Chitra Santhe 2018: celebrating 15 years of India's biggest art fair!

The annual Chitra Santhe, held every January for the past 15 years in Bengaluru, is truly a celebration of art for all citizens, as highlighted in this photo essay.

PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In this edition, we feature some of the creativity of artists from across India at Chitra Santhe 2018.

In the earlier 160 posts, we brought you a wide range of creative photographs from a cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecom expo, art gallery, climate change expo, street art festival, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, Vesak, millets fair, and jazz festival.

Chitra Santhe ('painting fair') is renowned as one of India’s largest street fairs celebrating art (see also my photo essays from the earlier editions in 2017, 2016 and 2015). The mega event has over a thousand artists displaying their creative works along Kumara Krupa Road.

The fair is organised by the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, which was established in 1960 and is responsible for research, exhibitions and education of traditional and modern visual arts. The one-day Chitra Santhe has been organised for 15 years, and reportedly drew over 400,000 people last year.

The art fair attracts a large crowd of art lovers, body artists, painters, cartoonists, and sculptors. Art works were priced from Rs 400 to Rs 400,000, and there was something for every budget and all age groups – even for those who came just for inspiration or out of curiosity! This photo essay shows a brief sample of the paintings, murals, sculptures and mixed-media works on display this year.

Now what have you done lately to pursue your creative dreams, or help other artists?

Got a creative photograph to share? Email us at [email protected]!

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