Art News: India Art Festival Bengaluru, December 2025

India Art Festival returns to Bengaluru with its 5th edition

Over 3,000 artworks, 20+ galleries and 300 artists under one roof

India Art Festival (IAF) is back in Bengaluru for its fifth edition from 12 to 14 December 2025 at the Crown Pavilions, Palace Ground, Gate No. 5.

Laxma Goud

The Bangalore art market is expanding rapidly in proportion to its population. Currently, its population is almost half of that of Mumbai and Delhi. Rajendra Patil, Director of India Art Festival elaborates, “the city has a large, diverse, and growing community that enjoys art, right from young professionals, families, and art buyers all of whom actively visit art events. In fact, people come to the art festival not just to see art but also to find artworks that make their homes feel more inspiring. Bengaluru also has museums, cultural spaces, historical landmarks, and many corporates that support creative activities. All of this makes the city a strong place for artists to present their work and for the festival to reach new audiences.”

Rajendra recollects that when India Art Festival began in Mumbai, there was no art fair in the city. “Similarly, when we started the festival in Bangalore five years ago, there was no platform where galleries and artists could come together with the city’s art lovers. Clearly, there was a real need for such a space and we are happy to be back in Bengaluru.” 

As part of the India Art Festival, for three days, the city will host a vibrant showcase of contemporary Indian art, bringing together over 20 galleries and 300 artists from 25 cities across India.

This year’s edition will feature a wide range of artworks across mediums – including paintings, sculptures, photographs, ceramics, installations, traditional art forms and more – making it a must-visit for both seasoned collectors and first-time buyers.

It is to be noted that the art market and the profile of art buyers in India have changed a lot in the past decade. Earlier, it was mainly large corporates who bought art, but now individuals are buying more art for their homes and offices.

Yusuf Arakkal

According to Rajendra, “There’s also a big shift from the real-estate and interior design end. Developers and interior designers are constantly looking for good artworks that are not necessarily expensive - pieces that are original, appealing, and fit well into modern living spaces. Another noticeable change is that many new bankers, tech professionals, and young homeowners are buying art too. They may not think of themselves as “collectors” because they usually buy only a few pieces. They buy art simply because they like it, not because they’re thinking about investment. 

In all major cities, this group of spur-of-the-moment, first-time art buyers has increased in huge numbers. And events like India Art Festival play a key role in expanding this circle of art patrons. By bringing galleries, artists, and the public together under one roof, the festival makes art more accessible and encourages many new people to start buying and appreciating art.”

Ramesh Gorjala

IAF, 12 - 14 December 2025, Bengaluru

More than 3,000 artworks will be on display, ranging from oil, acrylic and watercolour works to mixed media, installations and regional art traditions. The festival aims to make art accessible and enjoyable for everyone – whether you’re an art connoisseur, a young collector, or simply curious about the world of art. India Art Festival has always focused on creating a balance between emerging talent and established masters. This year too, young and independent artists will show their works alongside eminent names in Indian art, offering visitors a rich and diverse view of today’s contemporary art scene.

Special Curated Exhibition: Brushstrokes of Karnataka

One of the major highlights of this year’s festival is the specially curated exhibition ‘Brushstrokes of Karnataka’, led by Prof. K.S. Appajaiah. This showcase brings together the works of more than 30 renowned artists from Bengaluru and across Karnataka, celebrating the state’s breathtaking landscapes and rich heritage. From the historic ruins of Hampi and Badami to the lush Western Ghats and diverse regional terrains, the exhibition captures the true spirit and beauty of Karnataka.

