‘Creativity enhances our thinking in all aspects of life, not just in arts,’ says Krishna Setty, Print Biennale India

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Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath in Bengaluru recently hosted the second edition of the Print Biennale India (see Part I of our coverage here). The international exhibition of graphic prints featured 249 artworks from 14 countries, including 39 foreign artists, according to exhibition coordinator Krishna Setty CS.

Printmaking uses techniques such as relief and intaglio printing, with raised surfaces or incisions. Other methods include serigraphy, lithography, aquatint, and mezzotint. Artists have used this medium for realism, surrealism, abstraction, figuration, and other styles.

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Printmaking was introduced in India by the Portuguese in 1556, art historian Ashrafi Bhagat writes in the exhibition literature. Though primarily used for reproduction, it took on artistic angles as well. This included folk and tribal art, mythology, and urbanscapes.

Artists like Raja Ravi Varma were some of the pioneers in this space. Printmaking was also used during India’s independence movement as a tool of political expression.

Featured artists at the Biennale include Ajit Dubey, Akbar Padamsee, Anant Nikam, Asma Menon, Devraj Dakoji, Dilip Tamuly, Jyoti Bhatt, Laxma Goud, Nicholas Hill, Paul Koli, Sanat Kar, Shyam Sharma, Vijay Kumar, and others.

Plans are underway for launching the next Print Biennale India in 2024, Krishna Setty explains, in a chat with YourStory. The first edition was launched in 2018, when Setty was Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi. Calls for submissions for the 2024 edition will be announced on social media and other platforms.

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“I have been a printmaking artist for over 40 years,” Setty says. As compared to single works of art, graphic prints can be used to create multiple editions of the artwork.

The usual international practice is to print up to 120 editions as part of a limited edition set, he adds. As compared to graphic prints, offset print runs are generally unlimited.

“Creativity enhances our thinking in all aspects of life, not just in arts,” Setty explains.

“There are no limits to success in creativity – you can keep moving from one frontier to another,” he adds. However, the drive for creativity for audiences as well as artists must stem from intrinsic motivation, Setty signs off.

Now, what have you done today to pause in your busy schedule and find new avenues to explore your creative core?

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