inner beauty,” says Gangadhar.

On the other hand, Muktinath Mondal’s mixed media on wood, titled ‘Self Reflect’, effectively creates an immersive, participatory environment, through a reflection on the glasswork, by which people can become more aware of their own role in the preservation of the environment.

Srinivasa Reddy N.’s paintings on antique postcards from British era, arranged in a random sequence make the narrative non-linear. Reddy tries to examine the contemporary thought process where animals and their habitats are destroyed in the name of development while at the same time people pray to gods like Hanuman and Ganesha. 

Another ironic piece of art, a fibreglass artwork of a donkey titled ‘The unbearable weight of knowing and not knowing’, by Gopinath Subbanna pays homage to our pedagogical roots of archiving knowledge. And Sanjeeva Rao Guthi’s artworks are an indirect representation of the animalistic behaviour of human  beings in their daily  lives, while Farhad Hussain’s paintings represent a  mélange of vibrant colours that dwell on human and animal figures.