‘Streets are magical’

Iruvan Karunakaran who is exhibiting his art at Beyond Coffee till December 16 talks about his life and his muses.

He finds his muses on the streets, at times it is the boy riding a bicycle and at other times it is a woman going to the temple. Iruvan Karunakaran who is exhibiting his works at Beyond Coffee, says that he is inspired by characters in his daily life.

“I feel that the characters we see in our daily life have a silent magic. This inspiration gets funneled down to the canvas and that is the kind of paintings I do. To me the streets are magical. People on the streets are always busy; some of them running late to get to their destination, while others are others are busy buying from the vendors on the roadside. It might be the man pulling the cart or the dog sleeping, despite the commotion, the continuous movement on the streets makes it feel as if it is alive,” he says about his muses.

Having born and brought up in the temple city of Madurai, he says sculptures and paintings from childhood, helped him in his work. “The city in itself was my primary inspiration. During my formative years, I used to follow works of many artists from the city. Later I was inspired by Australian watercolour artist Joseph Zbucvic who is known for his street paintings,” he says.

He did his Bachelor of fine Arts from Government College of Arts & Crafts in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu but says that most of the training came from his life experiences.

“I think a person would need basic training from an art school but after that one recognises his true self through life experiences. Most of the times, those who go to an art college do not necessarily become an artist in the later stages. Among the 150 students who had attended college with me, only three or four of them have pursued art seriously,” he says.

Artists gain recognition after their prime. But he says that this fact doesn’t bother him much since he is not chasing fame.

 

“I am not chasing fame but I would definitely be happy when I get recognised and remembered for my work. Recognition worked in a very different way at a time before the invasion of the Internet and it was after an artist passed away that his work was recognised. However, in my opinion that is not the case anymore. Moreover, I believe that each artist has a unique style and it is not right to compare one with the other. So each of us have a space for ourselves,” he says.

He calls himself a full-time artist who takes out time for other roles like son, husband and father. “I enjoy painting and I would like to do it in the future too but I haven’t set a target for myself. I will keep painting till I enjoy doing it,” he says.

He feels that the market for art works is on the rise with the emerging Indian economy.

“Many are looking at art as a form of investment which was not the case before. This shows that the art scene in the country looking up,” he says.

Village tales

The solo exhibition of Bala Abhiram, son of renowned artist Bairu Raghuram, is being held at Alliance Francaise in Banjara Hills. Abhiram says, “I choose the subject of the village, its environment, lives of the rural folk, the sources of livelihood, and the socio-economic spheres. I paint everything I see in nature: men and women relaxing, gossiping in the rural area. I am inspired by rural life and study works of European, American and Indian artists.”

• Where: Alliance Francaise, Road No 3, Banjara Hills
• When: December 6-14, 9am-6pm

 

Breaking the mould

K Muralidhar, a Hyderabad-based artist is exhibiting his works at Rainbow Art Gallery in Begumpet. Muralidhar is known for experimenting with special clay, creating works in 3D clay art. The special clay can be used on any surface, enabling creating of art out of waste even.

Muralidhar aspires to teach and encourage anyone interested in using the medium. He also holds clay art classes at his institute.

• Where: Rainbow Art Gallery, Tourism Plaza, Begumpet
• When: December 8-12, 11am-7pm

Tags: Beyond Coffee, December 16, exhibiting his works, Iruvan Karunakaran

Category: Art & Design, Arts & Entertainment