Whether you are a city veteran or a shiny newcomer, your Bengaluru diaries are incomplete without gazing upon the canopies of Gulmohar trees, indulging in steaming cuppas and crispy dosas at Airlines, the character that is Koshys or strolling through the mighty MG Road. Twenty-seven-year-old city-based architect and illustrator, Archana Pereira is set to pay tribute to the city that she lives in and loves, Bengaluru, as she captures its glory as it is today and the memorable locations it houses.
“The show depicts the current character of the ever-evolving city, emphasising on structures and places that are very typical of Bangalore. It’s so fascinating as some of the buildings and spaces have beautifully blended into the newer developments in the city,” says the artist who is inspired by people and places as. Archana attempts to capture the essence of the city and record its memories through her works. An alumnus of University School of Design in Mysuru, she confesses that art was never considered seriously, at least not as a career. “It all began when I went to Glasgow to pursue my masters of Architecture at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland and I began sketching out all my travels.
There’s a lot of focus on architecture in my sketches and that brings out the character of the city,” she explains as she draws inspiration from artists and cartoonists, Mario Miranda and Paul Fernandes. “Incidentally, my first artwork based on the city was the one on traffic and that's the highlight of Bangalore now – I couldn't resist sketching that out,” she quips.
After successfully exhibiting her nostalgic travel-themed works at the Sunday Soul Sante and at the Kitsch Mandi, the young artist admits to enjoying everyday of work. “I am currently working on opening up a design studio in Koramangala,” she says, about the space that hopes to combine art, architecture and travel. For a taste of her works, if you’ve gazed upon the wall illustration at Sector 7 café in HSR Layout, note that Archana was behind this too! “It was such a great feeling to see it complete and adding character to the café,” she says. “What's most exciting about this kind of work is that there's always something new and different to work on and each opportunity opens up new avenues,” she adds. Her works will be on display at Alliance Francaise from June 1-15.
