Chitra Santhe 2019: India’s favourite street fair for art celebrates its 16th edition

In this three-part photo essay, we feature some of the paintings and mixed media works on display at Bengaluru’s most colourful and popular art festival.

PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 280 posts, we featured an art festival, cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecom expo, millets fair, climate change expo, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.

Chitra Santhe ('painting fair') is renowned as one of India’s largest street fairs celebrating art (see also my photo essays from the earlier editions in 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015). Traffic was blocked off the entire stretch of Kumara Krupa Road and some side lanes, and the footpaths on either side were packed with over 2,500 artists from across India.

The fair is organised by Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, an institute which was established in 1960. The annual one-day event reportedly drew over 400,000 people last year. The artists include painters, sculptors, body artists, cartoonists, and more.

The 16th edition of the festival is dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi to mark his 150th birth anniversary. On-the-spot sketching, tattoos, and caricature drawing are also popular draws. The art works are priced from Rs 100 to Rs 4 lakh, according to the organisers.

Featured artists this year include Sheethal Chandran, Humera Ali, Suvarna Kamaskhi, Veera Vasanth, Deepak Bhuingade, K Ravikumar, Bala Krishna, Veena Pradeep, Umesh Prasad, Vishwas Bhat, Avdhut Lohar, Pravin Khotre, Mitali Tripathi, Susha Behura, Sandeep Ghule, Shwetha Kishore, Kiran Gunaki, Rajesh Anandan, Heamant Bhor, Manisha Mohnani, Hemkumar Topiwala, Asha Bhat, MS Prashanth, Saptami Rao, Shweta Agrawal, Mousumi Banerjee, Swetha Nagori, Dimple M, Dadaso Jangate, Akash Deshmukh, Nitin Pawar, Akshaya Barlki, G Anuradha, NG Sunilkumar, KS Parameshwar, and Subhendu Ghosh.

In Part II and Part III of this series, we bring you more pictorial highlights along with artist insights from some of the above exhibitors.

Now what have you done today to go beyond your daily routine and plug into the excitement and inspiration of the artists around you?

Got a creative photograph to share? Email us at [email protected]!

See also the YourStory pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups,’ accessible as apps for Apple and Android devices.