The teaching faculty and students of Shantala Chitrakala Mahavidyalaya held a three-day painting exhibition at the taxi stand at Hemavati Statue Circle in Hassan as a mark of protest demanding an art gallery in the city.
Around 200 paintings were on the display and the exhibition attracted hundreds of art-lovers. The students did paintings on different themes, a majority of them capturing rural life and water bodies.
Vasanth Kumar, principal of the college, said the event was held in the taxi stand close to Hemavati Statue only to convey a message to the State government that Hassan lacked an art gallery. “Hassan has given birth to many renowned artists. Many stalwarts from Hassan have made a remarkable contribution to the field of art. Sadly, there is no gallery to exhibit our works in the city”, he said.
As part of the exhibition, the students had to hang the paintings to the wire fencing in the day time and remove them by evening.
“We are making use of this place with the help of drivers at the place. Hassan City Municipal Council has permitted us to hold the event. We will continue to hold similar events on the footpath until the people concerned understand the need of an art gallery in the city”, said Vasanth Kumar.
For years, artists of Hassan have been demanding an art gallery. A couple of years ago, the district administration had accepted a proposal to set up a gallery in Maharaja Park. However, it has not proceeded further.
K.T. Shivaprasad, artist, who inaugurated the exhibition, said the delay in setting up a gallery in the city exposed disregard for art among the people’s representatives and officers in the district.
“We will stage a protest demanding a gallery in the city”, he said.
