Art show in city park to be first outside a gallery

ENNAI: Whether it's Sunday kutcheris or weekday parkour sessions, Nageswara Rao park in Mylapore has always been a hub of activity. So it's only natural that the green space will host what is probably Chennai's first one-day art fair in a public space.

Artmart 2016, which will feature the works of 75 artists, will be held on February 7 from 8am to 8pm. The fair has been inspired by Chitra Santhe, a similar event which is held every year in Bengaluru."They have been conducting it for years. It started on the campus of Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath and has become so big that it spreads on to Kumara Krupa Road at designated areas," says Vincent D'Souza, publisher and a catalyst for the artmart.

Artists from Chennai as well as Coimbatore, Kumbakonam, and Puducherry will be participating in the event."It will feature professional artists as well as self-taught ones. It is not only an exhibition but also an opportunity to sell their work," says Gana pathy Subramaniam, software engineer and artist, who is one of the organisers.

The idea is to take art out of galleries to the public. "Not many people go to art galleries to view and purchase paintings. But if we were to introduce it in a public space, people who pass by , even joggers, will get exposed and drawn into it," says Subramaniam.

Artists are drawn to the concept as it helps them reach out to a wider audience. "Usually, individual artists have to spend a lot of money to hold exhibitions in galleries. But when it is showcased in a public space, we can even price our work differently ," says artist S Venkatachalapathy , who will be showcasing his work at the event.

The paintings, sketches, dra wings and few sculptures that will be on sale, in fact, will be priced from Rs 200 to Rs 20,000. " At an event like this you can get original art work that is af fordable, and it makes it easy for people who want to start a collection," says Sandhya Manne, certified zentangle teacher, who is participating in the event.

"Exhibiting in a gallery is more formal and it requires that your paintings are framed and in a certain series. Here it is more informal and I can even exhibit my smaller sized work, which is cheaper."

People will also get to meet and interact with the artists."We will be conducting four workshops during the day , on watercolours, landscape painting, caricatures and one stroke painting, and also have a couple of contests for children," says Subramaniam.

Resource: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com