More than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic crippled the art sector, the ‘Lokame Tharavadu’ contemporary art show, being held in Alappuzha across multiple heritage venues, has come as a shot of optimism to the artistic community in the State.
The show curated by artist and Kochi Biennale Foundation president Bose Krishnamachari features the works of 267 artists who trace their roots to Kerala and by scale is considered to be the biggest art event to be held in India. The individual art works number well over 3,000, presenting a unique opportunity for art enthusiasts and connoisseurs to experience the richness and diversity of art practised by contemporary Malayali artists.
‘Staggering’
“It's absolutely amazing and something that should have been conceived before the Kochi biennale. ‘Lokame Tharavadu’ has a staggering number of highly talented and dedicated artists, some of them with out of the box thinking,” says Radha Gomaty, a participating artist in the show.
Many of these artists, she says, are not on the gallery grid and often miss out any kind of security or standard of life that comes from the art that they make and have to keep doing other things to meet their both ends.
“To learn that they continue in their dedicated pursuit of art despite these odds is something that is amazing. There might be historical, cultural reasons that contributed to this kind of flourishing number of practitioners,” says Ms. Gomaty.
She also feels that the organisers have gone the extra mile to include a greater number of female artists. The ‘Lokame Tharavadu’ show features works of 56 women artists, some of them virtually unknown.
T.R. Upendranath, another artist, says he was sceptical of the show initially.
“But when I made a visit, my perception changed altogether. The way the works have been displayed and the efforts that have gone behind felt like magic to me. The awareness that so many artists are working in different styles was inspiring and some of the works enough to invoke a sense of jealousy,” says Upendranath, who is exhibiting a series of drawings in the show.
“I am sure I feel a tinge of sadness that it's happening when the pandemic situation has again turned worse but the message of the show, ‘The World Is One Family’ seems relevant than ever,” Manoj Vyloor, a participating artist and Principal, Fine Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram. This show would create a powerful ripple and set the bar high for future growth of art in the State, he said.
Strict protocols
The entry to the show is governed by strict protocols including registration at the COVID-19 Jagratha portal of the State government and availing passes after uploading RT PCR Negative certificate or COVID-19 vaccination.