In Hyderabad, art workshops to spotlight on master artists all this month

Art workshop for children and young adults

If you are seeking artistic activities for children this summer, here’s some news. Hyderabad-based M Eshwariah Art Gallery will be conducting the third edition of Bala Kala Vikas, featuring an exhibition and a workshop focusing on various art techniques for children and young adults aged between 6 and 18, from May 10 to May 14 at its gallery in Madhuranagar, Ameerpet.

Sanjay Kumar of Eshwariah gallery explains that the idea is to let young art enthusiasts learn new techniques from experts in the field and also exhibit their works.

Through the annual event, the gallery hopes to create a platform for art enthusiasts to interact with artists. The four-day workshop will teach donut photo frame, pencil sketching, calligraphy, origami, Jaipur blue pottery style art and glass painting. The workshop will culminate in a sale-cum exhibition in which participants can display their works created during the workshop.

Fee: ̥₹500 per session; participants will be given certificates and mementoes. Register by May 5; contact 9391355110 / 8978782075.

Fluidity of materials

Imagine materials that are an integral part of folklore and murals being used in the context of contemporary installations, sculptures and paintings. A few artworks even blur the lines between sculpture, relief and paintings, encouraging viewers to look beyond the conventional boundaries of art. Material Stories, featuring works by 16 eminent artists, is a study of the evolution of contemporary Indian art. 

Hosted by Srishti art gallery, celebrating its 25th year in the city, the exhibition features artworks by Balan Nambiar, C Douglas, Dattatraya Apte, Jyoti Bhatt, K Laxma Goud, K S Kulkarni, K S Radhakrishnan, Latika Katt, Manu Parekh, Piraji Sagara, R N Pasricha, Rabin Mondal, S Dhanapal, Satish Gujral, Shanti Dave, and Shobha Broota.

The exhibition aims to highlight how these artists experimented with materials — terracotta, papier mache, stone, bronze, wood, thread — to create a visual language that bridges traditional and contemporary art.

For instance, Balan Nambiar’s sculptures use steel to design fluid, contemporary forms named Cactus and Mirror Idol of Mother Goddess. The exhibits show how Nambiar, a research scholar on ritual art forms of the western coast of south India, embraced contemporary art techniques. Known to have worked with wood, clay, stainless steel, bronze, and enamel, among other materials, he used computer-aided design for some of his artworks.

On view at Srishti art gallery, Jubilee Hills, till June first week.

Playful Krishna on canvas

Full of life is a word to describe artist Narendar Reddy’s works that celebrate Krishna. His new show, The Eternal Mesmeriser, on display at State Art Gallery, showcases mixed-media paintings. The works capture a playful Krishna in several flute-wielding poses in a natural world surrounded by flora and fauna.

The aesthetic paintings are in a mix of resplendent colours. Be it the intricately adorned crown, attire or jewellery, the works reflect the grandeur and divine splendour.

Narendar has carved a niche for himself in the art circuit. Trained in art, Narendar did his research in art in Aichi in Japan. Inspired by the works of great masters during his international trips, the artist developed a style of his own. According to Narendar, a painting is complete only when his heart tells it is. “When there is complete peace within me, I know I have done what the painting expected me to do.”

He believes, “Nature lovers speak to trees and even understand them.” The artist adds that an an understanding should develop between the artist and the painting he creates.

On view at State Gallery of Art, Madhapur, till May 4.

Rocks, the Deccan legacy

Iconart, which showcased site-specific art installations at Forestrek park in Hyderabad recently, will exhibit photographs and installations at its gallery in Banjara Hills. Whispering Rocks – the Deccan Legacy, will feature images by photographers from the Telangana Photographic Society, focusing on ecology and heritage of Deccan rocks.

Beyond documenting the importance of rocks, the exhibition attempts to pay an ode to the bond between human creativity and the natural world. At Forestrek park, the photographs were interspersed with ikebana, stone-carved poetry, handloom weaves and performances.

Among the photographs that will be a part of the exhibition at Iconart, curated by Avani Rao Gandra, look out for images by Vishwender Reddy Komidi, L Viswanatham, Srikanth Nippatla, Madhugopal Rao R, and Ashok Vootla.

Vishwender Reddy has photographed rocks of the Deccan plateau for a decade. The monochromatic frames document rocks that resemble ducks, mushrooms, and even tombstones, and in turn become metaphors for resilience in the times of encroachment. And Madhugopal’s photographs show the co-existence of humans and the rocks. In an image, he captures a woman who pauses in the shadow of a boulder, her demeanour almost reflecting the rock’s stillness.

At Iconart gallery, Banjara Hills, May 3 to 20.