Hyderabad|India|March'2012: Ramakanth will be presenting his solo exhibition of paintings titled ‘The choices we made and other works,’ at Muse Art Gallery, Hyderabad Marriott Hotel from April 14 to May 7, 2012. His exhibits are in oil-on-canvas, acrylics and mixed media.

On his muse, Ramakanth observes, “Idea and execution. In the world of contemporary art, the form and craft of both have been minimalised. 21st century’s post modernism reflected an artistic freedom that resulted in some of the finest original works ever produced.

Rules were broken and new schools of thought emerged. While advanced societies applauded the unconventional but spectacular interpretations, the less traveled art fraternity still favoured the ‘saleable’ motifs. The craft these intrepid artists honed over a period of time became the lifeline for addressing survival issues in the marketplace.”

Ramakanth presented his solo exhibition of paintings titled ‘The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner and Other Works,’ at Kalakriti Art Gallery from November 11 to 17, 2011. In the year 2007, on invitation, he exhibited his works in Japan, at City Hall, Hikone City. This is his second solo exhibition in the City What inspired the theme for this show? I have often felt “Lost in societal complexity, swept away by populistic measures, perpetually running after never attainable dangling carrots…we sometimes portray a very amusing picture of ourselves. Are we the same individuals who carry certain biological genes that are supposedly unchangeable or are we the obvious results of the choices we made as we evolved?” Having said that, he adds “You will observe that each work in this display has been treated individually and is unconnected with its neighbour. That’s because, each one is a different subject and the result of a unique thought process.”

Talking about the relevance of art, Ramakanth says “A painting is a result of the in-depth study of a subject and the artist’s visual representation of his individualistic observations. Contrary to how it is being perceived today, a painting is not just a decorative wallpaper. It is a cerebral communication of thought that interacts with the viewer and can be interpreted in a dozen different ways. The viewer is under no compulsion to agree with the interpretation of even the artist himself. A painting, or any work of art for that matter, should be studied like you would a book or a poem.”

The proceeds from the sale of paintings will go to AnandaPriya – Foundation for Arts & Learning. The objective of AnandaPriya is to provide the community the opportunity to enjoy access to Indian classical music, dance and contemporary painting. The Foundation also intends to hone English language skills in young adults by bringing out versions of global literature in the form of well-illustrated books.

So far AnandaPriya has hosted three programmes starting with a Carnatic Vocal concert by Sathiraju Venu Madhav, an accomplished vocalist followed by a Kuchipudi Dance recital by Sarvepalli Madhavimala. The latest programme was a concert lecture on Carnatic and Hindustani ragas by vocalist and violinist Dr. Sriram Parasuram.

AnandaPriya has also published five English poetry books for children with vivid illustrations. “Our objective is to further promote the love for English language in children while connecting to our very Indian roots,” says Priya Gazdar, Director of AnandaPriya.