About The Artist

GAYATRI ARTIST Born: Guruvayur, Kerala Father: Krishnan Machingal Mother: Kalyani Amma AN ARTIST Self taught Artist. Travelled extensively all over India from the child hood. Lived with untouchables and labourers in various parts. Studied the life styles of marginalized people. Conducted more than twenty solo shows of paintings all over India. Participated many group shows also since 1977. Works showcased in many galleries all over the world and through online art galleries too. Aranyakam, an art dealing group cochin ,in association with hotel Taj Malabar cochin conducted an auction of my ten paintings on February 5th and 6th 2007. More than 200 paintings collected by the art dealers and collectors all over the world. SOLO EXHIBITIONS Jehangir art gallery, Mumbai 2016 Lalitkala akademi gallery, Alapuzha -2015 Chitrakala parshad gallery, Bangalore -2015 Lalitkala Academy Gallery,Calicut – 2015 Lalitkala Academy Gallery,Thrissur – 2015 Jehangir art gallery, Mumbai-2011 Nehru Centre art gallery, Mumbai 2009 Art Entrance Gallery, Mumbai - 2008 Jehangir Art Gallery,Mumbai – 2007 Rossitta Art Gallery Cochin – 2006 Lalitkala Academy Gallery,Cochin – 2005 Lalitkala Academy Gallery,Calicut –2005 Jehangir Art Gallery,Mumbai – 2000 Lalitkala Academy gallery,Delhi – 1998 Jehangir Art Gallery,Mumbai – 1998 Leela Art Gallery,Mumbai – 1998 Mahalsa Art Gallery Mumbai --1997 Chitram Art Gallery, Cochin – 1996 Museum Gallery ,Trivandrum – 1996 Jehangir Art Gallery,Mumbai – 1996 Taj Art Gallery,Mumbai - 1994 Jehangir Art Gallery,Mumbai – 1994 Jehangir Art Gallery,Mumbai - 1992 Bajaj Art Gallery,Mumbai – 1990 Lalitkala Academy Gallery,Calicut – 1990 Chitram Art Gallery,Ernakulam – 1986 Lalitkala Academy Gallery ,Kochi– 1982 Museum Gallery ,Trivandrum – 1980 Hotel Elite International,Guruvayur - 1977 GROUP SHOW Grand kerala shopping festival show ,Thiruvanathapuram -2013 “Fusion” ,Nehru centre ,Mumbai - 2009 Lalitkala academy annual shows -1977-2013 Artchill gallery,Amber fort ,Jaipur – 2008 Juneja art gallery, Jaipur – 2007 Gallery Hues, Banglore – 2007 Guild gallery show, Mumbai -2002 Heritage Art Gallery, Chennai – 1997 Affordable Art Gallery, Mumbai – 1996 Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai -1994 Kalapeedam, Kochi - 1987 Punjab blood bank society show, Punjab -1985 Annual show ,Chitrakala parishad ,Thrissur – 1983 South Indian art exhibition,VTI,Madras - 1982 Lali tkala academy annual show-1976 to 1982 Ravivarma memorial exhibition ,Museum Dept.Kerala - 1981 National exhibition Mahakoshal Kala Parishad – 1981,82,83 Kerala lalitha kala academy show ,Madras - 1980 Kerala lalitha kala academy show,New delhi - 1977 A WRITER Hundreds of write-ups published in Malayalam publications on literature, art and tribal artforms, films and theatre production. Published Ten books by various leading publishers in Malayalam. Mithum chitrakalayum Anasakthiyude hiranyatheerangal Varnashmangalude balichinthukal Varayude jaranarakal Oravasikalude bhoopadam Anganeyokkeyanu korante karyangal Lohitadasinte bhoothakannnadi Kalayum nagarikathayum Kshobhathinte Varnasthavangal Kuttikal varakkumpol An ARCHITECT Designed and constructed one hundred and twenty residential bungalows and some commercial buildings in the many places of Kerala like Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram and Kozhikode. A CARTOONIST Published numerous cartoons in various Malayalam periodicals like Mathrubhumi weekly, Thejus and other newspapers too. A DESIGNER Designed a lot of book covers for leading publishers in Malayalam like Kerala sahitya academy, NBS etc. Also visualized several layout for brochures and books. A MOVIE PERSON Worked as art director for many Malayalam movies. Written screen play and directed short movies. Wrote theatrical scripts and staged some theatre productions. AWARDS AND RECOGNITION Kerala Lalit Kala Academy award – 1976 National award from Mahakoshal Kala Parishad, Madhya Pradesh – 1986 Landsmen award, Switzerland – 1986 Punjab Blood bank Society award – 1987 Kerala Sahitya Academy award - 1996 Khasak award – 1996 Nss award, Guruvayur - 1997 Sander K Thomas award - 2015 COMMENTS IN MEDIA Gayatri’s works can be broadly classified under three heads,” Childhood memories, Village and Diary”.The last mentioned are reflections on the contemporary world with its frailties and foibles. Recurring in most of the exhibits are arched trunks of coconut palms, the giraffe and ladders. The artist explains it thus: “The arched trunk of the palm I have taken from the mythical belief that in the times when man lived close to Nature, the tree was not beyond his reach. It distanced itself from the world of humans when a woman used it as a clothesline. - Bhawani Cheerath, The Hindu ,31 January 1997 Having had this inborn talent and having started to experiment at the age of three, what then are his main inspirations? “Little day to day happenings in human life and the deep environmental relation of all species in nature”, Gayatri says searching for the best words to portray his innermost thoughts. “ I paint my feelings, my comments and opinions on life, wishes which have remained unfulfilled to date”. On his “ special contribution to art”, he muses a while, then replies slowly, “ Basically, I have adhered strictly to figurative forms and you could say my experiments with such forms is a kind of contribution”. As an afterthought, he adds, “But I’m a young man and still have a long way to go.” - Suba Vasudevan, The Sunday Observer, 14-20 April, 1996 For instance, in Gayatri’s paintings, the images taken the village scenes of Kerala and the children’s books which tell stories of animals. The innocence consciously created on the pictorial plane, however, supports the notion of purity of modernism. Thinking of anything from a distant cultural platform can only suggest the gap of communication rather than the oneness with it. - M. Ramachandran, The Statesman,Delhi, 16 June,1997 The paintings reveal the mind of the artist who is troubled by the inequalities in life, troubled by the exploitation and of the loss of innocence due to globalization. But he’s doing what an artiste does best. Speaking loudly through his works. Only Gayatri’s tone is cleverly camouflaged in colours, colours that will win a viewer over as birds fly, fish swim and cock crows in the villages, the lines, figures, images all carry a strong critique on present day politics and social life. - Priyadarshini Sharma.The Hindu,january 1,2007 Untouchablility and gender inequality, the grey clouds that once hung heavy over society like the many woes of the world do not go untouched as the artist draws a vivid picture of the bitter realities of the world we once lived in. The startling comparison between a band of gypsies and the crows sets an interesting base for him to build on the story of disdain of the outcast, painted subjectively from a birds eye view.- Ponnu Elizabath Mathew, The New Indian Express, December 27, 2006 The Diary paintings are a mix of Gayatri’s personal thoughts on the human condition, and portraits of contemporary reality. The recurrent theme in these works is the struggle for power. “We like to think that we are Gods of our small worlds. We become despots and try to suppress and control others, “he says. One of the paintings in this collection shows a crowd of people without faces. “It is a bird’s eye view of people in cities , who are constantly on the move. But an individual in this sea of people has no image, no character and no face. Its an identity crisis which everyone faces in a crowd,” says Gayatri. The dominant in the artist’s work is green. – Deepa Deosthalee, Express Newline Bombay, 8 May1997. Gayatri’s works smack of ground realities rendered in a unique style. A style free of any ‘isms’ as he is a self taught artist. Each frame holds ethnic images set against a rustic background or the over exploited urban setting and revolves around the downtrodden. The people who very few painters have highlighted on the toddy tapper is blown up to show his painful plight as he climbs to the coconut palm. Like wise , another tapper is midway while images of his wife waiting for in despair and another fellow being waiting below depict strong human bonds. - R K Surekha, City express, May 11, 2006 Painting found it way in India by the vacuum created in the cultural conflicts between the east and the west. Primarily, it embedded with themes relevant at that time; and it developed with the other forms of art and with architecture. Portraiture paintings gained much reputation at that time as the patronage of painters were considered a mark of aristocracy. The name of Raja Ravi varma comes at this juncture. His mythological paintings and portraiture gained him laurels. - Sunil K Poolani , Weekend Newstime, May 30,1993. ADDRESS Sumeru, Punnathur Road Kottapadi post, Pin- 680505 Guruvayur, Thrissur Kerala, India Phone: 0 9495332671 E mail: gayartg@yahoo.com