Chithrakala Academy’s annual art show returns after a long gap

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Artists from Chithrakala Academy at their 44th annual art exhibition in Coimbatore | Photo Credit: SIVA SARAVANAN S

Artist V Jeevananthan walks with a spring in his step. He pauses to talk to a visitor; laughs at someone’s joke; poses for a photograph; offers a video interview in his booming voice, glancing at the paintings in the gallery every once in a while. He and his artist friends at Chithrakala Academy have been waiting for this day for six years now. They have organised their annual art show — their 44th — after a long gap and their enthusiasm is palpable at Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery in the city.

The show features two works each by 33 participating artists, all of whom have their roots in Coimbatore. “Selling is only secondary,” says Jeeva, who is the academy’s president. He adds, “It’s enough if we get the opportunity to display our work and spark discussions.” This sense of contentment with their work is the underlying philosophy of Chithrakala Academy, the first institute in the city to bring people together for art. It has embraced, trained, and offered exposure to artists across ages since 1978 expecting nothing much in return.

An artwork on display at Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery in Coimbatore | Photo Credit: SIVA SARAVANAN S

“All of us like to participate as a community,” he says. Jeeva has presented a painting of the Buddha to the backdrop of a surreal full-moon sky, and another of a waterfall, done in shades of blue. The show has works themed on Nature, realism, landscape, and the abstract, most of them done in acrylic. There are stunning paintings: such as an imposing abstract work by artist Muthuraj, who is also an art director in the film industry; and subtler ones that linger in one’s memory.

Mention must be made of artist Parthiban’s painting of the front view of a packed grocery store. Colourful strings of chips packets, shampoo and pickle sachets fill the frame that also makes space for baskets overflowing with vegetables.

Another interesting work is that of artist Bimal Sham who has used leaves and grass to compose a scene that is an extension of the forests that surround our city. Maniraj, another art director in the team, has painted a grand Bharatanatyam pose, while artist Ram Prasad presents paintings done in watercolour.

Chithrakala hosted its first art show in 1978 at President Hall, Race Course. “GD Gopal [GD Naidu’s son] who owned the space let us use it free of charge,” says Jeeva. This was a time when art shows were unheard of in Coimbatore. Jeeva was 22 years old then and had joined the academy as a student. He recalls how he helped set up an art exhibition in a hall that was meant for clothes and furniture expos.

Artist Parthiban’s work of art at Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery | Photo Credit: SIVA SARAVANAN S

“We installed wooden beams in front of which we spread lengths of jute. The artworks were suspended with this fabric as the backdrop and we also installed focus lights.” The set up was quite raw,” he chuckles.