Titled Imprint, the exhibit can be broadly categorized into paper and book projects
Curator and gallerist Sharan Apparao has an ‘unhealthy’ obsession with paper. She has traveled as far as Europe in search of the odd, rare, haphazardly scribbled sketchbook, an unexpectedly beautiful pop up book, or simply a clipboard of stray sheets of paper amidst which fleeting ideas wait to emerge. Are – each belongs to the artist; All tangible parts of an artist’s creative process.
“I’m dying to open a paper shop,” she says, laughing. “I must have been a paper collector or something in my past life.”
One of the artifacts on display
And so, it is fitting that the Asylum has a large collection of art. The Hindu At the heart of Lit for Life 2025 (on 18 and 19 January) is the medium of paper – specifically practicing artists’ impressionism. The works of 106 artists will be held at Lady Andal School over the weekend to give festival visitors a glimpse into the psyche of an artist, captured on paper: as personal as they are personal.
Titled Imprint, the exhibit can be broadly categorized into paper and book projects. The book project, curated by Shijo Jacob, explores books as a conceptual component of an artist’s creative project. Sketchbooks, artists’ books and clipboards dominate this curation that shares a glimpse of an artist’s formative stages of creation. The Paper Project, on the other hand, uses paper as a medium and turns them into installations and intricate sculptures. The show attempts to remind of Kaagaz’s structural genius.
One of the artifacts on display
“The way they differ is that the book project is a documentation of an artist’s inner musings, the thoughts and ideas that create their artwork. Other curations feature artists who use paper to create artworks, for example, one of them by Rajagopalachari has used Mahabharata And woven the picture of the author. Paper is used as a sculptural medium,” says Sharan. She points to a particular sketchbook by Tanzima Kar Sekh, whose use of Islamic calligraphy and Mughal motifs immediately appealed to her. Ankon Mitra, Archana Kadam, Vasudevan Akkitham, P Suresh Kumar, Kunal Kundu, Sangeeta Kodimala, Janaki Lele are some of the participating artistes.
Books will be displayed on cross-stands, while clipboards will be on the walls. While paper artworks dominate the slate, the art space, a designated outdoor space inside the school campus, will also showcase some rare books.
Curator Sharan Apparao Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“At the end of it it’s all about ideas. Paper is such an integral part of our literature and media, so I thought it would be appropriate to use paper here,” says Sharan, “We are very excited that we will find a scholarly and interested audience, and a Big numbers too. This is a very lovely opportunity.”
The Hindu Lit for Life will be seen at Lady Andal School on 18th and 19th January. The show will run from January 22 to February 15 at Apparao Gallery, Wallace Gardens.
Co-curator Shijo Jacob | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
published – January 15, 2025 01:27 PM IST
