It all began with six friends who are artists, chatting about how drawing with pencil or ink on paper is becoming less popular in today’s art scene. This conversation sparked the idea for the exhibition Celebrating Drawings: Ink, Light, and Silence, now on display at ICONART Gallery in Hyderabad. The artists: Sivaji Tallavajjhula, Moshe Dayan, Shankar Pamarthy, Sreenivasaraam Makineedi, Raju Epuri, and Rajesh Nagulakonda — each bring their own style to black and white drawings, yet they share a common goal — revive the beauty of simple art. Their works focus on lines, light, and shapes, creating art that connects on a quiet but deeply meaningful level. The exhibition will remain open until Nov 16.
Sivaji Tallavajjhula
My life itself is my inspiration. As part of my work as a journalist, I studied world literature and art, and that, along with my field experiences in deep agency areas and rural landscapes — naturally created a strong bond with nature, something that flows through all my art. Ink is my preferred medium; I enjoy working with both brush and pen. I like some sort of stillness and silence in my paintings, something that mirrors nature within an individual and evokes harmony between human life and the environment. The people and characters I paint are simple, natural, and familiar: those we often come across in villages. There’s a silent message in my art; for instance, a stone, a bird in motion, or a still classroom can all express compassion and silence in their own way. When buffalos enter a lotus pond or rise from the water, that quiet beauty: both beastly and serene — captures me. My paintings blend the natural and the stylised, contrasting black and white to express stillness. I often draw from elements seen in ponds, rivers, and canals; they remind me of the quiet grace in Chinese or Japanese compositions, where even the placement of a tree can change the entire mood. For me, that’s the true value of silence. It’s an internal peace, an inner grammar that guides me, and I find that same quiet rhythm in every painting I create.
Shankar Pamarthy
I drew my inspiration from the simple and small things in life, like a man sipping tea in an Irani café, an old woman carrying a plastic bag, or a goat resting by the roadside, and that is why I took the goat as the theme for this show. Ink and pen are my favourite drawing tools, and I prefer using a traditional dip pen, but since it needs a proper setup which is not always possible, I use Micron pens instead. I am a typical street person who loves human touch and company, and I feel truly alive as an artist when there are sounds of talk and laughter all around me.
Moshe Dayan
My inspiration comes from two places — Hampi and Rishi Valley. The temples and trees you see in my works are drawn from both. I have a very close connection with Hampi; I used to go there often, spending days sketching alone, wandering around and observing its beauty. Those sketches eventually made me want to take things to the next level and create paintings. The tiles, textures, and shadows — they’re not regular tiles but more like paintings made with drawing tools. Then there’s Rishi Valley, where I’ve been living for the past three years. It’s an international boarding school set deep in a forest, where my wife works as a teacher. The place is surrounded by huge, ancient trees, and it’s hard not to feel deeply connected with nature when you live there. My art needs that calmness and also gives it back to me. For this show, I worked mostly in ink and pen and enjoyed the freedom and fluidity they offered.
(Story by Darshita Jain)