Mysuru sand sculptor Gowri’s 60th expo to be held this Dasara

Mysuru: Sand sculptor MN Gowri’s 60th exhibition will be a memorable one.
Since her first sand art exhibition in 2012 at Suttur Mutt in Nanjangud, MN Gowri has presented her artworks in 59 different locations all over the country. Her 60th exhibition will be a treat to watch in the Mysuru Dasara exhibition where she is presenting sand works of Puneeth Rajkumar, and selected freedom fighters.
An engineering student turned artist, Gowri says it was her dream to become an artist since her childhood.
Daughter of industrialist BM Nanjundaswamy, and Nagalambika couple from Yadavagiri in the city, Gowri pursued a diploma in machine tool technology and later started pursuing BE in mechanical engineering. “But I dropped out of BE after two years as I wanted to pursue my career in fine arts which was my childhood dream. So, I pursued BFA and later MFA,” she said.
“Initially I started studying animation. But I wanted to do something in the real world. That is why I picked up sand art,” she said.
“There is a lot of difference between engineering field and the world of art. I forget everything and am completely lost in the imaginary world once I start work,” she says.
Across the globe, only a few women artists choose sand art as a profession. “One of the reasons is that we need to work under the scorching sun. The facilities available at the work site are very challenging. One needs to travel a lot. So, many women decide against choosing this field,” says Gowri.
She also points out that due to the shortage of natural sand, presently she is preparing the sculptures in M-Sand which is a challenge. “Sand is a natural medium. It gives a golden effect. While using M-Sand, we need to use colours,” she said.