Of leaves and lives

KOCHI: A sculpture portraying a bird flying off into the horizon to escape a man’s grasp, a watercolour image showing human figures embedded within a teardrop - few of the creations at ‘leaves on grass’ will really make you look deeper into the meanings of emotions. A total of 78 creations are on display at ‘Leaves of grass’, an online art exhibition that will conclude on October 30.

The two-month long exhibition organised by Thiruvananthapuram-based Suryakanthi art gallery showcases sculptures and paintings created by a group of 40 artists from different parts of the state. “Usually, we manage to accommodate works of only 20 artists at our gallery due to space issues, but shifting to an online platform has resulted in more artists participating in the event”, said Lizzie Jacob, the organiser of the event. She said the  works by experienced artists such as Anila Jacob, Zakkir Hussain, Achuthan Kudallur, Gopinath P, Tensing Joseph, Rimzon NN, Christine Kertz and John Bent are showcased at the live exhibition which is being held to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the art gallery. 

‘Bird in hand’ and takeoff, two sculptures on display, are made out of a combination of copper, bronze and brass, highlighting the flying motion of a bird. According to Anila Jacob,  an Aluva based sculptor, the birds create a visual impression of its movement while flying. “My work is mostly based on nature with bits of my own imagination, owing to my close association with it”, said the 78 year-old who is the recipient of the first national award for female sculptor in 2018.

‘Women Holding teardrops’, a work by capital city-based artist Zakkir Hussain stands out for its use of colours and the strong emotions it tries to convey. The abstract works feature a mixture of mediums showing the teardrops of a tortured creature being collected by a woman. As online art exhibitions are becoming more frequent now due the Covid-19 situation, Zakkir believes that more effort should be made by the organisers to utilise the full potential of various digital mediums. “Anything including videos, poems, sketches or dialogues can be used to make a work of art,” he said.