They are a whisper from the past — the echoes of the undocumented colonial life in their most unabridged form. Myths and fantasies of the yore are retold through black and white labyrinths in Rakesh P K’s art. It is hard to miss the mystic elements in them, the way he depicts the rustic charm of years that passed by unobserved.
With charcoal sticks, charcoal powder and graphite pencils on canvas, Rakesh creates magic. The past is reimagined in a new light. The monochrome world he creates is an ode to the life and people of the colonial period.
He has banished bright colours from his palette for now. Despite charcoal being a medium with many limitations, Rakesh makes his art unique by playing around with textures, patterns and styles. “I have a thing for black and white. Monochrome has many deep undertones to it,” he says.
He ventured into the world of art during the pandemic. Though he has been inclined to it since childhood, Rakesh never took art lessons. The drawings his father would make on the letters he sent home from abraod was the young artist’s introduction to art. “I started by recreating the art my father, an artist, drew on the letters,” says Rakesh who works as a UI/UX designer in Bengaluru.
Eventually, his camera also became his constant companion. But then the pandemic played spoilsport. “There was nothing to do and that’s when I thought of getting back to art. I had some art supplies with me, so I started working on charcoal portraits,” he says. And there has been no looking back.
Rakesh says he found his calling in recreating stories from the past. “Portraying the old days and opening up that world before the public was fascinating to me. Everything about those people is different from us — culture, attire, facial structure and skin tone. Currently, I am researching on them and creating art as well,” says Rakesh, a Malappuram native. He intends to hold an exhibition once the series is complete.
He reminds us that art is a powerful medium. “You can communicate a lot through art. I want to create pieces that inspire people and make them journey through uncharted terrains and unexplored realms,” says Rakesh. Nothing is a planned effort for this young artist either. Once he starts drawing, the subjects evolve as he goes along. “Art is a journey. You cannot plan it. I draw to find my happiness. That is what keeps me going,” he says.
IFFk
Today’s screenings (March 19)
Kairali
Miracle : 9am
Yuni : 11.30am
Captain Volkonogov Escaped : 3pm
Mukagali : 8pm
Killing the eunuch Khan : 8.30pm
Sree
The Day is Over : 9.15am
Kummatty : 11.30am
Into the Mist : 3.30pm
Pilgrims : 6pm
Death of a Virgin, and the Sin of Not Living: 3.15pm
Kalabhavan
Shoebox : 9.45am
Sunny : 12.15pm
The Following Persons : 3.15pm
Ivan Megharoopan : 6pm
The Rapist : 8.30pm
Tagore
Ahed’s Knee : 9am
The Arbit documentation of an amphibian hunt : 11.30am
Pebbles : 3.30pm
Camila Comes Out Tonight : 6.30pm
Tom Medina : 8.45pm
Nishagandhi
Bergman Island : 6.30pm
The Worst Person in the World : 9pm
Nila
Amira : 9.30am
Mughal-E-Azam : 11.45am
24 : 4.30pm
A New Old Play : 7pm
Sree Padmanabha
Wars: 10am
The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao : 12.30pm
Two Friends : 3.30pm
Maixabel : 6.30pm
New theatre-1
Playground : 9.15am
Moon, 66 Questions : 11.45am
Out of Sync : 2.45pm
Allusion : 6.30pm
Full Time : 9pm
New theatre-2
Deep6 : 9.30am
Perfume de Gardenias : 12.15pm
Ripples of Life : 3.30pm
Mali Twist : 6.30pm
Ajanta
Brighton 4th : 9.45am
The Son : 12.15pm
The Exam : 3.15pm
Bad Luck Banging or Looney Porn : 6.15pm
Taste : 8.45pm
Ariesplex- 1
The Face You Deserve : 9.30am
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy : 12pm
Commitment Hasan : 3pm
The Good Boss : 6pm
France : 8.30pm
Ariesplex-2
Absence : 9.15am
The Cloud and The Man : 11.45am
Anatomy of Time : 2.45pm
Hawk’s Muffin : 6.15pm
The Dawning of the Day : 8.45pm
Ariesplex-4
Tokyo Shaking : 9.45am
Lucas : 12pm
Ballad of a White Cow : 3pm
Sun & Daughter : 5.30pm
A Higher Law : 7.30pm
Ariesplex-5
Costa Brava, Lebanon : 9.45am
Clara Sola : 12.15pm
The Other Side : 2.30pm
Appunni : 7pm
Ariesplex- 6
The Tongue of the Moluntains : 9am
10 + 4 : 9.15am
Marooned in Iraq : 11.45am
Money has Four Legs : 3.30pm
Our Beloved Month of August : 6.30pm
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