A father-daughter duo will be exhibiting their artworks in Hyderabad, each exploring varied techniques of art. The daughter, Sumeela Mody, will showcase her paintings that have a distinct textural quality, thanks to the use of a palette knife, while the father, retired architect Asoka Katakam, will be displaying his pen and ink drawings and a few sculptural works. The duo will be paying a tribute to Asoka Katakam’s mother, artist Sushila Jayaram (1926-1990). The show titled Convergence will be on view at Gallery 78 from June 10 to 17.
“Art has been at the core of a lot of things we did at home,” Sumeela says, recalling her memories of browsing through her grandmother’s trunk and finding art supplies as a child. She lost her grandmother when she was young but the art she left behind was an inspiration. Sumeela spent her early years in the UK before returning to India and studying at Rishi Valley School and later pursuing higher studies in economics and finance: “But the interest in art never faded.”
Straddling a career in marketing and interior design, she found herself veering towards art over the years. “I took up a few short courses and I am currently training with artist Shaun Heffernen. He urged me to try something new and that is when I began using the palette knife, which was one of the techniques my grandmother had explored. Using the palette knife gave my paintings a textural quality; it was as though I had the freedom to sculpt a visual.”