The Artists Showcasing in Brush Strokes of Karnataka include ‘Kantharaj N, Dundappa S Lolasoori, Shrisail Shrimant Kamate, Lingaraju M S, Prahallad K V Acharya, Chetan C S, Manjunath Wali, Syed Asif Ali, Makali K K, VRC Shekhar, Babu Jattakar, Sathish Biradar, Bheemrao K Badiger, Lokesh R, K S Kamatagoudar, Madivalappa S Langoti, Mallappa Halli, Gangadhar Bandanavar, Shirish Deshpande, Shweta, Hemavathi Sadashiv, D Pavan Kumar, Siddanna S Maragol, Roopesh Nanaiah

It stands as a heartfelt tribute to the land—its scenery, its cultural legacy, and its iconic temple architecture.

Rajeev Rai

Artists’ Pavilion: Young talent meets masters

The Artists’ Pavilion will feature more than 200 independent artists, exhibiting alongside around 100 established artists represented by galleries. Promising young artists such as Monica Ghule, Yuvraj Patil, Dev Mehta, Rajeev Rai, Sandeep Ghule, Anil Vergese, Anjali Prabhakar, Kalpana Soni and many others will be presenting their works. Their art will be shown alongside works by renowned masters including Yusuf Arakkal, Krishen Khanna, Manu Parekh, Ramesh Gorjala, T. Vaikuntam, Akbar Padamsee, Laxman Aelay, Seema Kohli and several others, offering visitors a rare chance to see multiple generations of Indian artists in one space.

 

Participating Galleries

From Bengaluru

• Sara Arakkal Galerie, ReIGNITE EDTECH PVT LTD, Gallery Charvi

From Mumbai

• House of Emerge, Studio3 Gallery, Studio Monica Ghule, Dev Mehta Art Gallery, Nitya Artists Centre, Curators.art and Chitraksh Art

From New Delhi & NCR

• Gallery Pioneer, Uchaan, Artecious World Art Gallery, Aura Planet, Eminent Art Gallery, Shree Yash Art Gallery and Galerie Art Eterne

From Other Cities & Overseas

• Gnani Arts, Singapore, Artsbreeze Art Gallery, Hyderabad, Pichwaiwala Narendra Art, Udaipur and M Narayan Studio, Pune

Event Details

• Dates: 12–14 December 2025
• Venue: Crown Pavilions, Palace Grounds, Gate No. 5, Bellary Road, Near Mekhri Circle, Bengaluru
• Timings: 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM
• Tickets: ₹199 season pass (valid all three days), available via BookMyShow and at the venue

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Also read,

• Art News: India Art Festival Bengaluru, December 2024

• Art News: India Art Festival in Bangalore
• How To Write An Artist Statement
• 6 Tips On How To Approach An Art Gallery And Find Gallery Representation
• Exhibiting Art in Non-Gallery Spaces
• 5 Reasons a Good Catalogue Text is Essential for Your Art

 

 

 

Art News: Flux/Resonance at Visual Arts Gallery, Nov 7-11, 2025

Flux/Resonance

Curated by Nalini S Malaviya

Sonali Bose Chasm I

The exhibition Flux/Resonance brings together ten contemporary artists—Biswa Basu, Kantha Reddy, Malay Saha, Naba Kumar Chakraborty, Nandesha Shantiprakash, Partho Chatterjee, Rathin Kanji, Shridhar Iyer, Sonali Bose, and Yusuf—whose works respond to the currency of our times through a conceptual lens. Curated by Nalini S Malaviya, the show interrogates the cyclical nature of decay and renewal, offering a visual and philosophical inquiry into the elements that shape our urban and emotional landscapes.

Malaviya frames the exhibition around the paradox of collapse and regeneration. “The narrative of decay is a complex process involving degeneration and collapse, while simultaneously establishing the framework for the rejuvenation and re-emergence of newer constructs,” she writes in the curatorial note. The artists delve into this dynamic interplay—flux and resonance—as a metaphor for existence, exploring transformation, incoherence, and the tensions embedded in the built environment.

                                                     

The exhibition navigates the metamorphosis of urban life, probing the interconnectedness between human experience and the cityscape. Themes of technological proliferation, media saturation, and consumerist culture emerge as critical touchpoints, where each artist brings a distinct voice to this collective interrogation.

