20 April 2008
An Eminent Artist
Mr Yusuf Arrakkal, a native of Kerala is an eminent and creative artist. He did his diploma in painting from Chitrakala Parishath College of Art, Bangalore in the year 1973. Later he did his specialization in graphic print making from the Indian National Art Academy community studio at Delhi in the year 1980. Speaking to the Chennai Plus reporter, Mr Yusuf said that he has actively taken part in over 40 solo shows in India since 1975. He said that the works exhibited by him included mediums like oils, watercolours, graphics, collages and sculptures in bronze, terra-cotta, wood, steel, paper and fiber glass etc., He has done solo shows in Bangalore, Chennai, Calicut, Mumbai, Hyderabad, New Delhi etc., Mr Yusuf told Chennai Plus reporter that he has even taken part in many solo shows abroad in countries such as France, Singapore, New York, London, Nepal, Moscow, Japan, Korea, Brazil, Germany etc.,
Artist Yusuf has won a lot of awards and recognitions since the year 1970 for his creative work of art in the form of paintings, portraits, drawings, sculptures and graphics. He was awarded the Karnataka Lalithakala Academy Award in 1979, 1981, special national award for arts in 1983 at Bangladesh, silver medal for his painting at the 4th Florence International Biennale of contemporary art at Italy in 2005 and the gold medal prize in 2008.
Mr Yusuf was nominated in 1984 by the National Academy of Art as an eminent artist. He was also nominated as the Indian commissioner for the 19th Sao Paulo International Biennale in the year 1987. In 2002 he was a jury member of Kalidas Samman for Art. Mr Yusuf also took part as an International Artistic Committee member for contemporary art in Turkey in the year 2007. Mr Yusuf created a contemporary mural in granite for a corporate complex of unilever at Bangalore in 1988. He also commissioned a large metal mural for the headquarters of Hindustan Aeronautics.
Speaking to the Chennai Plus reporter, Mr Yusuf said that he has extensively traveled and worked in various countries like USA, France, Britain, UAE, Thailand, Singapore, Israel, Russia and turkey. Mr Yusuf has given television appearances and interviews on CNN, BBC, Star Plus, CNBC and on many other Indian television channels. He is very interested in poetry. He has also published numerous articles on art in several major English newspapers and periodicals. Mr Yusuf recently conducted an art show at the Vinnyasa Premier Art Gallery located at 1st Main Road, CIT Colony, Mylapore, Chennai – 4. For more information about the eminent artist Yusuf, contact:24982515.