5 decades on canvas: Ganesha Somayaji brings ‘Reflection’ to Bengaluru

Mangaluru: More than five decades of artistic practice, spanning watercolour, oil and acrylic, will come together in veteran artist and art educator Ganesha Somayaji B.’s solo exhibition Reflection, opening at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat here on October 1.

The week-long exhibition, which will continue until October 7, will present a selection from Somayaji’s extensive body of work, including landscapes, portraits and paintings inspired by historical sites, forts, riverbanks, beaches and other natural and cultural settings. His works had been extensive in the realm of folk performing arts, folk traditions. His collections adorn the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi, various art gallaries across the country and in some private collections in different countries.

Born in Bantwal in Dakshina Kannada in 1949, Somayaji trained under artist B.G. Mohammed of B.G.M. Fine Arts in Mangaluru. He later secured the first rank and a gold medal in the G.D. Art examination in 1973.

Over a career spanning more than 50 years, Somayaji has produced more than 1,000 works and held 25 solo exhibitions, besides participating in over 120 group exhibitions across India. His practice has included on-the-spot landscape painting, portraiture and documentation of places and heritage through different media.

His works have been exhibited at venues including Mumbai’s Jehangir Art Gallery, where he participated in exhibitions in 2019 and 2023. He was also part of the Central Lalit Kala Akademi’s national camp, Varanasi Through Creative Eyes in 2016 and has participated in the Appa Art Festival in Pune and seven editions of the Kudla Kala Mela.

Some of his works are part of collections including that of the President of India and the Karnataka Lalitha Kala Academy.

He has been associated with the Karnataka Lalitha Kala Academy as a member and has coordinated initiatives including Chithra Siri, Varna Jagruthi and Varna Virasat. He is also honorary president of Karavali Chitrakala Chavadi.

The exhibition will be inaugurated on October 1 at 5 pm by veteran artist Krishna Setty., Honorary Member of the Russian Academy of Arts, Moscow. Artist and Karnataka Lalitha Kala Academy president Pa. Sa. Kumar will preside. Reflection will be open to visitors from 11 am to 7 pm daily at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat, Kumara Kripa Road, Bengaluru.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

M Raghuram

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