Celebrating 15 years of art!

Bengaluru: Tens of thousands thronged the 15th Chitra Santhe at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath on Sunday as hundreds of artists from across the country showcased their artworks.

The cynosure of all eyes was a body painting artist, Gregory Jackson Haley from Texas, U.S., who was standing in the middle of the crowded street covered in different colours.

“I love the curiosity and enthusiasm of the crowd. I’m overwhelmed
by the diversity of this city and painting these bodies is like bringing that diversity under one umbrella that has no demarcations,” Harley said.

Then there was a barefoot artist, Abeer from Odisha, who was singing and roaming the street with his paintings, as he wanted to showcase his works beyond the confines of a stall.

Inaugurating the Santhe in the morning, eminent scientist C.N.R. Rao, a Bharat Ratna awardee, said, “Science and art have the same background. The research in science is an ongoing process and so is art, which keeps getting better with more practice and is a never-ending exercise.”

Parishath’s vice-president T. Prabhakar said, “We have a special committee to select five awards for the artists based on their work and the best will get Rs 1 lakh."

Well-known artist Kanai Kunhiraman said, “Now that we have a platform, we should ensure that we make use of it. Unfortunately, we have a number of artists in the country but no buyers. Every house should have a sculpture or a painting to make it a complete home.” Mayor Sampath Raj and Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath president B.L. Shankar too were present.