Bengaluru Nouveauism: how group art shows reflect the complexity of contemporary life
In this photo essay, we feature highlights from a group show at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath.
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Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath recently featured Studio Kalavistaara's group exhibition titled Bengaluru Nouveauism, featuring the works of five artists across various styles and genres. The lineup included AM Prakash, V Hariraam, Venkatachalapathi, GSB Agnihothri, and HS Venugopal (see our coverage of earlier exhibitions at this popular Bengaluru cultural hub here).
“Fresh and pushing the envelope of ideation and representation of concepts, the artists’ visualisation in this exhibition easily earns them the moniker of Bengaluru Nouveauism,” art critic Ranjan De describes.
The group exhibition offers a rewarding way to experience contemporary art: it becomes less about encountering a single vision and more about stepping into a conversation. Each artist brings a distinct language, temperament and perspective.
As show in this photo essay, the gallery transforms into a dynamic field of contrasts, echoes and surprises. For a viewer, the delight lies not only in the individual works but in the relationships that emerge between them.
Ganapathi Agnihothri has an MFA from Mysore University, and has participated in group shows across Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan, Goa, and New Delhi. For his artworks, he has won a range of awards from Karnataka Lalita Kala Academy, Indian Royal Academy (Kalaburagi), and State Gallery of Art (Telangana).
He has also held solo art shows in Mysuru’s Wellington Art Gallery, Bharani Art Gallery, Chitra Art Gallery, and Ravi Varma School of Art. He has participated in art camps in Karnataka at Hasan, Mandya and Bengaluru.
“Art should be an expression intertwined with the artists’ experience, evoking emotions and resonating with the soul. Nature is the source of everything,” Agnihothri explains.
HS Venugopala has a diploma in fine arts from MS University, Baroda. He has participated in exhibitions in India as well as overseas in Egypt at the International Print Triennale. His artworks appear in collections at the Karnataka Lalith Kala Academy as well as private collections abroad.
“A fleeting moment holds endless inner turmoil and thoughts. I am fascinated by how a single line evolves into complex, layered narratives,” artist AM Prakash explains.
V Hariraam has a diploma in fine arts from Kalamandir School of Arts, Bengaluru. He specialises in print making, and has participated in exhibitions in India as well as overseas in the UK, Spain, Romania, Japan, and Mauritius.
He has won awards from the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums in Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu Lalit Kala Akademi, Chennai. He has held solo shows at Alliance Francaise, Max Muller Bhavan, Gallery Katayun, Easel Art Gallery, and Gallery Tasmai.
The group exhibition of these five artists is large enough to create variety, yet intimate enough that each voice can be distinctly heard. Moving through such a show, viewers are constantly shifting gears: from contemplation to curiosity, from emotional response to intellectual engagement.
The mix of paintings and installations heightens this pleasure. Paintings often reward sustained looking; they ask us to slow down, notice surface, composition, rhythm, and gesture.
Installations, by contrast, activate the body as much as the eye. They surround us, redirect our path, manipulate scale, sound, light, or texture, and make us aware of ourselves as participants within the artwork. Together, these forms create a rich alternation between stillness and immersion.
There is also a democratic generosity in such exhibitions. No single artist dominates the space entirely; instead, attention circulates. Visitors may arrive drawn by one artwork and leave captivated by another.
Ultimately, the delight of watching a five-artist group exhibition lies in multiplicity. It mirrors the complexity of contemporary life itself—diverse, layered and full of intersecting perspectives.
“The exhibition provides a wormhole look at 21st century contemporary creative consciousness in Bengaluru. It is displayed to provoke curiosity, fascination and questions about how we view our world,” art critic Ranjan De signs off.
Now what have you done today to pause in your busy schedule and harness your creative side for a better world?
(All photographs taken by Madanmohan Rao on location at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath.)