Carving stories through wood

Follow us:WhatsappFacebookTwitterTelegram.cls-1{fill:#4d4d4d;}.cls-2{fill:#fff;}Google NewsJust about two days old, Earth Art Gallery promises to be more than just a place to display art. This art galley-cumstore started off with a motive, predominantly in favour of traditional art. Bringing back yesteryear visual art forms like block printing, Nakashi work, pottery and making them relatable for people with contemporary tastes is the gallery’s area of focus. Their first exhibition is an example of that. Deep in the wood Deep in the Wood art exhibition plays host to 26 frames, all in woodcut art prints, assembled together by 26 artists from across the country. “All the paintings have this technique called woodcut. This kind of process was used way back, before the introduction of colour printing, which is used by all artists today,” explains Lipika Rao Gandra, the curator. A senior artist M Gangadhar, who is a graduate from the University of Hyderabad in printing, conducted a workshop for the 26 artists, who were enthusiastic about the traditional block printing. Talking more about the technique, she says, “Block printing is done through carved wood. Artists take a log of wood and carve it as per the desired form. Then they dab colour on it and create motifs on their canvas.” One very unique aspect about the show is that not just the paintings, even the blocks used for finishing the paintings are on display. And all the artists use only eco-friendly materials and natural colours. Some of the artists, whose work on display include, Santhosh Kotagiri, Srinivas Reddy. B, Venkat, Aravind, Lester Paul, Palak Dubey, Glower Paul, Konda Srinivas, Srihari Bholekar, Uday Shankar, Dinesh Pimple, Raghavendra among others. Lipika also said that the workshop was conducted for 20 days, which was then followed by an art show. Due to space constraint, the show is however on display at the adjacent IconArt gallery. What’s new about this? This is probably a first-of-itskind concept in Hyderabad. A social entrepreneurial venture, which was started with an aim of reviving lost or waning art forms by introducing new innovative designs. It's a bonding link between traditional art and modern design. Art forms like terracotta, folk art and craft are infused with a new vigor by the support of professional artists and designers. Lipika explains, “The gallery brings together, indigenous art with modern art and design practices to break new grounds that suit today’s tastes.” Their upcoming workshops include the Nakashi Art Work or the mask making. “We have an artist who is coming all the way from Cherial in Warangal to conduct a workshop. Masks these days have made their way, not just into drawing rooms, but any suitable place. They cost anywhere between `250 and the time consumed in creating one is about two weeks. I am looking at tapping such a market, because these artisans do not have a regular income. We are also aiming at upgrading the designs to make them in tune with today.” To keep experimenting with something new and innovative everytime is what the gallerycum- store believes in.”We are also working on a project that support potters from Bobbili, by giving them novel pottery designs by artists from Shantiniketan.” During the course of these workshops, the artists will stay in-house in the gallery and learn the tricks of the trade. “The workshop is not closed for anybody. Any artist who is interested in learning about the art form can register with us. However, we do have a selection process, only after which they will be a part of the workshop,” Lipika says. The show is on at the Iconart Gallery from September 2 to 13, from 11:30 am to 7 pmfirst published:September 04, 2012, 11:14 ISTlast updated:September 04, 2012, 11:14 IST 
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