Rathin Kanji, Seize the night

Biswa Basu deploys abstraction to depict societal disorder, chaos and emotional fragmentation. S. Kantha Reddy fuses mythology, nature, and temporal abstraction in sculptural forms drawn from everyday encounters, while establishing linkages to the past. Malay Saha examines spatial relationships and tensions between objects and human presence in urban settings.

Naba Kumar Chakraborty critiques the proliferative nature of technology and its role in influencing instant gratification. Nandesha Shanti Prakash reflects on the evolving relationship between selfhood and social purpose in contemporary life, and the oscillating nature of life and traits such as resilience. Partho Chatterjee explores chromatic and geometric dialogues between humans and their urban habitats, and the effect of design on these associations.

Rathin Kanji confronts the contradictions of progress—juxtaposing innovation with ecological and cultural decline. Shridhar Iyer captures the cosmic and terrestrial dualities through chaotic yet interconnected visual narratives. Sonali Bose exposes the paradox of digital intimacy versus emotional isolation in her mixed media works. Yusuf offers minimal, metaphor-rich compositions that evoke the psychological terrain of human emotion.

Flux/Resonance offers a space to contemplate on impermanence, contradiction, and the layered complexity of contemporary existence. Through varied visual vocabularies, the artists articulate the chaos and lucidity that define our lived realities, inviting viewers to engage with the subtle interludes of resonance that punctuate the flux of life.


Flux/Resonance featuring paintings, mixed media and sculptural works will be held from November 7-11, at Visual Arts Gallery at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.



For info contact: +91 9434592326 / 9831182657

Based on the press release

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• Art News: Venkatappa Art Gallery: Renovation
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• 5 Reasons a Good Catalogue Text is Essential for Your Art

Art News: India Art Festival Bengaluru, December 2024

India Art Festival Bengaluru, December 2024: A Grand Celebration of Art and Culture

Bengaluru: The much-awaited India Art Festival (IAF) is set to return to Bengaluru for its fourth edition, enthralling art lovers from December 19 to 22, 2024, at the Palace Ground, Kings Court. This edition promises to be the most expansive and diverse yet, bringing together an unprecedented number of participants to celebrate art.

Lalu Prasad Shaw

With over 30 galleries and contributions from 350 artists representing 30 cities across India, the art festival will showcase a wide array of artistic expressions, from paintings and sculptures to photography, ceramics, and installations. This year’s IAF highlights the vibrancy of India’s contemporary art scene, providing a platform to explore its latest trends and innovations.

A Feast for Art Enthusiasts

Opening on December 19, the art festival offers visitors a chance to immerse themselves in a rich tapestry of artistic diversity. Over 3,500 pieces of art, spanning oil paintings, acrylics, watercolours, installations, traditional art, and much more, will be displayed at the Kings Court, Palace Ground. The event aims to captivate both seasoned collectors and first-time buyers, ensuring a comprehensive art experience for all.

India Art Festival has consistently fostered a balance between supporting emerging talents and showcasing works by established artists, creating a unique platform for artistic expression. In this edition, young and independent artists will shine alongside eminent names, offering a fresh perspective on contemporary art.

Special Exhibitions and Events

Chandra Battacharya

A key highlight of this year’s India Art Festival is the curated exhibition, "Shaping Horizons: Karnataka’s Iconic Innovators," masterfully curated by Prof. K.S. Appajaiah. This remarkable showcase celebrates the pioneering works of 30 distinguished artists, including S.G. Vasudev, Gurudas Shenoy, M.S. Murthy, M.J. Kamalakshi, C. Chandrashekhar, J.S. Khanderao, V.G. Andani, Sudha Manohar, Hemavathi Umamaheswar, and others. Together, these luminaries have profoundly influenced and shaped Karnataka’s art landscape, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural fabric of the region. This exhibition is a tribute to their enduring legacy and a celebration of their visionary contributions to the world of art.

