There are many people who don multiple
feathers in their hat. Versatile creative persons would be such people.
They are not bound by their field of studies or their job, in whatever they do.
They understand well that sheer creativity do not bring in bread always. One
needs food always, bills needs to be paid. The concept of certain blue blooded
critics and artists that the profession or studies of a person
influencing/affecting their work and resulting in substandard works dosent
bother these realistic and self respecting breed of creative people, who are
willing to try out whatever that sets them free. Gopi Mangalath is one such
person. He is a creative director, movie director, visual artist, writer,
poet and columnist. He is a publisher too with Golden Jokes Books and Monthly.
He dedicated his life for the new and unique ideas in arts and literature. He
is a graduate of Botany, as well as Applied Arts ( BFA Applied Arts, from the
Government College of Fine Arts in Thiruvananthapuram). Experimentation with
texture, style, size, shape and colours are Gopi’s forte. He has conducted 8
exhibitions on paintings and sculptures and also participated in Kerala state
Lalithakala Academy’s annual exhibition and painters camp etc. He received
award for the Logo of Kochi Smart City. He has three Limca Book of World
Records for First One Line Stories, First Film Role Book Design and First
Abstract Film. He wrote the concise history of Cinema in miniature size in the
form of a film role. The Abstract film by him is a murder mystery created
without any title, dialogues or any animal, birds, human beings or not even an
ant; but with a clear story line and characters. He also has 2 Best of India
records. His poetry "Sterile Feelings' was translated and published into
'Poet', an the Intercontinental magazine . He wrote a column on visual art in a
Malayalam newspaper's Sunday supplement for a year and his programmes have
featured in TV and radio.
First film role book design that won him one
of his three Limca Book of World Records.
One of his interviews
Logo designed by Gopi Mangalath for White
Sanctum Art Gallery
Face of White Sanctum series of facebook
based online exhibitions post designs designed by Gopi Mangalath
Gopi's creativity flows into various areas of art and literature. Bringing out novel methods in everything he deals with. He experiments with different styles of art... He doesn't look far for inspirations. His references are from things nearby. The cattle that graze in the nearby plots graze on to his colors and forms. His cow series of works have found much appreciation from galleries and connoisseurs.
He also makes images inspired from local
religious or ethnographic contexts and depicts them in his way giving respect
to the image.
[Images courtesy: Gopi Mangalath]
The artist, though from applied arts
background and with work as a publisher etc to be sustainable, gives his best
when he turns to art, whenever he can. He have been closely observing the art
of many artists in Kerala consistently since past decades and that is why he is
a natural critic of art works. His articles on art come in many monthlies and
other media.
These four pictures are of his article in
Yeyuthu Magazine published in September 2020. It gives a vivid a description of
his native place along with an interesting communication with Guru
Nithyachaithanya Yati on aesthetics and art. Gopi shared anecdotes about
this beautiful series of doubts and their answers given by the Guru, without
ever realising that they would feature as articles later. These can be
referred by young artists stepping into a world where half knowledge is
being decorated and displayed as the ultimate rules. The beauty of Gopi's writings
are their no nonsense simplicity and experience, along with the serene
descriptive flow almost like water.
[Image courtesy: Gopi Mangalath and Yeyuthu
Magazine]
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