An Ode to the trees

KOCHI: Did you know that trees live, like us, going through myriad trials and tribulations? That each scar, every minute impact it endures gets recorded? Take a walk through the secret and intimate lives of trees at the ‘Trees-visual epigrams’, an art exhibition presently underway at the Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan. Apart from marvelling at the magical artistic compositions, you also get to read the epitaphs of trees.
Photographs which at first glance deceive you into believing that they are paintings, heavily detailed paintings where even the veins of the leaves are depicted artistically and installations that can profoundly move one are on display at the exhibition. The work of three artists Anand James Dev, Anil D Prakash and T R Rajesh themed around trees have been exhibited.

A large wooden cylindrical block stares at you right in the centre of the hall lined with photographs and paintings. The wooden piece made of plywood but bearing the texture of a tree is crafted by artist Anand and has been christened ‘Fallen Tree’. The whole area resonates with myriad sounds of insects all thanks to this 3D installation, transporting one to a forest. The artist also has another installation that piques the interest of anyone motley interested in trees. Samples of real wood specimens collected by the artist from places such as US, New Zealand, and India figure in this.

One can read the life of the trees just by looking at the installation which deeply moves you with the tales it narrates. The tree rings and their arrangement tells you everything the tree has endured, says Anand. “Here you can see trees that grew in polluted air, those that struggled after being hemmed in by other trees or those faced with drought-like situations. You can read all these from the samples,” says Anand who works as a faculty at the Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology.

Meanwhile artist T R Rajesh has tried to weave in several tales from mythology and folk stories in his paintings. The heavily detailed paintings capture you with the sheer amount of detailing and spectacular play of colours and forms. The paintings use watercolour as the medium and impressions of leaves dabbled in acrylic paint have also been incorporated into the paintings. “In these sets of paintings, I have given heavy detailing. It was during a workshop I attended recently with tribals that I saw them use ornamentation style and I have incorporated it here,” says the artist. Rajesh works as a faculty at the Kendriya Vidyalaya School in Adoor. 

The 1993 Fine Arts College batchmates have put together a visual extravaganza with their exhibits which is the result of a work spanning more than a year. Displayed along with the paintings are photographs crafted with such brilliance that they resemble paintings. The photographs of trees captured using 50 mm micro lens deceives you with the craft employed. The pictures were taken by photographer Anil over a period of seven months by traversing the woods in Kerala and Bangalore. 

A vibrant explosion of colours and textures dominate all the frames. Even seemingly mundane occurrences such as fungal growth take another dimension in his frames. Rare sightings like the peck-marks left by the birds on tree barks or the cracks and textures of the trunk of a tree that starkly resemble a heavily crafted sculpture can also be seen. The exhibition that ends on Sunday is an ode to the trees felled ruthlessly by mankind and a reminder of importance of conservation.