Resilience: how this exhibition featuring 55 artists inspires, transforms, and heals

Launched in 2014, PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 620 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.

Karnataka Chitakala Parishath recently host the exhibition Resilience, featuring the works of over 55 artists of Karnataka. See our coverage of the earlier exhibitions: Chitra Santhe, Moghi’s Tales, Team Yuva Collective, Aadipaaya, and Print India Biennale.

The exhibition was curated by Krishna Setty CS, former Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi. “For the past two years, the pandemic adversely affected artists. But the artist community has shown resilience, and audiences are showing their support by attending exhibitions,” Krishna explains, in a chat with YourStory.

He is pleased with the feedback that the exhibition received. Some of the artworks were priced from Rs 15,000 to Rs 60 lakh.

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“Art has a prominent role in society. It combines expression, exploration, and duty to society,” explains Dimple Shah, a Bengaluru-based multidisciplinary artist who has been practising art for the last 22 years.

She has participated in a number of biennale exhibitions, and won awards such as the International Commonwealth Arts and Craft Award. She has worked at art residencies in the UK, India and Nigeria.

Dimple studied at MS University, Baroda. Her art practice spans painting, printmaking, installation, and performance art.

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“The meaning and crucial function of art in contemporary times are to bring forth socio-political and psychological aspects of society,” she adds. Other themes are ecological, humanitarian, and socio-cultural concerns.

For the Resilience exhibition, she showcased her work titled A Song for the Future. “The image is a metaphor for today's situation, where one sees the dark future but still celebrates the moment,” Dimple says.

“It is a surrealistic approach of one traveling in a picturesque set-up of a garden with lush green trees. There is a young child carrying a bird on the head, with a mask connected to an inbuilt small echo system to survive,” she describes

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“It is the usual tendency of humans to try to find happiness in any adverse situation. In the process, we forgot to correct our mistakes and habituate to any given living conditions. The painting criticises this attitude and aspect of society,” she adds.

The transforming experience of art helps attain catharsis and heal both artist and community. “Success for an artist comes from exploration of the true path, reaching people, and transforming their lives,” Dimple signs off.

Now, what have you done today to pause in your busy schedule and find new avenues to apply your creativity?

(All exhibition photographs were taken by Madanmohan Rao on location at the exhibition.)

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(The story was updated to correct a typo.)