Dear Pandemic: A visual narrative of resilience and reflection  Premium

Chithkala Ramesh, a UX designer by profession and an alumnus of the College of Fine Arts – Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (CKP), is presenting her second solo show titled Dear Pandemic, at CKP till February 12. Chithkala recalls her COVID-19 pandemic stories in this show through life size paintings of rather unusual elements.  

Chithkala Ramesh, a UX designer by profession and an alumnus of the College of Fine Arts – Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (CKP), is presenting her second solo show titled Dear Pandemic, at CKP till February 12. Chithkala recalls her COVID-19 pandemic stories in this show through life size paintings of rather unusual elements.  

Dear Pandemic recounts moments of reflection, encounters with people, places and hope that shaped the artist’s journey during the unprecedented times of the pandemic. In this exhibition, Chithkala presents the world gripped by the lock-down, witnessed through her experiences and lived memories from a time of fragile existence. 

These intimate conversations with herself, forged around the instances of vulnerability, strength and resilience, inspired the creation of this series of heartfelt visual letters, in the form of postcards paintings. As one navigates through the artworks, one may discover solace, empathy, and hope, interwoven by shared experiences during this extraordinary time.

Speaking to The Hindu, Chithkala says, “This is more than a passion project for me. I have taken a 6-month sabbatical to put together this show. More than just painting, I also like narrating stories through art. I feel storytelling is one of my biggest strengths as an artist, which helps me create projects like these.”

Within this exhibition, viewers will uncover not only the artist’s personal narrative but perhaps a reflection of their own journey. According to Chithkala, though the pandemic has been mostly a negative phase, she has tried to capture the binary experiences of life lived through, a contrasting nature of positive and negative.

“This show is about how I experienced the 2-3 years of the pandemic that hit the entire world... I travelled across Karnataka, Goa, Uttarakhand, stayed in a couple of B&Bs there and discovered the colour pallets I wanted for this project. Though the pandemic might be a negative memory for many, the colour pallets for this show evokes a positive feeling. The colour pallets I have used are light blue, pink and similar colours which are usually associated with happiness or a new beginning,” says Chithkala.   

This show is a nuanced portrayal of varied emotions and realities and the people, places, animals who were part of the artist’s life during that time. In a way, this exhibition is about coming to terms and bidding a final goodbye with hope, saying “Life goes on.”