Laxman Aelay

IAF Creative Excellence Awards

The India Art Festival (IAF), a premier platform celebrating contemporary art and artists, proudly reintroduces its IAF Creative Excellence Awards in this edition. Established in 2011, these prestigious awards honor the creativity, innovation, and dedication of artists participating in the festival. Open to both independent artists and those represented by galleries, the awards recognize outstanding talent showcased across IAF editions in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.

Each award includes a memento, a certificate of appreciation, and a cash prize of ₹50,000, presented to two selected artists. The winners are chosen by an independent jury comprising two esteemed figures from the art world. The awards will be ceremoniously presented during the opening ceremony of the India Art Festival on December 19, 2024, at 11:30 AM at Kings Court, Palace Grounds, Bengaluru. This initiative underscores IAF's commitment to nurturing artistic excellence and celebrating the diverse talents that enrich the contemporary art scene.

Fusion Shows

Amit Bhar

Every year, the India Art Festival offers an enchanting convergence of music and visual art, blending the universally beloved medium of sound with the evocative, often intricate language of visual expression to craft an immersive sensory experience. This year, the festival elevates its cultural repertoire with captivating fusion performances and live painting sessions featuring renowned artists P. Gnana, Manjegowda, and Eby N Joseph, accompanied by exceptional musicians Subramanya Hegade (Sitar), Prasanna Ballal (Mandolin), Shrinidhi Katti (Flute), and Sandeep M (Tabla).

These dynamic collaborations will transform the festival into a vibrant cultural hub, offering audiences a harmonious interplay of art and music on December 20, 21, and 22, from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM. This unique synthesis promises to captivate art and music enthusiasts alike, enriching their festival experience with creativity and inspiration.

Film Screenings

The other highlight of the India Art Festival, Bengaluru, is the screening of the enlightening film, "The Eternal Canvas – 12,000 Years Journey through Indian Art." This cinematic masterpiece offers an immersive exploration of India’s rich artistic heritage, tracing its evolution from prehistoric cave paintings to the vibrant expressions of contemporary art.

Through captivating visuals and compelling narratives, the film provides a panoramic journey across millennia, celebrating the profound creativity and cultural legacy of Indian art. Visitors are invited to experience this visual odyssey on December 20, 21, and 22, with screenings scheduled from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM each day.
This feature adds a dynamic dimension to the festival, offering an educational and inspiring experience for art enthusiasts and history lovers alike.

Praveen Kumar

Artistic Pavilion and Global Participation

This year’s Artists’ Pavilion will feature 300 independent artists presenting their works alongside 100 established artists represented by galleries. Participating galleries include Bengaluru-based Space Edge, Sara Arakkal Galerie, and Gallery Charvi, along with prominent names from Mumbai, Delhi NCR, and beyond, including international galleries like Gnani Arts (Singapore) and Artconcept (Dubai).

Participating Art Galleries:

Bengaluru : Space Edge, Sara Arakkal Galerie, Shiny Colors Art Gallery, ReIGNITE EDTECH PVT LTD, Akanksha Art Gallery, iArt Gallery, ASR Art Studio, Gallery Charvi

Mumbai: House of Emerge, Rhythm Art, Studio Monica Ghule, Studio Pankaj Bawdekar, Nitya Artists Centre, Bouquet of Art Gallery

New Delhi & NCR: Gallery Pioneer, Pastel Tale, OPS Art Gallery, Uchaan, Artecious World Art Gallery, Aura Planet, Artehut, Merakii Art House, Eminent Art Gallery,

Gnani Arts, Singapore, Artconcept, Dubai
Artsbreeze Art Gallery, Hyderabad, Pichwaiwala Narendra Art, Udaipur, Smita Art, Kolkata
M Narayan Studio from Pune.

