On a serious note

Road safety is a serious concern in our state. The incre­asing number of accidents and the slack system have triggered a bunch of artists to respond against it in their own way. The art show titled ‘On Road, Be Serious’, organised by Komusons Art Gallery, is a rare presentation and brings together 101 artists from all over the State to create public awareness and road safety.

Asif Ali Komu, the programme director of the show and the managing director of Komusons Art Gallery, says, “This is our 27th art show on public awareness. Of the 101 artists, most are mothers. This platform helped them to express their fear and anxieties on road safety. No matter how literate we are, most are oblivious to the rules of road safety and safe driving.”

Fouzia A. Backer, an artist and a writer, presented the dangerous outcome of careless bike riding in a satirical way. “Our young generation is so obsessed with speed that they never think about the risks. They don’t even maintain their bikes properly. That’s why I came up with this theme where I’ve shown a half-covered dead body with a pair of brand new shoes in the legs. My target is the young people who care more about their looks than their bikes,” says Fouzia.

Some of the artists took a theme from their own experience. An accident artist Raji Pisharasiar met with reflected in her art work. “Once I met with a bike accident, and after that I was afraid to travel by any vehicle. I wanted to show this fear in the minds of accident victims,” says Raji.

Reckless driving, violation of traffic rules and irresponsibility of the authority are some of the important issues reflected in the art works by the artists proclaiming ‘On Road, Be Serious’.