Parliament of Victoria will organise a painting exhibition of Melbourne-based Indian-origin painter and musician Sedunath Prabhakar.
Sedunath is an inspired and very passionate artist.
“I am very passionate about painting, music, cultural and traditional art forms and diversity," he adds.
Sedunath started drawing at the young age of four.
He says - “I discovered my passion for art and painting since I could distinguish different colours. Growing up in my native village enjoying the abundant natural beauty and experiencing the rich and varied culture of visual tradition proved pivotal in the shaping of my personal style and my artistic career.”
Later, he began his career as an artist by painting landscapes mainly using water colour.
Sedunath Prabhakar Source: Sedunath Prabhakar Facebook
“I started experimenting oil colour which turned out to be a great success. I was fortunate enough to have opportunities to exhibit my paintings in the major cities in Kerala and also in the capital city of India,” he adds.,
Sedunath worked as an artist in a well-known Jain Temple in Gujarat for more than eight years.
Later, he joined an established educational publication in Kerala as an artist.
He says - “In my paintings I included a series inspired by the nuances involving religion and its interplay with society. Like all true artists I used to draw inspiration from tradition, mainly its parallel streams.”
Sedunath has many painting exhibitions to his credit.
“I have created thousands of pieces over the course of my career. Some of my creations are iconic and acclaimed wide interest and appreciation over the years,” he adds.
Sedunath originally planned to migrate to France but then decided to settle in Australia and call Melbourne his new home.
For the past eight years, he has participated in four group exhibitions in Melbourne.
Sedunath Prabhakar Source: Sedunath Prabhakar Facebook
He says - “The first exhibition was conducted by Dandenong Art community for the “standing at the cross road” award. I was chosen the first prize winner from a group of 200 non-Indian participants. It was a proud moment in my life as I was the first Indian to receive this award.”
In 2015, Sedunath also did his solo exhibition titled ‘Pride of Australia.’
Now, he is once again ready to showcase his 2015 exhibition at Queens Hall at the Parliament of Victoria.
This is a series of portraits of fifty famous Australians on a 50 metre long canvas. 
He says - “I am very proud and consider myself fortunate enough in creating this outstanding, portrait collection as it is the first and foremost attempt in Australia.”
Sedunath Prabhakar's 'Pride of Australia' exhibition Source: Sedunath Prabhakar Facebook
This portrait collection is inspired by the Australian history and it portrays 50 eminent personalities of the country in one long fifty metre canvas.
“My exhibition stood out and acclaimed much public and media attention as it is the first such artistic creation showcased in Australia. I used acrylic medium to paint the portraits and have done extensive researches, interviews and studies to gather information about the 50 eminent historians and significant personalities who played important role in the history of Australia. It took 1.5 years to complete the 50 meter canvas which portrays all the 50 paintings,” he adds.
WATCH VIDEO: Sedunath Prabhakar’s students at work
Sedunath is confident that by sharing his knowledge and insights as an artist and musician with young Indian-Australian students his strong desire to introduce the Indian culture, art and music to the young generation in Australia will take root.
He says - “I have students from various Indian communities and ethnic groups who are interested to learn Indian Classical Music. I am looking forward to build a career which can promote art, classical music, cultural knowledge and resilience in students.”
“I love the rich diverse culture of Australia and am looking forward to embrace the richness of the artistic tradition of Australia, merging it with the richness of my own heritage and the richness of Indian traditional art and culture,” he adds.
Sedunath Prabhakar’s painting exhibition will be held between 1pm to 2pm on 24th May 2017 at the Queen’s Victoria Hall, Parliament of Victoria, Melbourne. This exhibition is free for general public.
To know more about Sedunath Prabhakar’s painting exhibition, listen to his conversation with Amit Sarwal in SBS Hindi’s Local Talent Series.
