‘Art is a way of living life beautifully’ – artist and curator tips for success from the ‘Resilience’ exhibition

Launched in 2014, PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 625 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 was host to the recent exhibition Resilience, which featured the works of over 55 artists of Karnataka (see Part I of our photo essay here). See also 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. “Such a wide-ranging exhibition of contemporary artists, especially showcasing their signature styles, has not been held recently in Bengaluru,” Krishna explains, in a chat with YourStory. Some of the artworks were priced from Rs 15,000 to Rs 60 lakh.

“The number of art events and exhibitions went down significantly because of the pandemic. But audiences should now step up and visit these events, and support them by buying artworks for their home and office,” Krishna urges.

The exhibition featured the works of artists such as Dimple Shah, a Bengaluru-based multidisciplinary artist who has been practising art for the last 22 years. During the pandemic, she engaged in an online programme with performances on international platforms from the US, Canada, and Europe.

As a message to the audience, Dimple explains that art is observable in everyday activities, ranging from cooking to gardening. “Art is a way of living life beautifully. Art can heal and give strength and power to understand the world both within and outside,” she says.

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“Art helps understand and realise the potential of the self and make it worth it. Art is nature – if one appreciates nature, life, and the universe, one will appreciate the power of art,” Dimple affirms.

“Art is visible everywhere, from the microscopic to the macroscopic worlds, from cell formations to the Milky Way and beyond,” she adds.

Dimple calls for greater appreciation for art in society. “Although India has a great art and cultural heritage, some people destroy heritage and historical sites by marking them and scribbling their names,” she laments.

Citizens should respect and preserve art and culture. “Schools and colleges should introduce art appreciation among students via museum visits, and inspire young talent to take up art as an important activity,” Dimple urges.

“Through art, people will learn to appreciate life around, which will make them humble and compassionate. Students should be motivated to take up art as a relevant profession,” she adds.

In many countries, she has seen how children are encouraged to appreciate art and culture. “Art forms a crucial part of their education, as they believe a society can become healthy when art and culture are appreciated and celebrated,” Dimple suggests.

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She also offers tips for aspiring artists. “One should never stop with failure. One should consistently pursue dreams with honesty, dedication, and hard work, and thereby achieve success,” she advises.

“If one has seen a bit of light from a creative impulse even at the far end, one should dare to walk with all conviction and strength, and one will achieve the path,” 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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