KOCHI: While the home confinement due to the lockdown proved monotonous for some, it helped the employees of Kerala University re-engage and explore their passion for art. Different creative artworks 12 staffers are on display at the office of Kerala University.Tapping into their creative side, the members of Dhamani, a cultural organisation of Kerala University, were engaged in different kinds of art and have explored mediums such as bottle art, mural and acrylic paintings during the lockdown. Even unique mediums such as eggshells have also been used for creating the artwork. Titled ‘Ishika’, the exhibition is being held adhering to social distancing norms.

“People are confined to their homes due to the lockdown and have a lot of spare time. We thought of engaging our members in an art activity which will not only help them tide over tough times but also explore their creative side,” said Santhosh Venjaramoodu, president of Dhamani, cultural organisation of Kerala University.“This exhibition is being conducted to reignite the talents of the staff. From creative bottle art, mural inspired works to paintings and caricatures, everything has been displayed,” he said.

Charcoal portraits by P P Ajayakumar, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Kerala University, is one of the attractions at the exhibition. “Many people are now engaged in nature protection activities. Although I have been doing charcoal portraits for the past three years, it is only during this time that I was able to explore my passion for art,” he said. Five charcoal-based portraits of famous poets and writers such as Rabindranath Tagore and Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon have been displayed.

What started as a hobby during the lockdown has now turned out to be a business for Reshmi Chandran, assistant with Finance 2 section at the university. “I have done a few bottle artworks and three paintings. Although I used to paint during my school days, I delved into bottle art by watching various YouTube tutorials. I used clay and eggshells to decorate my bottle art,” says Reshmi. She has already received a lot of orders through Facebook.

Like Reshmi, another assistant staff Jayalekshmi S R has done two bottle artworks portraying kathakali and goddess images. “I like doing murals and so I improvised it on glass bottles,” said Jayalekshmi.Other artists include Sreejith K G, Bodhi S R, Shibi Haris, Lekha Mohan, Subi P S, Maya K S, Amritha Vipin, Shamla, Aswathy and Aruna Gopalakrishnan. The exhibition will be on from 10am to 5pm and will conclude on Tuesday. A sale will be held,  the organisers plan to contribute the proceeds from the sale to the Chief Ministers Distress Relief Fund.