An international canvas

BANGALORE: When Art Mantram opens its Bangalore Festival of Art in London today it will be a moment of pride to artists of Karnataka, who will share glory with those from the performing arts field, with the festival showcasing a mix of fine arts and classical dance, to make it a celebration of the rich cultural scene of Bangalore.

The maiden exhibition of visual and performing arts at the Nehru Centre, London, is also a balanced and encouraging outing, as both established and upcoming artists will be featured. This mix of arts, artists, and artistes, not only promises a wide canvas in talent and variety, but will also provide a wellmeaning platform that inspires and educates. The festival, that is being held in association with the Nehru Centre and is curated by Raji Narayan, director of Art Mantram, will open up vistas for art connoisseurs and painters and artistes.

JMS Mani, Yusuf Arakal, Gurudas Shenoy, SG Vasudev, Paresh Hazra, Jija Harisingh, Radhika Varma, Rekha Rao, Sultana Hassan, Doddamani MG and Ramesh Terdal are among the participating artists, while Arunima Kumar (Kuchipudi) and Gopika Varma (Mohiniattam) will be the dancers. They, along with Harisingh, a senior IPS officer, will take part in the interactive session on Being an Artist.

One can gauge the importance and uniqueness of the exhibition with Yusuf Arakal, one of the most celebrated artists of the country, and a proud resident of Bangalore, saying that it is “a wonderful platform, which will be a jugalbandi of art and dance”, and a perfect forum to introduce the contemporary art of Bangalore in an international arena.

Begun in 1997 by a group of art lovers, Art Mantram is a non-profit organisation promoting contemporary Indian art. Its sphere of activities include camps, talks, and workshops. Art Mantram looks at the welfare of artists and the promotion of art as a community affair, and sans sponsors, such global exposure will remain a dream, says Paromita Sen Harshan, its vicepresident.

jyothi@expressbuzz.com