THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The menace of plastic waste takes centre stage at Justin Raj’s exhibition of paintings inaugurated at the Museum auditorium on Tuesday. In one of the frames, the woeful face of a woman floats over a water body turned black from the plastic litter that has filled its depths. The artist also invites attention to the mindless piling up of high rises causing detrimental impacts on the eco system. Justin Raj, however, had done the paintings much before the Pandora’s box of waste management was opened wide. “The problem of waste disposal is not something that cropped up all on a sudden. When these multi-storey apartments are made, the constructors can install indigenous methods. And people do not mind polluting the water bodies as they have lost contact with nature and think it cannot affect their lives,” he says. Justin, who teaches art in Christ Nagar School, has exhibited paintings he has done over the course of the last one year. Titled ‘Musings of Brush Strokes’, the frames reflect some of the sights and events that lingered in his thoughts in 2011. In fact, the engaging mix of subjects he has chosen ensures that there is food for thought for each and every visitor. “The kind of paintings that appeal to the audience in Thiruvananthapuram has remained more or less the same over the years,” says Justin who has conducted seven solo exhibitions till date, among which, three were in the capital city. “Landscapes remain one of the favourite themes while people are still reluctant to pick up experimental works. Yet, the scene is fact changing for the better. So artists are forced to strike a balance between the commercial element and their creative urge,” he says. Justin admits that keeping the fire of creativity ablaze was no easy task amidst the gruelling routine of teaching profession. “But, I would not stand by those who let the grind get the better of them. The challenge is in doing justice to your career while nurturing the artist in you. The money I earn from my job is spent on my artistic pursuits, but this gives me the energy and inspiration to go on.”Though the school curriculum provides for opportunity to nurture the artist talents of children, it never ranks high on the priority of list of parents, says this art teacher. “Parents only want their children to learn the text books. I have come across immensely talented students. But, they do think that art is something to be nurtured or pursued and they give up on it once the rat race for ranks is in full swing.”In lieu with the variety of themes, the paintings on display are done in more than one medium. While most of them are done in acrylic, “since it can be done very fast, which is important for me”, there are also those in oil, water colour, and mixed media. The exhibition closes on January 1.
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