“Art is not handicraft. It is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced.’’
— Leo Tolstoy
When it comes to doing creative art shows, the galleries in our city never cease to impress. One such show which took the city by storm was a group show which had artworks done by city-based cops. Yes, you read that right, a group show by police officers. The artworks were displayed at Chitrakala Parishath and Gallery Reves, which promoted the art show. The show had a massive opening which was inaugurated by Sandalwood star Yash, Neelamani Raju Director General of Police, Bhaskar Rao, Praveen Sood and the evergreen and exuberant cop and artist Jija Hari Singh. The art show was an eclectic mix of art in various forms. There were some police officers who painted the wildlife of the state, some stuck to landscapes. Some even displayed their digital prints and photographs. Some brilliant abstracts were also on display. What united the artworks in the show was that most took inspiration from the rural life and rich cultural heritage of the state. One work by Kariyappa Hanchinamani was so good that it would give any senior artist a run for his money. The way he has depicted Yakshagana and his understanding of colour and his perfect anatomy makes it hard to believe that he is a self-taught artist. Gallery owner and curator Rajini Rekha elaborated, “The main objective of the show was to evoke creative pursuits in professional fields, in the past, we have done shows for women entrepreneurs on the occasion of women’s day, exclusive show for doctors, etc. But, this has been a very special show working with policemen. The concept itself was a very Zen thing, as art works by the police force are a rarity. There has been a great stir in the media, and the public. We had all the police officials of the department visiting.
That was a great moral booster for the employees to have their talent acknowledged by the police department. We look forward to more corporates, professional organisations make some time for the art.’’ Jija Hari Singh, the senior cop lauded the efforts of the police. She has always been the foremost cop in the city to promote art and her Artmantram Foundation continues to do a lot for artists. The show was an eye opener on the amount of talent that our cops have, and how their skill set goes beyond just law and order. Their creativity was nothing short of awe inspiring. The art show concluded at Gallery Reves.
— The writer is an art expert and curator.
