Cholamandal Artists' Village
Cholamandal Artists' Village
Cholamandal Artists' Village
4
About
An unassuming introduction to local art, the Cholamandal Village is a serene set-up, displaying works of upcoming and established artists, painters and sculptors from South India. It was built in 1966 and is nine kilometers from the city. The village houses an art gallery, museum and an amphitheater for theater performances. This is a residential village for the artists, so a polite reserve is appreciated.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
65 reviews
Excellent
27
Very good
26
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9
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2
Terrible
1
rea2der
Coimbatore, India1,914 contributions
Nov 2014 • Friends
Recently visited the artist village with friends.It is located in Injambakkam and it is one of the largest artists' commune in India . This place serves as a good connection of modern Indian arts. Entry ticket amount is rs 20 and cameras are strictly not allowed.The artists live in the same village.Books are available for sale and it is little costly.On the whole a good place to learn about Indian arts.
Written 25 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
barry p
Chapel Hill, NC256 contributions
Feb 2015 • Couples
laid out exceptionally well, many for sale. if serious buyer can visit many artists homes also. for any art lover, a must visit
Written 10 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BananaLu
Bangkok, Thailand750 contributions
Mar 2015 • Friends
People can actually not exactly visit the whole Cholamandal artists’ village because we are not supposed to enter the artists’ houses but there is an interesting gallery split on two floors with a permanent collection and few items that can be purchased, and another gallery that seems to contain only temporary exhibitions. Though small the collection is made of paintings (oil, acrylic, and water colour), sketches, drawings, and sculptures. Sadly only few art pieces have titles and none has explanations written on the side to enlighten the visitors on the artists’ messages.
I would not advice to tourists who have a limited time to go there as the galleries are very small and do not contain items that will blow their mind, but I would definitely advice people who stay in Chennai to go there. It is indeed said to be the largest artists’ community of India and in any case it must one of the only such communities able to survive like this today. It is also an important part of India modern art history (village inaugurated in the 60s!) and art lovers should not miss it!
The artists also propose free sketches classes on weekends! A good opportunity for children and even adults if you live in this area!
I would not advice to tourists who have a limited time to go there as the galleries are very small and do not contain items that will blow their mind, but I would definitely advice people who stay in Chennai to go there. It is indeed said to be the largest artists’ community of India and in any case it must one of the only such communities able to survive like this today. It is also an important part of India modern art history (village inaugurated in the 60s!) and art lovers should not miss it!
The artists also propose free sketches classes on weekends! A good opportunity for children and even adults if you live in this area!
Written 2 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ram M
Gambia232 contributions
The Madras Movement... Very interesting history and beautiful museum/ gallery. The village itself is amazing with its atmosphere. Ofcourse more interesting as an art spot than a tourist spot.
Has a lovely Iranian run restaurant, Shiraz, as well and the Sunday brunch is amazing. Some very good artefacts on sale - quite moderately priced for art works. The ambiance is what attracts visitors.
Has a lovely Iranian run restaurant, Shiraz, as well and the Sunday brunch is amazing. Some very good artefacts on sale - quite moderately priced for art works. The ambiance is what attracts visitors.
Written 3 January 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Krzysztof N
Kolding, Denmark466 contributions
Feb 2017 • Friends
It is a kind of open-air museum with many examples of Indian architecture and village houses. You can also see here how sari is made, pottery, etc.
The best part for me was surprisingly short videos presented in few places. That way man can learn about ordinary life in Indian home, family hierarchy, duties, privileges, etc.
The museum is not offensive regarding number of details and site layout - very friendly from that side.
The best part for me was surprisingly short videos presented in few places. That way man can learn about ordinary life in Indian home, family hierarchy, duties, privileges, etc.
The museum is not offensive regarding number of details and site layout - very friendly from that side.
Written 16 February 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dilip S
Vadodara, India1,110 contributions
Dec 2016 • Couples
The 10th December , 2016 is the date we will never forget . On this day we first visited Dakshin Chitra and then very fortunate to visit Cholamandal an Artists’ Village brainchild of K C S Paniker , eminent painter and visionary who dreamt of an art Indian in spirit and world wide contemporary . The place we visited was not a village , it was a multum in parvo , telling the story of the strength and the weakness of present day Indian art . Thirty painters and sculptures acquired 3.5 ha of land 8 km south of Adyar on then muttukadu road in 1965 to start the Village in order to rehabilitate the creative artists . Here the artists paints or sculpts through the major part of the day and earns through the sale of his art . The Village is perhaps the first of its kind anywhere in the world .
On 1st feb 2009 , the Cholamandal Centre for Contemporary Art consisting of the K C S Paniker Museum of the Madras Movement , two commercial A C gallaries , Labernum and Indigo , and an open air international sculptures park surrounding the complex was inaugurated .
