‘Kadri Rocks’, new art gallery to open in Mangaluru on Sunday

MANGALURU:

Kadri Rocks

, a

new art gallery

, is all set

to open

its doors to the art lovers of the city from Sunday.

The gallery on Kadri Kambla Road displays paintings and other works by professional and amateur artists and

sculptors

. It will also have display and sale of pottery and earthenware, handicrafts and artisan products. The premises will be available in the future for hosting art camps and art exhibitions, cultural and literary activities like book release functions, writers’ workshops etc. A nominal rent will be collected for hosting such events.

Adam Clapham, the British documentary producer and writer who has made Mangaluru his home, and Purushotham Adve, renowned artist and curator, will be the guests. The day will begin with an art camp, which is being organized by Karavali Chitrakala Chavadi and other artists from 9am to 3pm. The works produced during the art camp will be on display during the inauguration.

Kadri Rocks will be open to visitors on all week days from 10am to 6pm, said Harsha Dsouza, patron.

“Kadri Rocks is housed in a century-old heritage house owned by the D’souza family of Kadri Kambala for generations. It gained the name ‘Kadri Rocks’ in antiquity due to the presence of large rocks and boulders in the vicinity. The house, which presently stands on its own ground amidst spacious greens, has undergone extensive restoration activities to create its period ambience. It has been liberally retrofitted with various antiquities and heritage items sourced from similar houses of its era. Hence the tagline: ‘Where Art and Heritage Meet’,” he said.

Apart from the restoration of the old house, the entire compound has been brought alive with abundant greenery, lush green lawns, sculptures, and showpieces, monuments and artifacts. On entering the compound, one is greeted by a beautiful sculpture of the Buddha sitting in deep meditation below a mango tree. A prime attraction of the campus is an ancient wooden door rescued and restored from a fallen heritage house. A fountain and a fish pond with a wooden over bridge is yet another feature that appeals to the imagination. Other exhibits on the lawns include imitation cannon, a tall sculpted granite lamp, a mermaid sculpture and a vertical granite monument-fountain.

“This region is famous for its artistic and cultural heritage. People of our city are blessed with brilliant and creative minds. My objective in starting an art gallery is to nurture talent and provide an outlet for art to bloom,” says Harsha D’souza,