Banyan Hearts: Imprinting expressions

A recent workshop at Banyan Hearts had aspiring young architects from the Maestro School of Planning and Architecture (Maestro SPA), and JNAFAU, learn a whole new artistic expression from eminent artists and professional print makers. The new form in question is printmaking. Says Chippa Sudhakar, artist and director of Banyan Hearts, “Printmaking is a complete form of expression. Every medium of printmaking imbibes many stages, all of which are manual. We have many events at the studio to promote printmaking. This time we are working with architecture students with a hope to initiate their interest in the medium. I also expect that they will use this medium and promote it as well.”

The young art enthusiasts were fortunate enough to have stalwarts like Laxma Goud, the city’s senior-most artist, as a mentor. Goud inaugurated the workshop, spending quality time with the students on the intricacies of the art form. Artist and mentor, Sukka Karuna also shares her experience, “It’s amazing how all forms of art are interlinked with one another. There is a bit of visual art in architecture and vice versa. The peripheries are seamless and beautifully interwoven together. Since the students are training to become architects, we asked them to come up with forms they often work with in their field.”

A walk around the studio throws up the artwork created by the students at the workshop, most of which are beautiful woodcut prints. While one of the students, Abhilash, has created a realistic view of the studio, his fellow student, Arti, explains her work. “My work depicts the importance of inner peace, which is beyond the attainment of materialistic objects. So, I have chosen Buddha as the central figure,” she says.

An equally noteworthy creation by Neeti depicts an ambiguous bird-like creature, while Sanjay has ‘printed’ a portrait of the actor Johnny Depp in his Jack Sparrow avatar. Sanjay says, “I have an innate fondness for portraits, which I make often. I wanted an interesting portrait so I chose this one. I also wanted to infuse an element from architecture and so, the right side of the portrait has multiple angular lines and triangles.”