Artist Khaleel has not slept well in the past six months. ‘Dreams are not those which come when you are sleeping but those when you don’t sleep, before fulfilling them’ he quotes former president Abdul Kalam as he looks around his dream, Relief Art Gallery— Studio Khaleel.
The new gallery opposite Rainbow Children’s Hospital on Road No. 2 Banjara Hills will add to the bustling art scene in the city after it is inaugurated on September 1. With a gallery, two studios and aesthetically-done interiors it is Khaleel’s vision. The walls are embellished with his vibrant relief works predominately on nature and landscapes. As Khaleel walks us through these wonders of nature, he chats about his legacy and vision.
A son of renowned artist Aziz, Khaleel is carrying forward his father’s legacy. “We used to stay in Road No. 10, Banjara Hills which had rocks. We are seven brothers and all of us are into different forms of art,” shares Khaleel adding that his father never forced any of them to pursue art but simply created an environment where the boys developed an interest in it. “He knew how to teach us without telling us anything. He would gift us a sketch book, water or pastel colours on our birthdays. We never chased any artist as the art was at home and learning became easy,” he recalls adding his 79-year-old father gifted him 44 plants recently and planted them at his Moinabad farm house.
As Khaleel would cycle around his street, nature and rocks became an inspiration for his sketches. Now he has to travel outside Hyderabad to look at rockscapes, he rues.
Although he was a student of applied art from Jawaharlal Nehru Technical University at Masab Tank he didn’t complete the course because his father asked him to assist him in holding exhibitions outside Hyderabad. “I quit college in my fourth year to be with him. Whatever I have learnt is from my father’s ‘college’. I treasure all those experiences. If I had been in college, I would have missed out on the practical knowledge and freedom I got with him.”
Khaleel admits that learning art was easy but creating a niche in the field has its share of challenges. “My father kept us away from his shadow and motivated us to be on our own.” He shares a special connection with Kalakriti Gallery where his held his first exhibition during that gallery’s launch. Besides a a few shows in Delhi, he has done commissioned works, mostly for the Indian Army. “It takes at least 15 days to a month to create a painting. I have travelled all over and now want to settle down in this kind of space.” Khaleel was initially sceptical but his friend encouraged him to create this creative space. “I am proud of it and want to enjoy this moment.” Plans are on for art shows and residency programmes and a tie-up with galleries outside Hyderabad for an artists exchange programme.