Here we could revisit Paniker . The notion of a three dimensional linear space that the Renaissance painters advanced and which they applied in the rule of perspective , and the pure theory of it which the cubists abstracted later on are to date the only technically sound solutions to the issue between drawing and picture . Paniker was one who would not submit his subject to received theory in its applied or pure form . Rather than relent Paniker broke off and set out arguing his own case . He made his departure in the landscape , the genre he used extensively for developing his arguments . Instead of solidifying the free space with the straight line structure of perspective or with regular blocks of colour , he made it into a fluid thing held up with a distribution of highly accented , broken and curling lines . The irregular edges of colour that one gets as a bonus when working in water colour , a medium in which Paniker excelled , might have suggested to him this very unconventional abstraction .
The second artist we studied was the sculptor Nandgopal . His sculpture looked open and perhaps continues to , probably because it Is not closed on all sides like something in the round , also because it is not spatial , I e , something fixed compositionally in space .
We highly appreciated A Selavraj’s painting , which absorbed the rhythmic freedom that makes the dancer’s body reflect the pure joy of movement . A Selavraj is a born dancer . The dancing experience evolved his style both in painting and sculpture . It acquired a fluidity and in painting he gets a flow of light and shadow . His style remains purely figurative and he felt inspired by dancers , deities , musicians and village dames .
There were many inspirational sculptures around the complex , some of which were Dream of the black sun by N D Rajsekharan , the zen inspired Emptiness by Hiroshi Mikami , Figure by Kanyai Kunhiraman , Head by Mall Walsh , Landscape by Theo tan Have , Lord M.. by S Kannappan , Seed by Nagji Patel from my Vadodara , Shape by Olaf Mooij , Temple by Cune van Groeningrn and View by Ajit Chakravarti . There was painting by Dich Donker too .
On 1st feb 2009 , the Cholamandal Centre for Contemporary Art consisting of the K C S Paniker Museum of the Madras Movement , two commercial A C gallaries , Labernum and Indigo , and an open air international sculptures park surrounding the complex was inaugurated .
Here we could revisit Paniker . The notion of a three dimensional linear space that the Renaissance painters advanced and which they applied in the rule of perspective , and the pure theory of it which the cubists abstracted later on are to date the only technically sound solutions to the issue between drawing and picture . Paniker was one who would not submit his subject to received theory in its applied or pure form . Rather than relent Paniker broke off and set out arguing his own case . He made his departure in the landscape , the genre he used extensively for developing his arguments . Instead of solidifying the free space with the straight line structure of perspective or with regular blocks of colour , he made it into a fluid thing held up with a distribution of highly accented , broken and curling lines . The irregular edges of colour that one gets as a bonus when working in water colour , a medium in which Paniker excelled , might have suggested to him this very unconventional abstraction .
The second artist we studied was the sculptor Nandgopal . His sculpture looked open and perhaps continues to , probably because it Is not closed on all sides like something in the round , also because it is not spatial , I e , something fixed compositionally in space .
We highly appreciated A Selavraj’s painting , which absorbed the rhythmic freedom that makes the dancer’s body reflect the pure joy of movement . A Selavraj is a born dancer . The dancing experience evolved his style both in painting and sculpture . It acquired a fluidity and in painting he gets a flow of light and shadow . His style remains purely figurative and he felt inspired by dancers , deities , musicians and village dames .
There were many inspirational sculptures around the complex , some of which were Dream of the black sun by N D Rajsekharan , the zen inspired Emptiness by Hiroshi Mikami , Figure by Kanyai Kunhiraman , Head by Mall Walsh , Landscape by Theo tan Have , Lord M.. by S Kannappan , Seed by Nagji Patel from my Vadodara , Shape by Olaf Mooij , Temple by Cune van Groeningrn and View by Ajit Chakravarti . There was painting by Dich Donker too .
Written 9 January 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SagarVS
India2,738 contributions
May 2014 • Friends
Here many artists live in one community. Visitors can meet various artists including painters, sculptors etc. This place has churned out many eminent artists over the years. If you are into paintings (modern and traditional) and other forms, it would be worth your time to spend some time here. This is on the way to mahabalipuram so if you can see the artists village on the way without having to make an exclusive trip.
Written 15 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tribhuvan J
1 contribution
This place has good connection of modern Indian arts. Entry ticket is negligible. The artists live in the same colony. If you are interested you can go buy their arts.
Written 20 April 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Papayaved
Cancun, Mexico428 contributions
It's not so big museum of modern art like in Delhi, but and price is cheap. Take a walk in village among villas of artists, you will find more interesting artworks.
Written 2 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chandrasekaran N
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India140 contributions
Mar 2013 • Family
This village is on the East Coast Road of chennai on the way to Mamallapuram. Arts in all forms can be seen. It is an artistic place. Budding artists and sesoned artists frequently visit this place. Even if we are not artists we will love this place. A nice place to spend useful time learning about Indian arts.A visit to this artistic place is really worth the time and money spent.
Written 27 November 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yes, there is a little canteen too, that serves meals or coffee/tea if you want. But there are benches under trees and a picnic table too, you can eat there if you bring your own meals.
Written 16 August 2022
A very nominal entry fee of Rs. 30 per head for adults and Rs. 20 for children collected.
Written 17 February 2019
What was fare and working hours and confirm it's was available all week days and week end
Written 30 August 2017
Seshappa m
Chennai (Madras), India
Please post booking email address for enquiry
Thanks
S.Munuswamy
Written 7 January 2015
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