Guwahati, June 24: The State Art Gallery here has hosted many a painting exhibition but the one that opened today is path-breaking.

This is the first in a series of exhibitions that aims to provide artists in every district of Assam the opportunity to showcase their paintings in the city and interact with their more prominent peers here.

The three-day exhibition that was inaugurated today by renowned artist Benu Mishra displays the works of 11 selected artists from Morigaon district. It was attended by personalities like sculptor Biren Singha and writer Atulananda Goswami.

The mission is a joint initiative of the Directorate of Cultural Affairs and the Association of Visual Artists.

“Many artists in far-flung areas dream of holding an exhibition in Guwahati but cannot do so because of various problems. Through the initiative, these artists will be given a platform to exhibit their works in Guwahati and interact with prominent artists here, an opportunity they usually do not get,” the association’s general secretary Kishore Kumar Das said.

He said the Directorate of Cultural Affairs would provide the exhibition hall of State Art Gallery free of cost to hold one such exhibition every month and the association would look after the communication side. Next month, the exhibition will feature works by artists of Golaghat district. Das said they had made the schedule till December.

The paintings in the ongoing exhibition comprise themes that throw light on various shades of life.

Atulananda Goswami suggested that the organisers could select a few paintings from each exhibition for display at a final state-level exhibition.

Meghali Goswami, an associate professor of the department of art history in Santiniketan, said given such an effort, she would also try to hold an exhibition at the Nandan Art Gallery there.

Pradip Kumar Mahanta, a participant, said he had held seven exhibitions in Marigaon so far but not one in Guwahati. “It was a dream for me to hold an exhibition in Guwahati and interact with prominent artists so that I could hone my skills. With this exhibition my dream has been fulfilled.”

Another participant, Jyoti Mahanta, said, “It is a great opportunity for us. We are yet to learn a lot in this field. To exhibit what we have learnt and to learn more we need a forum. I hope we will learn a lot through this exhibition.”

The organisers have scheduled an interaction session between eminent artists and participants at the end of the exhibition.

The Association of Visual Artists was formed in 2009 to help artists fight for their rights. At present, its activities are mostly focused in Guwahati but it has been trying to expand to other parts of the state. The association was formed on the birth anniversary (June 1) of artist Nilpawan Barua. Das said among its other activities, the association had contacted universities in Assam, urging them to open new courses in visual arts.