Attitude, appreciation, AI – Avyanna exhibition artists reflect on creativity and technology
In our second photo essay from the Bangalore International Centre, we showcase more artworks and insights from the exhibition presented by the Oorja art collective.
Launched in 2014, PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 860 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.
The Bangalore International Centre recently hosted the exhibition titled Avyanna (‘strong, powerful, beautiful woman’). Celebrating International Women’s Day activities, the exhibition also raised funds for the Karunashraya Institute of Palliative Care Education and Research.
The exhibition was an initiative of the Oorja collective, curated by eminent artist MG Dodammani (see our coverage of their earlier exhibitions here). The exhibition featured 60 artworks by 12 women artists from Bengaluru: Aarti Nichlani, Bina Mirchandani, Esha John, Evanka Thimmaiah, Kanthi V, Neelam Malhotra, Nidhi Bhatia, Pramila S Raja, Pushpa Reddy, Shruti Banerji, Ritu Chawla Mathur, and Vanaja Bal.
“Avyanna has given me the wings to fly high with my art. My hobby has now developed and evolved, thanks to the support and mentorship I received,” artist Esha John tells YourStory.
Her collection is inspired from her childhood and hometown experiences in Kerala. “My art features verdant landscapes and shades of green foliage. The paintings explore the intricate beauty of leaves, symbolising growth, renewal, and the passage of time,” she explains.
Esha is pleased with the feedback from her exhibition. “A couple of commission orders are in the pipeline and that really excites me. I have also started a design consultancy, with a few projects lined up for the year,” she enthuses.
She calls for more people to get involved in the business market of art. “There needs to be more awareness of art buying and investment. The effort, time and talent of an artist is often forgotten, and this outlook of people needs to be changed,” she urges.
The theme of the exhibition largely centred around nature. “Nature is very important in our lives, but humans need to find a balance in our lifestyle and reduce the over-development and pollution that is harming plant and animal life,” curator MG Doddamani cautions.
“That is why our exhibition addresses the importance of nature. We even did a beautiful installation which showed how we can all protect nature,” he adds.
The diversity of artworks, styles and mediums received good feedback. “Over Rs 2.5 lakh has been raised by the auction of the specially-created artwork, and bids are still running online. We hope to raise more for this good cause of helping an institution which cares for cancer patients,” Doddamani says.
“Art helps exploration of creative thought processes, and captures various experiences with society. Art is relaxing, spreads happiness, and gives strength. Art can also be used to support social causes,” he describes.
Art is a form of solace. “Art is not just about decorative pieces – it has life and we can speak with it and through it. Through colour, space and time, art gives joy and happiness,” Doddamani evocatively describes.
“Art shows always provide wonderful platforms for creative collaboration, learning and encouragement to improve and innovate,” Vanaja Bal observes. Most of her paintings are inspired from her personal experiences.
Viewers expressed curiosity to know more about the story or idea behind her artworks. “My series of six paintings is inspired from my travel to different places. That led to the creation of the series called Human Touch,” she explains.
“Hands are the main element in my paintings, and are projected as the source of power with its energy manifested in various forms,” Bal says. Human involvement is depicted as a form of creation, destruction or restoration.
Her approach blends realism with abstraction. “This gives depth to the concept. For example, I used the pouring technique to capture the ocean’s essence which helped in creating dynamic and fluid effects,” Bal describes.
“There is pure joy in creating art. Art allows us to express ourselves in many incredible ways. Embracing the endless journey of learning truly opens up so many possibilities for growth and creativity,” Bal affirms.
From conceptualisation to exhibition, artist Nidhi Bhatia found the whole experience to be superb. “My series was titled Between Silence and Light, and focused on meditation, peace and finding the inner self,” she describes.
This theme connected well with viewers. “There was a lot of positive feedback on the aspect of creativity as well as the color palette used. The audience perceived and understood the paintings in their own ways,” she says.