Event Details

• Dates: December 19 to 22, 2024
• Venue: Kings Court, Palace Ground, Gate No. 5, Bellary Road, Near Mekhri Circle, Bengaluru
• Timings: 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM
• Tickets: Day Pass ₹299, & Season Pass ₹499 available on BookMyShow.com and at the venue

- Excerpt from press release 

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Also read,

• Art News: India Art Festival in Bangalore
• How To Write An Artist Statement
• 6 Tips On How To Approach An Art Gallery And Find Gallery Representation
• Exhibiting Art in Non-Gallery Spaces
• 5 Reasons a Good Catalogue Text is Essential for Your Art

Art News: MAP, Bengaluru Appoints Harish Vasudevan As Acting Director

Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru, India announced the appointment of Harish Vasudevan as Acting Director on September 9th, 2024.

Reflecting on the continuing development of the museum from its roots as the first digital museum in India, and the successful opening of its building in Bengaluru in February 2023, the appointment is designed to prepare the organisation for further growth.

In over three decades of experience, Harish has held several leadership roles in multiple geographies, with companies like Ogilvy & Mather as well as IBM. He is also a published author and teacher. Over the last six months Harish has been consulting with MAP on Marketing and Operations.

Besides working with all the Heads of departments across Education, Collections, 
Conservation, Inclusion, Marketing & Communications, Design and Development, Harish 
will be further supported by Dr. Arnika Ahldag, Head of Curation and Exhibitions at MAP.

Commenting on the announcement, Abhishek Poddar, Founder and President of MAP said “As we looked at our plans for the future, we were looking for someone with the skills to develop the organisation, while also strengthening the brand. Harish has just the right combination of expertise and experience to build on the foundation that MAP has laid over the last few years.”

“The first time I entered MAP I fell in love with it. I am honoured to get a chance to lead this fabulous team as we get ready for Phase 2 of MAP’s impressive journey as India’s first new museum to open in a decade.”, says Harish Vasudevan — Acting Director, MAP.

- Excerpt from press release 

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Also read,

• Art Scene India presents Convergence
• Art News (Bangalore) - Reimagining: (Un)Reality and Space
• How To Write An Artist Statement
• 6 Tips On How To Approach An Art Gallery And Find Gallery Representation
• Exhibiting Art in Non-Gallery Spaces
• 5 Reasons a Good Catalogue Text is Essential for Your Art

Art News: Wilderness Escapades by Krish Iyer

Reconnecting with the past

Bangalore based artist Krish Iyer presents his recent suite of paintings that reimagine sculptures of Khajuraho temples, which decades ago, had set him on a path of creative expression. Iyer revisited the site recently, which is located in a densely forested region, rich in natural flora and fauna. In the temple art and architecture with its iconographic symbolism and its philosophical and spiritual moorings, Iyer has found a way to reconnect with the past, and re-envision it in his art, in a contemporary context.

Painting by Krish Iyer

The large format paintings in ‘Wilderness Escapades’ reference these sculptures and the underlying premises, to create a spatial interplay of light, colour and texture to suggest the form, postures and gestures of the stone statues in a quasi-representational style. The artist’s interpretations are moored around the historicity of the temples, their geography - located as it is amidst forested land and wilderness, with their beauty and splendor remaining undiscovered for centuries. And, their subsequent desecration by invaders, all of which weave an intriguing narrative of mystery and mystique, of magnificence and ruin, of worldwide fame and remoteness. The art and architecture of the Khajuraho temples combined with their religious, cultural and historical significance form an intrinsic part of their allure. Numerous stories, philosophies and other intangibles lie beneath the surface of the stones, creating sagas of seduction, lure and enigma.

Krish’s canvases explore these histories, the abstracted notions of human potential, philosophies of living, corporeality of the flesh and temporality of life. The visual semantics are anchored in formal aesthetics, with defined line drawings marking the canvas, while the abstract expressionist approach at later stages lends critical layers of texture, and simultaneously recontextualizes historical content.

