Finding the magic in the humdrum

“No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist,” wrote Oscar Wilde. Two artists, Veeresh Rudraswami and Shivayogi Addanavar, who will showcase their oeuvres at the Swasti Art Gallery in the HCG premises from August 23, demonstrate the truth in this thought.
As a curator, if one has been following Veeresh’s growth as an artist, one can clearly see the steady progress the soft-spoken man from North Karnataka has made. Hailing from a very modest background from a remote village near Badami, Veeresh has always stayed true to his art. He is one of the most gentlemanly artists you can find in the city and his work as well as his work ethic have earned him a lot of admirers.

Veeresh often volunteers for a lot of art events and he takes the Art Park Bengaluru event seriously. Says Veeresh, “I started my artistic journey exploring forms in a blank canvas. Creating compositions using imaginary abstract forms while keeping in mind the technical possibilities. I have started to question if can include the imaginary forms within my mind and around me? What is my role in this? I feel conscious compositions of readymade objects is an important part of my process.”

Veeresh’s works predominantly feature geometrical forms, pieces of iron, flat objects, wooden blocks, stone, steel, nails, colours and, as and when needed, he juxtaposes them along with some abstract forms composing them in mixed media art works according to contemporary concerns creating experimental images and sculptures. The foundation of Veeresh’s readymade sculptures are derived from rural culture and the rest of the materials are mundane elements from the day-to-day life. The present body of work demands exploration of new objects and their utility. In our rural culture, the circular wooden form called ‘kommanigi’, which is used for making roti, is symbolic in the work. Says the artist, “I have been associated with this kommanigi since my childhood. This became an art object over the years in my thought process, with the addition of a few more sculptural interpretations.”

Veeresh procures most of his materials from the Sunday bazaar in KR Market. Shivayogi aptly complements Veeresh’s style. Predominantly a print maker, Shivayogi’s etchings on display are an eclectic mix of semi-abstracts that again contain some mundane elements, which go well with the composition.
The show begins on August 23 at Swasti Art Gallery.