In order to celebrate their 15th year anniversary, this popular city-based gallery is showcasing the art of 15 artists with diverse themes. The unique thing about these artists is that they are part of the Artists Initiative Programme that gives them a chance to showcase their work. The AIP is a unique programme which helps an upcoming artist to enter the art scene. Founder Gitanjali Maini explains, “AIP or Artists Initiative Programme has been very successful over the years. For this show in particular, wanting to keep it symbolic, we selected 15 of our programme’s most successful artists who have become bigger names in the art world.” Each artist has walls dedicated to their artwork. “The unique thing about this show is that the artists have not worked with a particular theme. There is bit of abstracts, realistic paintings, figurative painting and also bosch tempera,” she adds. Some artists that are showcasing their work are Ganapati Hegde, Hansha Milan, Poonam Agarwal, Sujatha, Ramchandra Kharatmal, Nitin Nangare, Buwa Shete, Pradip Das, Mohammed Osman, Partha Shree, Raja Raghavan, Upendranath, Suresh Gulage, KK Raghava and Bose Krishnamachari.
The US-returned KK Raghava is one of the artists who has showcased his fascination for Lord Ganesha through his art. Elaborating Raghava says, “My great grandfather wrote a poem about Ganesha which my father translated. This is collaborative between all three of us.” It’s a very special personal endeavour for Raghava as he is showcasing his work after a long time. “Unlike my political works, the inspiration for this collection came from within, from family. This collection is sort of a whimsical re-telling of Ganesha,” Raghava adds. Nitin Muralidhar Nangare, known mostly for landscapes, has tread a different path. Talking about his collection, Nitin adds, “This collection focuses mainly on figurative painting inspired by Rajasthani folk. The main focus in this collection is the composition rather than the details. While painting, I have left out the faces of people.” Nitin is of the opinion that when details are added, the concentration is diverted to them, rather than the whole painting. For artist Ganapati Hegde, who’s art career spans over two decades, it’s a exploration of nature. “My collection is straight, related to nature, my background and native place. So, it’s safe to say that my inspiration comes from nature which is colourful and different. Even though the works are different, one will be able to connect to it through style, and how I work.” Gitanjali feels that the curiosity around art is getting stronger day-by-day, “Lots of people want paintings on their walls, and there is also a category of folk who have not bought art before, thinking that art is always reserved for the rich. People in the city who already own art pieces are looking to buy more serious pieces. People are starting to realise that art is not just a painting on a wall but much more. I feel artists are making a powerful statement now.”
The collection will be on display till March 26 at Gallery G.