Painting by Krish Iyer

The tactile surface of the works emerges from heavy textures, layers of dripping paint, and several applications of thick acrylic paint using the impasto technique. The palette knife and other tools transform the canvas, to add depth and dimension, to strip off extraneity and to emphasize salient features of the physical form. Transcendence, man and nature (re)union, the cycle of life and rebirth, and joy of living are some of the key principles that are depicted at Khajuraho temples, and it is these that Krish seeks and attempts to portray in his works. The deliberate obliteration of details in the figures, and the structurally accurate forms that replicate their defiled state, are incandescent with the ironies of transience – both natural and as outcomes of anarchist interventions.

Despite the precision of line drawings that form the basis of the works, Iyer’s methodology is essentially non-mimetic. The gradual yet decidedly gestural transformation of the painting surface as a pictorial array of subconscious thoughts and patterns rescinds identifiable characteristics and accentuates the metaphorical import.

After a successful career in commercial art, Krish has returned to painting with this solo exhibition - to pursue subjects and themes that resonate with him. A chance encounter with the Khajuraho temples almost three decades ago, stayed with him through the years and a strange yearning drew him back to them recently. This series originated from the revisit, marked by an innate desire to reconnect with nature, and to allow subconscious thoughts and emotions to surface and transform on canvas. With this exhibition, Krish attempts to break the invisible shackles that have contained his creativity all these years and to realize his inner potential.

Nalini S Malaviya
Art Critic
March, 2023                                                                                                   

- Catalogue text

The exhibition 'Wilderness Escapades' continues from March 20-26 at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore. For further details contact 9900094466. Visit Wilderness Escapades (krishiyer.in)

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Also read,

• Art Scene India presents Convergence
• Art News (Bangalore) - Reimagining: (Un)Reality and Space
• How To Write An Artist Statement
• 6 Tips On How To Approach An Art Gallery And Find Gallery Representation
• Exhibiting Art in Non-Gallery Spaces
• 5 Reasons a Good Catalogue Text is Essential for Your Art

Art News: India Art Festival in Bangalore

India Art Festival attracts over 30 galleries and 400 artists for its second edition in the city

The 2nd Edition of India Art Festival (IAF) in the city starting from December 08 – 11 at the Palace Ground, Kings Court, Gate No. 5, Bellary Road, has grown in scale and size this year, bringing cutting-edge contemporary art to the city, presented by over 30 Art Galleries and 400 artists, coming from 40 different cities across India, Singapore and USA.

Opening on December 08, the 2nd Bengaluru edition of IAF will bring all forms of artistic expressions in the art fair including painting, sculptures, photography, ceramics, installations, offering insights into current art trends in India and Asian diaspora.

Aditiraje Bhonsle

Founded in 2011 by the publishers of Indian Contemporary Art Journal, IAF is the only art fair held annually in three metro cities and which has mounted 22 editions so far at Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru.

Whether, it is a seasoned art collector, or a new art buyer who want to acquire the first piece of art, the India Art Festival with 4000 pieces of art across 100 booths, on display at the Palace Ground is a perfect place to fall in love with art. At IAF, the art collectors are spoilt for choices to choose from many mediums and styles - oil paintings, acrylics, water colour, original prints, installations, drawings in myriad styles dealing with varied subjects including landscapes, figurative, abstracts, cityscapes, seascapes, urban and rural scenarios, portraits, nudes, semi-nudes, religious art, traditional paintings, murals, warli art and many more.

The master artists displayed by the galleries include Sakti Burman, Yusuf Arakkal, Lalu Prasad Shaw, S G Vasudev, Laxman Aelay, Gurudas Shenoy, Laxma Goud, Jatin Das, Jogen Chowdhury, Manu Parekh, N S Harsha, P Gnana, Seema Kohli and many others.

Yusuf Arakkal

The Artists’ Pavilion with individual booths by independent artists is so designed as to create a dialogue between the viewers and the art maker, and the artist. It also encourages dialogue between the art market and the artists directly. Here the sale and purchase of the artwork is on an open platform and the buyer or collector can approach an artist and the choices are numerous.

