Painting a new path   

BENGALURU:  While all initiatives going online, art requires a relationship between the onlooker and a painting, feels Darshan Kumar Y U. One can then imagine the city-based artist’s joy at being able to exhibit his paintings again at Art Houz, the Vasanth Nagar-based art gallery. Called Journey II, the ongoing exhibition also features the works of 11 other artists besides Kumar.

Gallery manager and curator Jayanthi Shegar says, “Most of the 62 works on display have been created by the artists during this period of confinement caused by the pandemic.” The exhibition, which opened on October 5, has seen about 50-60 visitors so far, with all safety precautions in place. This, however, is not the first post-lockdown show the gallery is hosting.

The predecessor to Journey II, aptly named Journey I, saw works made by eminent artists like SG Vasudev, Bhaskar Rao, JMS Mani, Jasu Rawal and Gurudas Shenoy. The ongoing show, on the other hand, features the works of emerging artists instead, like Dayananda N, Suresh K, Praveen Kumar, Mukund Kumar, Venugopal VG and Sachin Sagare. 

The works have been made using different mediums like watercolours, acrylic on canvas, mixed media and others. Darshan’s work, for instance, makes use of pen and paper, to create black and white artworks that depict interactions between the male and female.

“The monochrome shades add clarity – there’s no existence of a grey shade. Instead, it’s the emotions expressed that adds layers to the artworks,” explains the city-based artist, who believes gallery spaces can provide the necessary nurturing one needs for their mental health in these times. 

Agrees Shegar, who also wanted to provide artists with a platform to express the emotions the pandemic had brought up. “Everything has gone virtual but things have started to move on again. And art also needs its space. I’m hoping the gallery can be an oasis where people can come, see some art, and get a break from the situation around us,” she says, adding that works from the ongoing show are also on display at Mojarto, a global online platform.  The show is on display at Art Houz, Vasanth Nagar till October 25.