Artists Celebrate Reopening of Venkatappa Art Gallery After Boycotting Official Inauguration

Bengaluru: A group of artists, who had boycotted the official inauguration of the renovated Venkatappa Art Gallery (Chitrakala Parishath) due to the government's alleged disregard for artists, enthusiastically entered and celebrated at the gallery on Friday.

The Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage had faced widespread criticism from the artist community on social media for neglecting artists in the invitation card for the gallery's inauguration program, prioritizing politicians instead. The Venkatappa Art Gallery Forum, which had called for a boycott of the official inauguration held on Thursday, had organized an entry program for artists today, Friday. Hundreds of artists participated in this event and toured the newly renovated gallery.

Among those present were art critic Chi.Su. Krishna Setty, who is also a member of the forum, P.S. Kumar, President of the Karnataka Lalitakala Academy, and artists Sheela Gowda, Pushpamala, and Alaka Rao. On this occasion, they symbolically "re-inaugurated" the gallery by cutting a ribbon and then entered. The artists distributed sweets in celebration and expressed their satisfaction with the gallery's arrangements