Vinita Dasgupta

This kind of freedom is rarely possible as both the artist and the buyers benefit from this arrangement. India Art Festival Director Rajendra says, "the process of democratizing ‘art viewing and buying’ initiated twelve years ago in Mumbai sort of became a movement; the growing interest in Indian contemporary art slowly made this movement spread to New Delhi and Bengaluru covering significant length and breaths of our country."

Apart from 200 established artists exhibited by art galleries, more than 200 independent artists are displaying in the ‘Artists’ pavilion’ at the art festival. The subjects broached by the artists vary from personal experiences to intense narratives.

Dhyana Das

 'Tripurasundari’, a feminine mystique of the goddess by artist Dhyana Das and Kalyani Ravishankar’s ‘Radha-Krishna’, both blend the nuances of classical paintings and contextualize them within Indian religious sensibilities. 

In another instance, artist Karthik Kamath, Sonali Surana and Tejaswi depicts embodiment of renunciation, Buddha, the enlightened one in his splendid aura with wavy hair curls & the monastic robe covering both shoulders and arranged in heavy classical folds. 

Sunitha Krishna, Smita BP, Kalyani Sinha and Tripti Pandey indulge in an artistic imagery using religious images, cultural symbols and motifs that touches the spiritual chord of the viewers.

Artists Gaurav Dagar, Jyothi Prakash and Prakash Bal Joshi beguile the viewers with their abstract composition using pure forms & colours, whereas artist Muthukrishnan Ramalingam and Rajitha Bonthala chose the middle path of semi-abstract idiom to present their visual stories.

Wildlife, animal and bird paintings is one of the oldest art forms found since ancient times in the cave art. Animal and bird art have come a long way since then in technique and imagination and occupies major part of the contemporary art space in India. Artist Isha Valentine’s symbolic deer with antlers, Priyanka Sehgal’s Sunbird, big cats and elephant by artist Apurba Das, Shakila Ananth and Sudha Anandampillai displayed in the art festival is a fusion of art elements found in Bundi style of traditional art with contemporary times.

Akshata Shetty

The black and white paintings displayed in the art festival by Akshata Shetty, Beena Surana, Om Thadkar, Preeti Baliga, and Priyanka Maurya prove that the paintings need not have to be always done in striking colours to create visual splendour! Viewers are bound to be mesmerize by the unfolding visual drama of muted blacks, ash greys, dark flashes, starry whites with harsh shadows employed in the work of Om Tadkar in his galloping white stallion, whereas Priyanka Mauraya’s dreamy flowery land and symbolic portraits of all sorts by Akshata Shetty and Preeti Baliga creates powerful viewing; these paintings can go with entire range of minimalist modern décor & interior to create aesthetic ambience around living spaces. 

Since ancient times to modern times, from fertility goddess to modern-day multitasker, artists have always enjoyed exploring the subject matter of women folk in art. But when the subject is explored by female artists herself, it assumes different significance like artist Geeta Yerra, Parul Sharma and Swati Burde who are exhibiting in the art festival. 

P Gnana

The figurative works by Ravi Verma and Vanita Gupta along with Atul Todi and Jayaram Krishna’s figures emerging through geometric patterns on closer look is an added in attraction for viewers. 

The notion of beautiful and sublime with sharp contrasts of light and shadow is exemplified in the landscapes by Poornima Deepak and Reema Ravindran whereas Deepshikha Bishoyi, Mridul Garg, Pooja Muthuraj, Shankari Kundu, T V Sairam and Vidhu Pillai prefers suggestive style of abstract landscape which focuses more on expressing emotion while still capturing the essence of a landscape. Seena Mani’s cityscape, Aditiraje Bhonsle, and Kasturi Dutta’s flowerscape are different genre in landscape painting in the art festival that would leave a lasting impression on the viewers. 

