‘If you have a passion, find a way to sustain it’ - Manjunath Wali, artist and art teacher

Sublime Galleria, which offers terrific views of Bengaluru, is this week hosting ‘Once Upon a Time’, an exhibition that playfully interprets some of India’s ancient architecture.

PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 200 posts, we featured an art festival, cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecom expo, millets fair, climate change expo, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.

Sublime Galleria in Bengaluru is showcasing the art works of Manjunath Wali this week. Titled ‘Once Upon a Time’, the exhibition focuses on ancient monuments such as those in Hampi and the Badami caves in Karnataka.

Manjunath is an artist and art teacher who comes from a village not far from Badami. This collection has a special personal connect for him, he explained in a chat with YourStory. The exhibition title is a pun on his own as well as India’s past.

Manjunath studied at Hampi University College and Vijaya College of Fine Art, Gadag. He moved to Bengaluru in 2002, and has taught at Redbridge and Harvest International schools. He won the Camlin Award pan India twice in a row in 2013 and 2014. He blends traditional and contemporary themes in his own unique style, and paints in acrylic (abstract) and water colours (landscape) as show in this photo essay.

“Each generation must preserve its interpretation of tradition and culture and pass it on to the next,” Manjunath advises artists. “Being an artist is not easy – you cannot become an overnight success,” he cautions.

“If you have a passion, find a way to sustain it,” he adds, explaining why he is a teacher as well as an artist. Other professionals without formal art degrees have also entered the field in a part-time manner, as showcased in our earlier photo essays.

Manjunath’s art works are priced from Rs 15,000 to Rs 75,000 – but the value he derives from being an artist is far greater than the price of his paintings, he explains. “The pleasure and satisfaction from art as an expression of the soul is invaluable. Success is more than money, it is about mission,” Manjunath signs off.

Now what have you done today to sustain your passion, find your own expressive forms, or connect to a higher vision?

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