JMS Mani

The historical location of Badami, as well as the innocence of the people there, who I find very hardworking and honest in every way, inspire me to capture their simplicity through my paintings. The simple, rustic people of the Deccan Plateau of South India, with strong Dravidian (an ancient South Indian race) traits, are the subjects of JMS Mani's Paintings. His art is a fusion of Indian culture with Western formalism. His figures are modeled in three-dimensional form, with bold brushstrokes, similar in style to those of the Impressionists. Mani chooses to represent the characters of him, the balloon seller and the women with a rooster, in a simple and orderly way. He tells an untold story, much like the famous dancer of the ancient Mohenjodaran civilization of the Indus Valley, a story that tells of the origins of an entire race. Although seemingly simple, Manis' images are also representative of an entire civilization.

The vibrant colors of his paintings offset the dark skin of his characters, creating a sense of drama in his compositions. And it is his colors and compositions that are expressive, more than the figures themselves. The figures appear to have been frozen within the canvas, and their beauty and grace are enhanced by the restrained use of gestures and expressions.

JMS Mani has a diploma in Drawing and Painting from Ken School of Art, Bangalore. He won the Karnataka Lait Kala Akademi award from 1981 to 1983. He has performed 19 shows in India and London. He has participated in 43 group exhibitions, such as the SAARC Exhibition at Chitra Kala Parishath, Bengaluru, and the Bharat Bhavan International Print Biennale in 1989. He currently lives and works in Bengaluru.

BORN

1949 Bengaluru, Karnataka

DIED

June 2, 2021 Bangalore

EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS

1974 Ken School of Art, Bangalore

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2004 Painting Exhibition in Chennai by Sumukha Art Gallery, Bangalore

2003 Organized by Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore at Gallery 88, Kolkata

2003 Painting Exhibition at Sumukha Art Gallery, Bangalore

2002 Nagpur

2001 Sumukha Gallery, Bengaluru

1999, 2000, 2001 The Gallery, Mumbai

1996 Crimson Art Gallery, Bangalore

1995 Graphics, Renaissance Gallery, 

1995 Maya Gallery, Hong Kong

1995 Mall Gallery, London

1995 Graphics, Switzerland

1994 Lee Arthur Gallery, New York

1994 Aurobindo Gallery, New Delhi

1993 Kufa Art Gallery, London

1992 Spencer's Bangalore

1991 Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai

1990 Indian Culture Month, Singapore

1989-1992 The Gallery, Chennai

1985 Graphics, Chitrakala Parishanth, Bangalore

1982 Regional Centre, Chennai

1981-1984 Venkatappa Art Gallery, Bangalore

1981-1982 Kritika Art Gallery

1979 Bangalore University 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2010 Roots in the Contemporary, presented by Mahua Art Gallery, Bangalore at Kamalnayan Bajaj Art Gallery, Mumbai

2009 Roopa Bheda, Alankritha Art Gallery, Hyderabad

2009 The Root of Everything, Mementos Gallery, Bangalore

2005 Organized by Sumukha Art Gallery, Bangalore in London

2003 Art on Paper Fair, organized by Gallery Sumukha in London

1999 Spastics Society, Karnataka

1999 Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai

1999 Karnataka Academy of Sculpture

1999 British Airways Art Gallery, Mumbai

1999 Tata Steel, Jamshedpur

1999 Art Consult, New Delhi

1999 Ashraya, Dubai

1999 Images Art Gallery

World Kannada Conference 1998 in Manchester, Government of Karnataka

1998 Chitra Yatra K.L. Academy

1998 Silver Jubilee Exhibition, Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai

1998 Organized by Apparao Galleries, Chennai in New York, London, New Delhi

1998 Human Form and Art, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi

1998 Time and space

1997 Art for Ashraya

1997 Human Form and Art, Images Art Gallery

1997 Hyatt Regency, New Delhi

1996 Hotel Oberoi

1995 Karnataka Academy of Sculpture, Maya Gallery, Hong Kong

1995 Renaissance Gallery, Windsor Manor, Bangalore

1995 Windsor Mansion, Bengaluru

1993 Traditional Paintings, Kannada University, Hampi

1992 Grindlays Gallery, Chennai

1990,92,94,96,97,98 The Gallery, Chennai

1990 Annual Exhibition, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal

1989-1990 Bharat Bhawan International, Prints Biennale

1987 Karnataka Lalit Kala Academy and Bombay Kannada Sangha

1986 Saarc Exhibition, Chitrakala Parishanth, Bangalore

1986-1989 Sistas Art Gallery

1986, 1987, 1995 Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai

1984 Karnataka Kala Yatra

1983 group exhibition in Goa

1980 Southern Art Trends Exhibition

1979, 1983, 1985, 1996 Samyojitha Group

1979 Painters of Karnataka 

PARTICIPATIONS

2008 Centu - Rays, Siddaganga Institute of Technology, Tum Kur, Karnataka

2003 Presented by Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore at the Singapore Art Fair, Singapore

1996 National Kala Mela

1980,81,83,86,89 Karanataka Kalamela

1981 All India Graphic Exhibition organized by Samyojitha

1980-85, 1987, 1988 National Exhibition

1985, 1995 All India Exhibition, Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore

1979-98 Karnataka Lalit Kala Academy

HONORS AND AWARD

1981,83,95 Karnataka Lalit Kala Academy