Bengaluru: Police constable's home turns into art gallery

BENGALURU: On September 22, head constable Kariyappa Hanchinamani of the Karnataka State Police threw open the eponymously named Hanchinamani Art Gallery in his newly-built home. And in doing so has given Haveri in north Karnataka its first ever art gallery.


A passion project of Hanchinamani’s, this art gallery comes as a reprieve for artists in the north Karnataka region who’d otherwise have to travel to Bengaluru to showcase their talent.

“In the entire north Karnataka region, there is no proper gallery where artists can exhibit their works. Haveri district especially in this regard has dismal infrastructure.

As a painter, I have conducted many painting camps and exhibitions at either the city’s community hall or by renting out spaces, but I had always dreamt of owning an art gallery, which is why I decided to convert my house into one. For now, I have displayed my paintings here,” he informed. A lot of thought, Hanchinamani said, has gone into designing the gallery. Designed by a local architect, the gallery can hold 40-50 paintings at a time. “There’s adequate lighting and hangers among other facilities just like in any professional art gallery. There is also a room that can serve as accommodation for the artist,” he added.

Revealing future plans for the gallery Hanchinamani said, “The gallery is free of charge for the artists. My eventual plan is to have the entire place purely reserved for art but for now, I plan to organise painting exhibitions atleast twice a month. These exhibitions hopefully will help showcase and sell the works of local artists.” About the gallery, BL Shankar, president of the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath said, “Hanchinamani has done wonderful work for art and himself. He has provided a good platform for other artists. I hope many emerging artists from Haveri district utilize this gallery in the future”.

Artistic Credentials

A constable since 1999, Hanchinamani’s artistic journey began rather early. “I loved painting since my childhood. After my higher secondary school, my father got me admitted to the diploma in fine arts at Rattihalli in Haveri district. I may have joined the police department as a constable after I completed the course, but I never stopped painting. I manage to balance my profession and hobby, thanks to the higher authorities,” he said. An artist who has shown his works in Indian and internationally – his works have been exhibited in New York, London and Singapore- Hanchinamani is the recipient of Kannada Rajyotsava Award in 2012 and the Karnataka Lalit Kala Academy award in 2018.