In what is being touted as the first ever art fair in a prison-turned-museum here, the erstwhile Alipore Jail is now hosting an exhibition featuring elements of the décor from top Puja pandals from across the city.
The event, curated by Sayantan Maitra Boka, is part of the Durga Puja art preview show organised by the NGO massArt and the elements have been drawn from the 24 Pujas that are participating in the preview show, giving crowd-free access to the pandals to applicants with passes.
Tim Curtis in front of an installation of "naba Durga", created by the NGO Ektara, which works with children from Tiljal and Topsia. The 15 ft structure is coated with leather scraps from the local tanneries
Three erstwhile prison cells are hosting the fair. One has handicrafts from various corners of Bengal being sold by the craftspeople. In another, the Puja décor elements are on view along with artworks submitted by the theme-makers of respective pandals. The third pavilion is a culinary journey through traditional Bengali fare.
On Thursday, the venue welcomed a special guest — Tim Curtis, the director of Unesco’s south Asia regional office and the representative to India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
“The fair is an element we have introduced in the fourth edition of the preview show. The rationale behind it is to involve the galleries and the art community. Once that happens, art buyers will start coming. That way, the art market of Calcutta will expand, centred around Durga Puja. We plan to scale it up in the coming years. National-level art buyers will forge a connection with Calcutta’s Durga Puja, which will help us subsequently reach out to the international market for Durga Puja art,” Dhrubajyoti Bose Suvo, the secretary of massArt, told t2.
Curtis watched a dance performance in the courtyard and walked into the cell where hand-woven mats, clothes, dokra dolls and patachitra were on sale, curated by Kolkata Society for Cultural Heritage and Sarba Shanti Ayog, regional partners of Unesco. “This is shola, right?” the Unesco official, completing his second year in India, commented knowingly on seeing a product. He also recorded a song on his phone that a patachitra artist broke into to explain his canvas.
Tim Curtis watches the making of a Durga idol on the verandah
The second gallery featured artifacts that served as clues to the year’s themes of the corresponding pandals. Beliaghata 33 Palli had sent burnt clay handis to present a key element of their theme of food, clothes and shelter. Alipore Sarbojanin had sent a kettle and an unun (clay oven) to represent tea while a head of a clown came from Barisha Club, to indicate its theme of circus.
Curtis ended the trip at the food heritage gallery, making a request for spicy dishes. The food curator Sumeru Mukhopadhyay served him Mutton Dak Bungalow, Dumur Posto, Stuffed Keema Potato, and Kachupata Bata Chingri Bhapa.
There were also live demonstrations of women threshing paddy with a paddle-operated thresher and laying out the intricately designed goyna bori to dry in the open. Visitors with massArt passes can taste such dishes and check out the exhibits till Monday, 5pm.