CHENNAI: An old house on the tranquil Kasturi Rangan Road is now a swanky gallery for 'consumers of art'. This 7,200 sq ft space, called Art House, is owned and curated by artist A P Shreethar."It takes a lot of courage and trust to invest so much in an art gallery that can give budding artists a space to showcase their talent," said actor Kamal Haasan at its inauguration. Shreethar is known for his association and friendship with the actor, and has gifted Kamal several portraits. Most recently, the artist's work showcasing Kamal Haasan in his titular role in the movie Indian along with Anna Hazare, as crusaders against corruption, won a lot of appreciation. So it is no surprise really that the gallery of this unabashed fan of the actor opened to a display of five paintings of Kamal by Shreethar himself, called Colour Symphony. This piece of modern art, which the artist describes as a mixture of contemporary and modern woodwork, involves painting on pieces of wood of different shapes, packaged and framed together. An installation that caught every guest's attention was a piano in white with coloured keys. These keys, when struck, moved wooden pieces on a frame to create a painting of Kamal Haasan. Shreethar said, "The gallery is a space for people to interact and consume art," adding that his dream was to build the biggest private gallery in India to give young artists an opportunity.Kamal Haasan spoke of how Shreethar flooded his office with portraits of him, urging him to make space for every one of them. "It is great to be able to put so much faith in artists. I know how important it is because those who put their trust in me as an actor gave me the confidence to do better. I hope artists come forward and use this gallery. "Art House is open to host exhibitions of any form of art.
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