Giving back to art: On the new Artrendz Art Gallery

R Vignesh Raj | Photo Credit: S.SIVA SARAVANAN
R Vignesh Raj | Photo Credit: S.SIVA SARAVANAN

Artist Vignesh Raj R hopes his brand new Artrendz Art Gallery will nurture art and allow it to reach more people

A colourful peacock draws my attention as I enter the Artrendz Art Gallery at Saravanampatti. This work by S Sujatha is a part of Women Artists’ Art Exhibition 2019, the inaugural show of the gallery. The place is well lit and either hung or leaning on the walls are 160 art works by 80 women artists from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Assam. “We received 545 entries from all over the country. These were selected by a panel of artists,” says Vignesh Raj R, proprietor of the gallery. The paintings are on oil, watercolour, oil pastels and pen on paper.

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Info you can use
  • Timing: 10:00 am to
  • 7:00 pm
  • At Artrendz Art Gallery, Near Prozone Mall, Sathy Road, Saravanampatti
  • 8148407465 for detail

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Vignesh himself is a contemporary artist and it was his dream to open a gallery since he was a college student. “I did not want to depend on my family for the finance. I participated in art shows and sold my paintings to fund this project. It took me four years.”

Artrendz has two halls, one bigger than the other. “The small hall can accommodate up to 25 paintings, while the bigger hall can have around 120. The total hanging space of the entire gallery is about 200 running feet. We are yet to do more lighting work in the bigger hall,” he says. “I visited the Hermitage Museum in Russia in 2018. It is spacious and has huge art works. I enjoyed the ambience as an art lover. I hope my gallery will also provide such an experience to the people in the city.” He also plans to set up an art museum with paintings of well-known artists from the city at Thondamuthur by 2020.

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Prize winners in the exhibition
  • Sudha Rajendran
  • Abhinaya Ramadhurai
  • Yazhini L.M
  • Sujatha S
  • Tamizh Selvi

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Vignesh wants to expose more people to art. “I want people to get a better understanding of the varied styles. I also hope to invite eminent artists to hold demonstrations here.”

One thing Vignesh says he will definitely do is provide the gallery space free for artists who cannot afford to hire space.

“Being an artist myself, I know how difficult it is for beginners. This is my way of giving back to art.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style / by Susan Joe Philip / March 12th, 2019