‘Abodes of Admiration’- The show paid tribute to tiled roof architecture and skills of Hyderabad’s local carpenters
The common clay roof tiles get new dazzle in 36 mixed media works by artist Anand Sastry who map the traditional rooftop design of the Eluru village houses in Hyderabad, he also conducted a workshop at State Art Galleryon the techniques to draw geometric patterns of these organically built abodes.
Reimaginging the clay roof tiles of houses in Hyderabad villages through his artwork, Anand Sastry, 61 manifested the experiences of his formative years of growing up in Velpucherla near Eluru in Andhra Pradesh amidst the rustic dwellings.
The exhibition last week captured the evolution of Saastry’s work, beginning in the bylanes of a Telangana village and expanding into diverse spectrums, from organically built homes to broader artistic landscapes.
Saastry also conducted an art appreciation workshop, ‘Spectator is an artist too,’ to provide insights into his techniques and processes. The exhibition ran until February 6.
The 36 works in mixed media are more than echoes of the past; he also maps the changing terrain of Hyderabad in his unique way.
The contrast of the surroundings along with the modern state of the art equipment make for an interesting collage which gets reinstated in the paintings and drawings done by the artist.
Using an aerial perspective, Anand depicts a space as he sees it: rooftops, pathways, courtyards (verandah), a flight of stairs in an old house or a bus/tractor on a village road. While various aspects of his drawings/images draw you in, the geometry and criss-cross pattern in them creates a harmonious visual effect.
As per Anand, he adopts a two-pronged approach — analytical (objective) and synthetic (subjective) — to art.
The houses are often captured with modern cameras and along with urbanised, city people and characters, but his drawings certainly present an apt prototype for sustainable architectural designs.
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