KYNKYNY is proud to present a retrospective exhibition that celebrates the extraordinary life and career of the renowned artist and printmaker, JMS Mani. Mani experimented with several mediums and styles, from sketches to landscapes and impressionistic and surreal artworks. Beyond Badami highlights his expansive repertoire over the last two decades, including rare early work that inspired more recent abstract paintings, which are displayed alongside previously unseen painted photographs, popular expressionistic oil paintings, sketches, etchings and mixed media works.
Mani’s most famous body of work is his Badami series of everyday life in the historical town of Badami in the norther part of Karnataka. These vibrant compositions and vivid textures capture the essence of the human form and feature a varied cast, from flower sellers and fruit vendors, to girls in braids and street hawkers. About this series, Mani noted, “It is Badami and its simplicity that inspires me. The tangawallas at bus stops, the golden morning skies, men with turbans and banana shops at every corner... Makes my imagery and makes me go there again and again.”
The retrospective quickly moves beyond the Badami series and traces back to his student days, when he trained under RM Hadapad at the Ken School of Art. While his contemporaries were focused on landscapes, Mani developed a fascination for rocks and the natural landscape in Karnataka. Over the years, rocks are seen in his worksacross different mediums, either as abstract features or often more intentional additions to a landscape. Also on display are his large abstract canvases alongside smaller mixed media works that shed light on Mani’s creative mind and experimental process. Discarded paint tubes, cardboard, texture white and even waste canvas is repurposed in his artworks to create abstract, mixed media compositions that are often three-dimensional.
The exhibition spotlights Mani’s lesser known printmaking practice and includes a selection of limited edition etchings, which he created in his print studio that he set up at home, alongside his painting studio. Mani’s etchings serve as a testament to his versatility as an artist and often exude a sense of vitality and dynamism with graceful lines that capture movement and gesture. Whether it’s a portrait, a figure study, or a narrative scene, the etchings offer a glimpse into the human experience, inviting viewers to connect with the emotions and stories depicted. Through Beyond Badami, we are reminded that Mani’s masterful vision and artistic journey was one of unparalleled brilliance, where each stroke was infused with passion and purpose. In a humble attempt, this exhibition also serves as an ode to the artist and a celebration of his lifetime, as well as his longstanding relationship with KYNKYNY, since its inception in 2004.
Dates 9th June to 30th June, 2023
Location KYNKYNY, 104 Embassy Square, 148 Infantry Road, Bangalore 01
Hours 11am to 6pm