Among several others noticeable works by master artists, the artists pavilion present a fresh face of India Art Festival at the Garden city. India Art Festival, with mammoth art collection of all sorts of art under one roof is a one stop mega art jamboree for art enthusiasts in this week to enjoy art without getting tired in hopping around art paces in city!

The participating art galleries include Akanksha Art Gallery, Charvi Art Gallery, Green Footprint

Laxman Aelay

Art Gallery, H Art Gallery, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Sara Arakkal Gallerie (all Bengaluru), ArtDesh Foundation, Artvista, House of Emerge, Nitya Artists Center, Studio Pankaj Bawdekar, Studio Rustgrey, Studio3 Art Gallery, The Bombay Art Society, thecurators.art (Mumbai) , ArteHut, Eminent Art Gallery, Gallery Pioneer, Nifa Art Gallery, Gallery Vision Art (New Delhi), Pastel Tale & Uchaan (Gurgaon), Gnani Arts (Singapore), Kalabhawan (Agartala), M Narayan Studio (Pune), Pichwai by Beyond Square (Udaipur) and Subodh Fine Art Studio (California, USA) among others.

India Art Festival will be on from 08 to 11 Dec 2022 at Kings Court, Palace Ground, Gate No.5, Bellary Road, Near Mekhri Circle, Bengaluru from 11 am- 8.30pm on all days.

For further details contact: 9820737692

Excerpted from the press release

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Also read,

• Art Scene India presents Convergence
• Art News (Bangalore) - Reimagining: (Un)Reality and Space
• How To Write An Artist Statement
• 6 Tips On How To Approach An Art Gallery And Find Gallery Representation
• Exhibiting Art in Non-Gallery Spaces
• 5 Reasons a Good Catalogue Text is Essential for Your Art

Cut Pieces by KP Reji at The Guild

The Guild presents “Cut Pieces”, a much awaited solo exhibition of recent works by Baroda based artist K. P. Reji at The Guild, Alibaug. 

The show is the first presentation in the silver jubilee year of the gallery. Reji’s works are known for their witty take on the state machinery and its multiple modes of ordering of lives of people. In this recent body of works he takes a new direction in exploring this. The meticulously constructed canvases offer a newer language, and furthermore, newer narratives in his repertoire. “K.P. Reji’s oeuvre, marked by its frontal narrative overtures and enigmatic subterranean, political sites, propels us to think about the need to define beauty in a new ontological setting. This drive is evident in his move, on the one hand, towards an allegorical mode of narratology, and a counter-move to suspend the narratorial through the ‘decoratively-real’ exteriors and interiors, on the other. In an intriguing manner, many of his works present themselves to us as allegories on practices, and works of art; as an artistic rumination on representational dilemmas of narrative idioms. 

These representational dilemmas stem from an artistic contemplation and reasoning regarding the nature of the political in the discursive universe of what can be broadly called aesthetical practices. Reji’s artistic propositions often remind us, in a Freudian analytical way, that the experience of beauty is bound up with, or is a form of mourning; it is a life-affirming act even though what one is dealing with is the most abominable. His works can be read perhaps as a pharmakon, which ex-poses the melancholies of our time; or better put, in-stances inertias that cloud our thinking and action. In a way, it presences the element of the violence of the sublime—at times, through the fracturing and fragmenting (and tearing) of form, materiality, proportion, and even composition, for the sake of the aesthetic encounter. The constant reinvention of unforeseen potentials of the affective fields of percepts and language Enables this body of work by Reji to enact the redistribution of the sensible, and thereby, open up newer possibilities of the political and the aesthetical. 

In the overall schema of this exhibition, both the phenomenology and politics of perception are evoked through the spectral presence of multiple acts of blinding. It seems that the coming together of these works proposes that only in blinding perception can the claims of colour and line be restituted, and with them, finally, the authority of the fragile and harassed human body.” – Excerpt from “Beauty as Pharmakon”, essay by Dr. Santhosh S

The exhibition continues till April 5, 2022

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