KOCHI: Kochi-based artist Bindhi Rajagopal’s new sketches, drawings and digital art are her creative expression of the way the world has changed after the pandemic outbreak. Bindhi has made around 15 creations since the lockdown. “Artists draw what they experience. This has been a difficult time for me. All of us have been confined to our homes for months due to the pandemic and with the rains getting stronger, we may have to be indoors longer. It is hard to engage in drawing or painting these days, but it is the only medium for artists to speak out,” says Bindhi.

 Though abstract is her style, Bindi’s lockdown projects are focused on sketches and digital art. “There was a shortage of raw materials as most of the shops were closed. Also, it wasn’t wise to buy canvases or the materials as the paintings weren’t getting sold, so I ventured into sketching and digital art,” adds Bindhi. “The lives of many artists depend on income from the sale of paintings alone.

More than that, there is a certain emotional satisfaction when you see your works being displayed at a gallery or an exhibition, which isn’t possible now. The mental trauma we artists are experiencing is huge. I could somehow manage it because I have a job. Still, with interior decor works and painting sales on pause, my source of income reduced significantly,” says Bindhi, who works as a senior professor in  Asian School of Architecture, Kochi. 

 Bindhi is planning to launch the ‘Virtual Art Gallery and Design’, which will serve as a virtual platform for many to exhibit their talents. “It will be a platform for ‘visual art’, bringing together painters, art curators, directors and sculptors from all around the world. This will be a way to support them in this difficult time.” The virtual platform will be launched on September 21.