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Photo H. VIBHU

Youthful canvas Though beginners in the art field, there is a precocious maturity about the works

Twenty-nine degree and PG students have come together for what the students claim to be the first of its kind where the students have come together for a degree show. Although some of the artists or budding artists have “recognition” in the form of citations and special mention, it is an even playing field.

The show began on February 24 and will be on till March 4. As part of the exhibition, lectures and interactions with known figures in the field are also organised in the evenings at the venue.

The works have been selected by the students under the guidance of their faculty. “These works have not been painted for the exhibition, these have been part of our course work. And the best from our course work has been put up,” says Aji Vishwanathan, who is in the final year BFA. “The show is our initiation into the world of art, it is like we are announcing our presence,” he continues.

Announcing their arrival would be the way to put it, the works of the students are (mostly) original even though there are influences of senior artists.

The show is devoid of pretensions of the artistic or the intellectual kind. “We are saying as the title of our show suggests, we have strong roots in terms of our training and that we can withstand the test of time too,” says Aji and his classmate Ajith K. S.

There is a strong resolve not to succumb to the pressures of commerce, for the time being. Most of the works are on sale.

There is a lot of experimentation in terms of the media, technique and the message too. An interesting juxtaposition of the visually one dimensional with the three dimensional, of paintings with objects such as by Anoop G make for dramatic effect. What is said of the young – that their way of seeing things are different as is their outlook – is proven beyond doubt with this show.

The works show a lot of promise. Most of the works show maturity in execution and content which augurs well for the movement called art.

Issues range from personal preoccupations and perceptions, to gender politics and to things that should affect the collective conscience. Memories jostle with gender issues, to preoccupations with perceived banalities and existential angst. The paintings of the women artists reflect their concerns as women, of being women and thereby unwittingly reveal latent feminism.

“My paintings do not have anything to do with feminism, or at least it was not a conscious decision to. The works just reflect things that affect me as a woman, that is all,” says Anjaly P. K.

At the risk of sounding like the culture police, some of the things that pass off in the name of artistic license makes one cringe. Then again, it is all about the freedom of expression.

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