Remnants of Remani
In a show like never before, 32 artists and a daughter pay tribute to one of the city’s beloved gallery owners
Portions from sarees, torn shreds of handwritten notes, dry leaves and flowers used for Ikebana and a collection of old photographs — these were the objects closest to one of the city’s most loved gallery owners — Remani Nambiar. And these remnants were carefully pieced together and turned into an art show featuring 32 artists by her daughter, Lakshmi.
It was an emotional experience for Lakshmi, who now runs Shristi Art Gallery — another treasure left behind by her mom. “A box that contained varied items that belonged to my mother like her saree, papers from her notebook, her lessons in Japanese, Ikebana material, photographs and also a canvas and handmade paper, was sent out to artists in February. But there was no compulsion for them to use the materials,” she says.
However, it wasn’t at all difficult for the daughter to even get the biggest names like Vaikuntam, D.L.N. Reddy, Bose Krishnamachari, Rajeswara Rao and Chippa Sudhakar to take part in the tribute. Almost all the artists spoke of a special and a personal connect with Remani at the show that opened on Saturday, also marking the gallery’s 12th anniversary.
Senior artist Chippa Sudhakar, who although didn’t use the material given, explains, “There was something about the way she received people, irrespective of how big or small they are. Most artists had an attachment with Remani. I tried to portray this attachment through the creepers. The bar code stands for the gallery and the birds, the freedom she gave artists.”
Rajeswara Rao, known for reverse painting, says, “I went back to one of my earlier deity series where I found a connect with Remani. She was a housewife who ventured into art and did so well. She also supported me during my early days into art.”