Ten years after it conducted the last State-level cartoon conference, the Karnataka Cartoonists Association is going to conduct the 41st conference in the city on August 25 and 26. The event will see established and up-and-coming cartoonists share a platform to promote to the art form.
“The association has been conducting annual workshops with cartoonists across the State. We have also been working with various government departments such as the Transport Department to bring out cartoons on social themes. But, we wanted to bring all the cartoonists on a single platform. The conference will deliberate on what cartooning means in today’s world,” said Naganath G.S., a senior cartoonists and member of the association.
On day one, a session will be conducted by H.A. Anil Kumar, art critic and faculty at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, on the history of cartoon in India. Another session will be conducted on cartoon in media by cartoonist B.N. Haneef. On the second day, there will be a workshop on theme-based cartooning by Prakash Shetty.
There will be an exhibition of famous cartoons by artists from across the State on both the days. “We have collected around 140 cartoons which will be exhibited,” Mr. Naganath said.
On the reason behind organising the conference, he said, cartoon as an art was losing the popularity it used to enjoy earlier. “A cartoon is a combination of philosophy, current affairs, and creative arts. But today’s cartoonists are focusing more on drawing than the content. The system of feedback is also missing. We want to revive the old form of cartooning,” he said.
Book release
The event will also see a release of the book Cartoon Kalarava. The 100-page book will feature works of around 75 cartoonists, including K.R. Swamy, B.G. Gujjarappa, Raobail, and V.G. Narendra.
Award presentation
This year, the association will present an award to Su.Vi. Murthy, a cartoonist whose works have been published in newspapers and magazines. His works also adorn the wall of Vidyarthi Bhavan restaurant in the city. “The award is instituted in the memory of G. Krishnakanth, a cartoon enthusiast, by his father,” said Mr. Naganath.