Bengaluru: Chitra Santhe, the much-awaited annual art festival of the Karnataka Chitrala Parishath, was held in the city on Sunday. Thousands of art enthusiasts flocked to browse and buy art at the festival, which stood true to its concept of being ‘art for all’. The festival showcased art in almost all mediums ranging from clay painting, acrylic on canvas, water colour, oil on canvas, theme art stalls to collages. A pop-up theatre performance was put up by CKP students. There were special slots for artists with disability as well.
Sumitha Phrippakkara, who is born with a disability that constricts her hand movements, used her mouth to create her works, done with acrylic on canvas, and she was happy for the opportunity to showcase her work. “I took over a year to finish these works. This is my first time at the Santhe and the response has been amazing,” she said.
Artist L.M Gadage was displaying his Worli paintings done with acrylic. “These are traditionally done by the adivasi community in Sangli. Used to decorate their homes during festivities, I have tried to bring it out of their homes to a larger audience,” he said.
Though the variety of the art exhibits was impressive, the crowded road and college campus left a few visitors disappointed. “We have been coming here for almost five years and the crowd seems to grow each year. It is probably time to shift it to a bigger venue or do something to control the crowd. We can barely move on this stretch and it becomes really difficult to enjoy the beautiful artworks put up,” said Jyothi Reddy, an art enthusiast.
