BENGALURU: Young artists often grapple with many worries, asserts painter Gurudas Shenoy. “I would know because I’ve been there too. When you are just emerging from an art school or in the profession, you are faced with a lot of confusion and wish for recognition,” says the artist, who hopes that an ongoing exhibition by the foundation he set up in memory of his father, G S Shenoy, will provide just the support emerging artists need at this time.
Called Punashchetana, it brings together works by 16 artists from all parts of Karnataka. While the Covid-19 pandemic brought about a difficult time for everyone, artists particularly struggled with limited access to galleries or material during the lockdown. Shenoy’s foundation, the Shenoy Art Foundation – which he set up with his wife, designer Amita Shenoy – decided to offer 16 emerging artists from the state a grant to support them in these times.
“Towards the end of April, we gave them the grant amount of Rs 12,000 each. They could use this to create works using any theme or medium over the next three months,” explains Shenoy. The resultant creations explore various themes from different stages of the lockdown. Aishwaryan K’s artwork series, called ‘Overwhelmed’, was an immediate response to the first lockdown.
“None of use expected to be placed in confined spaces even if it was within our homes. The sudden feelings of anger, sadness, fear, disgust and even happiness was a bit too much, but art kept me sane. The work did not happen at one go, it was done as and when I felt I needed to focus to keep my feelings at bay,” says the citybased visual artist. Others have experimented as well.
Take, for instance, Pradeep Kumar D M, who used terracotta roof tiles to display scenes from daily rural life. “I was in my hometown in Davanagere district during the lockdown and I recreated the farm and village scenes I saw around me. I wanted to use the material I was surrounded with and hence the terracotta tiles,” says the 32-year-old artist, who adds,
“The material I used speaks of my roots and my nativity.” Other works on display include lambani art by Meenakshi, who uses brightly coloured threads and beads on pieces of cloth and household accessories; themes of ecological distress, feminist issues, and transitory moments of simple pleasures in works created by Rudragaud Indi; and watercolour paintings by Manjunath Wali that engage with monuments, heritage sites and cities. (The works are on display on the foundation’s Facebook and Instagram page till Nov. 30.)