Creative in Coorg

Marking 20 years of encouraging young artists and helping bolster the art and cultural community in the city, Bhoomi — Centre For Art Studies is currently gearing  up to hold a four-day art camp for gifted artists from across the country. Scheduled to be held amidst the picturesque coffee estates of Madikeri in Coorg, the event is expected to draw artists from places as far and wide as Orissa, Kolkata, Goa, Hyderabad and Mangalore.

“For years, we have been promoting art and culture amongst the youth of Bengaluru by conducting workshops and talks. Since this year is a milestone for us, we thought we’d go slightly bigger than we normally do by hosting a residential camp for well-known artists. We’ve tied up with Kodava Academy and Club Mahindra for the event,” begins director MS Murthy, adding, “It’s going to be an informal event. The participating artists have been picked based on their bodies of work, history and a few other factors. As an artist myself, I am quite familiar with all of them, so I can safely say that it’s going to be a successful event.”

The camp will see artists creating fresh pieces of art while in residence and Murthy hopes that each artist will complete two pieces at the end of it. The theme is in keeping with the town in which it is being held, so it will be interesting to see artists depict the culture and customs of the Kodava community in their work. While the participants are free to work on their pieces during the day, the evenings are purely for artist interactions, exchange of ideas, experiences and discussions on art. The creative minds will also be entertained by local folk singers, who will come dressed in traditional garb. “A few artists expressed their desire to do a portrait of someone clothed in the traditional Kodava attire. So this will be of help,” reveals Murthy.

Goa’s Harshada Kerkar, one of the participating artists shares that she is going into the camp with an open mind and will let the setting speak to her. “I normally enjoy depicting my experiences. I am looking forward to this event, but I don’t have a concrete plan. Because that’s no fun. I will let my creative juices go with the flow and see what my mind comes up with,” she tells us.

Other prominent participants include Purushottam Adve from Mangalore, professor Andani from Gulbarga, and Manas Jana from Orissa — all seasoned names in the art field.

“These artists have been handpicked by me. Finding a genuine artist is getting harder with each day. I sincerely hope that camps like this help improve the numbers and quality,” says Murthy in conclusion.

The art camp is being held from January 27 to  30 at Madikeri, Coorg.