A series of artistically rendered functional objects on display at State Art Gallery bring forth the bold, vibrant and effervescent side of artists’ imaginations.
Infographic
To experience an artist’s work in an art gallery is a very satisfying experience for an art lover. But to see his work getting transformed into functional objects initiates an overwhelming and endearing surprise for the art enthusiast. The present show curated by Atiya Amjad, director of Diara Art Gallery, brings forth a fresh set of objects passionately rendered by city artists. The show contains a wide array of household objects, furniture, jewellery, and decoration pieces. The curator shares enthusiastically, “The artists love to experiment with novel materials and media. Functional art show gives them the freedom to be aesthetically perfect and ornamental and decorative too, for a change. In fact, there is a very thin line that separates fine art, design, craft and engineering. Why do artists create functional art? By creating functional art, artists get to think out of the box which refreshes their creativity. They explore various new media and ideas which reinforce their creative thinking. The present show amalgamates objects rendered by seventy artists.”
Laxman Aelay’s art on a pumpkin
“I enjoyed painting on a dried pumpkin for the show,” reveals Laxman Aelay. “As a child, I remember playing with them in the village, now as an artist the object intrigued me immensely and I ended up painting on it.” The show also contains a beautiful wooden flower vase painted by the artist where the images of his beloved rural folk reign royally.
Paper-weights made of scrap wood by artist Pawan Kumar
An antique wooden dressing unit painted by Masuram Ravikanth contains four creative portraits, with almost identical features and yet the change of shape of spectacles grants the otherwise still composition a sure verve of movement and energy.
Also noteworthy are interesting paperweights created by Pawan Kumar with irregular/scrap wooden pieces. He says, “I love assembling pieces together. When I start I have no idea what the final form will be, the animal makes itself visible gradually by its own.” On the other hand, the wooden box painted by Rajeshwar Nyayapalli excels in making the mundane job of storage a grand and cherished chore. The box contains an image of a Goddess in the centre of the lid of the box. The figure is surrounded by a yantra and a white elephant on each side.
Loved for his iconic calligraphy works, Parmeshwar Raju has experimented with a new medium for the show. He says, “I have worked on brass and designed a series of pendants which can be framed or used as bookmarks. Usually, craftsmen work in a stereotypical manner and with conventional styles. I believe that when an artist and a craftsman work together, the results are outstanding.”