She describes her approach as based more on thorough study and reflection than spontaneity. “I make thumbnails, do small colour sketches, and then decide on the final few that need to be developed,” Bhatia says.
She uses mixed media and different tools to get the desired output. “As I create from my imagination, my paintings unfold gradually and slowly. It literally evolves and grows on the canvas, and I enjoy the complete journey along with the outcome,” she enthuses.
“My composition invites the viewer to experience the stillness and flow of energy. It evokes a sense of calm, balance, and spiritual alignment,” she says.
For the Avyanna exhibition, she created bigger canvasses with customised framing, priced from Rs 28,000 to Rs 1.4 lakh. She is planning to go deeper into this series, and has some commissioned projects in discussion as well.
“For me, art is a reflection of the soul. Whenever I go out for walks in the street or in the park, I notice different things. Whatever attracts me serves as my inspiration,” Pramila Raja describes.
This can include trees, quiet birds sitting on branches, colorful leaves, or flowers blooming in the muddy water of a lotus pond. “In my recent exhibition series titled Enchanted, I painted what my soul has perceived. Art serves as a conduit for personal and collective exploration of the soul,” she says.
Raja’s style of painting varies from vibrant colours to mild and subtle hues. “I employ fine strokes to create intricate works. My intention is to create pieces that evoke a pleasant and blissful feeling,” she describes. Her artworks are priced from Rs 35,000 to Rs 60,000.
She would like her artworks to help viewers forget the struggles of daily stress, anxiety, or negative emotions and thoughts.
“Just as I forget the surrounding noise or any disturbances while I paint, I want people to experience the same feeling when they look at my work,” she says.
The artistic journey is full of ups and downs, but artists find a way to bounce back. “When we are learning, most of us make mistakes, that is inevitable. But how we rectify and learn from our mistakes is important,” she suggests.
“Mistakes or failures are not the end. We must keep practicing good work without losing heart, because ultimately, consistency is the key to success,” Raja advises aspiring artists.
Though she has been practicing art since her college days, she began painting seriously only in 2014 and started exhibiting in 2016. “I have created more than 80 paintings in different mediums, including oil, watercolor, acrylic, and soft pastels,” she proudly says.
She has participated in 20 shows, both in India as well as Italy, Japan and Bangladesh. “When we paint, our success lies in achieving the outcome of what we wanted to convey. Sales and awards are like the icing on the cake,” Raja says.
She calls for more art appreciation in society through the school and college curriculum, community centre activities, and art clubs. “Governments should support festivals and organise exhibitions, and provide finances for underprivileged artists and emerging artists,” she suggests.
“Encouraging art debates that include members such as art critics and journalists will help the public gain a deeper understanding of art,” she adds. Social media promotion can also help here.
Some of the exhibiting artists share their views on the impact of technology on art as well, such as artificial intelligence (AI). They view it as an opportunity as well as a potential threat, and call for more awareness and education.
“AI is at this point a very vast world. The knowledge we commoners have is just the tip of the iceberg. If AI is used to its best, it will open a plethora of opportunities,” Esha John explains.
AI can be well used for human growth and prosperity if implemented well. “Since it is still very new to most people, we should be patient and learn every aspect of AI in order to churn out wonders for the future,” she suggests.
Technology has brought art out of niche galleries and has made art more accessible and interactive. “Digital art provides various platforms for artists to share their art online through social media and galleries,” Vanaja Bal observes.
But AI can pose a threat if artists develop too much dependency on technology and drift away from their own artistic skill and imagination. “Self-created art always has a human touch and emotion. It evolves along with the artist and each artwork that we create carries a part of us along with it,” Nidhi Bhatia explains.
“A lot depends on how AI is embraced and integrated with art. When approached thoughtfully, AI could be an amazing collaborative tool for artists to explore new ideas, techniques, styles and composition possibilities,” Bhatia signs off.
Now what have you done today to pause in your busy schedule and harness your creative side for a better world?
Oorja Collective
(All photographs were taken by Madanmohan Rao on location at the Avyanna exhibition.)