Exhibition to encourage specially-abled artists

‘Other artists create artwork for money, but these people spend more time bringing in their creativity’ says the curator

Arunima Purohit | NT

Bengaluru: Bengaluru's Art Houz presented a show titled “Special Strokes”, inaugurated by Pasa Kumar, a renowned senior artist, who was also the chief guest.

Senior artists Bharathi Sagar, businesswoman Poor nima Vaidyanathan, and artist Chetna Ravi, were also present on the occasion. The show's primary objective is to showcase the works of eight artists with special needs. They are full-time artists with degrees in visual arts and communications from the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The curator of the show, Jayanthi Shegar, had the idea to showcase art by people with disabilities so that they could claim their due respect and recognition from the public. Despite their tireless efforts, they don't receive the respect they deserve.

“The concept of the show is to bring them to the limelight. When I was curating many shows, I came across specially-abled artists; in my show, most artists were affected by polio in their youth. During Covid, normal human beings suffer somuch. These artists didn’t have a proper show, no gallery, and nothing was open. These people who had to depend on someone else for a job and earnings have gone through a very tough time,” said Jayanthi.

After multiple interactions with the speciallyabled artists, Jayanthi decided to start a new show for them, which will also help them in the future. “These artists are not seeking help, but I felt they also deserve recognition from people since they are working hard to portray their art form. So, I decided to give them a show, and that’s how this show began.

When you see a bunch of artwork, 60 to be precise, in a single place, it's a fantastic sight to cherish. Other artists create artwork for money, but these people spend more time bringing in their creativity. The focus of detailing they have done is really good”, informed Jayanthi.

"Special Strokes" will be displayed in a virtual gallery setting in Bengaluru and UP. “It's for a good cause, so it will help if people show their support by purchasing the artwork and honouring the creators. After all, the time has come to demonstrate that humanity still exists”, summed up Jayanthi.