Artist Shaily Sharma Bhatnagar works on her creation at the camp in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Contemporary and traditional artists have come together at a sculpture camp to exchange ideas.

The eight-day National Sculpture Camp has been organised in the city by Lalit Kala Akademi in association with the state department of art, culture and youth affairs. The participants are working on artworks around the theme of Bihar Gaurav. The camp will end on Thursday.

Twelve contemporary artists have come from Rajasthan, Maharashtra, New Delhi, Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Eleven more traditional artists from the state are also taking part in the camp being organised at Adhiveshan Bhavan.

“The objective of the camp is to let traditional artists interact with the contemporary artists. Both of the groups would be able to exchange their knowledge and technique on this platform,” said Vinay Kumar, the director of art, culture and youth affairs department.

The artists divided into groups are working on artworks comprising techniques of traditional and contemporary art. Working on a block of clay, the sculptures would depict the glory of the state.

Shrikant Pandey, the convener of the camp, said: “We have divided the artists into eight groups. Each group comprises two contemporary and two traditional artists.”

Madan Gupta, a contemporary artist from Uttar Pradesh, said: “We spend 12 hours in the camp with the traditional artists and share our techniques with each other.”

Shaily Sharma Bhatnagar, a contemporary artist and a faculty member at the College of Art, Delhi, is working with Vishwa from Jaipur and Bihar artists Birbal Pandit and Ajay Prajapati. “I have depicted Bihar through Goddess Shakti and its glory through her flowing mane. The artwork would also have Mithila paintings and depict Golghar and Nalanda as part of the state’s history. We would also depict contemporary Bihar through Biscomaun Bhavan, Twin Towers and malls,” said Bhatnagar.

Prajapati, a traditional artist from Gaya, is busy developing his skills with the help of his teammates. “I have learnt how to mix clay in actual proportion with water. It would help me in designing. Though contemporary art is a new form for me, I have started taking an interest in it,” he said.

The traditional artists are enjoying the opportunity at hand to brush up their skills. “It is a golden opportunity to work with nationally recognised artists,” said Shivratan, an artist from Nalanda.