Art and sustainability: art gallery My Lily Pond promotes innovative exhibitions and eco-conscious art

Launched in 2014, PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 780 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.

This month, Bengaluru’s art gallery My Lily Pond is featuring an exhibition titled The Beautiful Black and White. Curated by artist-educator MG Doddamani, it includes 50 artworks by 25 emerging and established artists (see Part I of our coverage here).

“Any creative thought is always scribbled with primary ideas using sketches in pencil or charcoal. Though simple, such black-and-white art can evoke a timeless and striking quality in various forms of visual expression,” Doddamani tells YourStory.

“The challenge of limiting artists to just these two colors can indeed lead to unique and innovative artworks, each showcasing different techniques and styles,” he adds. See our coverage of Doddamani’s earlier shows here.

This was an unusual format, but Doddamani found it exciting to curate such a show where artists explore this restricted yet rich palette.

“The collection represents eminent senior artists and a few upcoming young artists,” he describes.

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This combination gives the opportunity for young artists to engage with senior artists and learn from their experience.

“The exhibition is a cultural culmination of three generations of art community coming together for interaction, teaching and learning,” he says.

This weekend, the gallery is also hosting an art mixer with a live demonstration by master artist PS Kumar, a panel on art collection, and an introductory session on AI and art.

“PS Kumar will be sharing his thoughts and processes of basic black and white drawings with art lovers. The audience will enhance their knowledge on sketching and drawing,” Doddamani says.

Such collaborative interactive sessions are needed in a fast-growing and creative city like Bengaluru.

“I feel we should have more such events and forums to uplift artists and to spread the spirit of creativity among all,” he adds.

He intends to continue supporting the gallery and make it the art hub for Indiranagar. “Every locality should have an art gallery that would make more people appreciate and buy art,” he recommends.

The exhibiting artists, some of whose works are featured in this photo essay, include Manpreet Bamrah, Neelam Malhotra, PB Harsoor, Pradeep Kumar DM, PS Kumar, Pushpa Reddy, Rosh Ravindran, Rudragaud Indi, Shanker Sundaram, Shivakumar Kesaramadu, Vanaja Bal, Vasudev SG, and Vijay Siddramappa Hagargundgi.

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The gallery also has a regular collection of eco-conscious art.

“Each piece, crafted from sustainable materials, tells a unique story, enriching spaces with elegance and responsibility,” says gallerist-entrepreneur Kanthi V.

She is an artist and interior designer, and curates art made from reclaimed wood, paintings, clay decor, and jewellery. Featured artisans include Anjali Singh, Rajesh Kumar, Priya Iyer, Meena Patel, and Avinash Reddy.

“Sustainable art resonates with beauty and a commitment to a greener tomorrow. Each such artwork is not just a decoration but a piece of conscious luxury,” she says.

The upcycled wood items include serving trays and cutting boards.

Kanthi herself specialises in canvas paintings and bronze sculptures. She describes her current art style as contemporary, yet rooted in Indian sensibilities.

“I’m fascinated by lines and the movement they can create. I have always been drawn to the lines of the female form and of birds,” she says.

As she was sketching a female form one day, she saw a bird in the negative space created by its lines. “Intrigued by this observation, I played around sketching the two and discovered a similarity and rhythm in their lines,” she recalls.

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“In a way, I stumbled upon the building blocks of my current style. This is the basis of my current series of paintings. It has also led to a series of sculptures in bronze through which I experimented with these ideas further,” Kanthi adds.

She calls for more art appreciation in India. “Younger professionals are often very intimidated when one talks about art or art appreciation, or visiting art spaces. But this need not be so,” she observes.

There is a vast body of artworks that can align with just about anyone’s tastes and requirements. “People are unsure of the right piece of art for them. This is the opportunity we have as artists to educate people so that art and art spaces do not seem as daunting or remote,” Kanthi suggests.

Indian artists are embracing new approaches to art, but there is a lot more scope for educating the audience. “Conducting community meetups for artists, collectors and the public can make art more accessible,” she recommends.

Her gallery has an ongoing collection of artefacts by the Lost Timber Company. “Reclaimed wood is wood that has been used and discarded or considered unsuitable for use due to damage,” she explains.

“This means that the piece of wood selected heavily informs the art that is created. Thus, each artefact created is unique and cannot be replicated,” Kanthi explains. She works with the artists at the Lost Timber Company to design these artefacts.

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As a young and budding artist, Esha John says participating in the exhibition gives her a unique sense of encouragement and motivation.

“The exhibition gives me a platform to meet a lot of master artists, collectors and enthusiasts. This leads to insights into the world of art beyond mere words,” she enthuses.

“Nature always amuses me with its diverse creatures and beings. The thought of recreating nature through the basic colours of black and white was a challenging and tough process,” she recalls, describing her artwork inspired by koi fishes.

"Even just looking at a koi fish pond can give a sense of calmness and joy. One of my artworks shows the realistic interpretation of these beautiful creatures, while the other shows the ying and yang of life,” John describes.

She is working on two commissioned works that are also nature-inspired. “I am conceptualising works for my next group show,” she adds.

Gallerist Kanthi also offers tips for aspiring artists. “Keep practicing and developing your skills. Have faith in yourselves to try out new ideas and be bold in creation. Go for it and take some risks,” she signs off.

Now what have you done today to pause in your busy schedule and harness your creative side for a better world?

(All photographs were taken by Madanmohan Rao on location at the exhibition.)