Chief minister Naveen Patnaik in the presence of tourism and culture minister Ashok Chandra Panda (second from right), secretary tourism and culture Aravind Padhee (extreme right) and artist Sudarsan Patnaik (extreme left) launch the coffee-table book Imaginations in Sand in Bhubaneswar on Friday. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 8: Internationally-acclaimed sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik launched a coffee-table book on sand art today at Jayadev Bhavan here.

Titled Imaginations in Sand, the first-of-its kind coffee-table book on sand art and sand sculpture, has been published by Sudarshan. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled the book.The book is a rare collection of photographs and scribbles showcasing various expressions and experimentations in the ancient form of sand art by Sudarshan over the years. He has included a section of his most popular works that he created at various festivals throughout the globe.

In its 11 broad categories, the book features Sudarshan’s lavish sand sculptures namely Where Gold is Green & Blue, Sand for Social Causes, A World without borders, Saluting Talent, Emblazoned in the sands of times, Contours of Power, Sporting with Sand, A tribute to Nirbhaya, An Artistic Journey Beyond Sand, The Art of Narration and Celebrating life.

“I had met the chief minister, who is an author and a keen art lover. He was kind to give me suggestions and guidance on how to go about with the coffee table book. He also supported me greatly in making this book happen,” said Sudarshan.

Many of the works showcased in the images in the book are sculptures of famous personalities and celebrities such as Barack Obama, Sachin Tendulkar, Bhimsen Joshi and so on.

“I always create sculptures based on the latest headlines. For personalities I have created these on occasions of their achievement as well as to pay homage to many,” said the sand sculptor.

An Artistic Journey Beyond Sand features photographs of his works in medium other than sand like once he had created stunning sculptures on snow. Similarly, The Art of the Narration category consists of photographs where he adapted his sculptures to sand animation to narrate stories.

“It may be a form of temporary art, but we can save and preserve as well as exhibit it in many forms. I had once framed some of my miniature sand art works done on paper and canvas and displayed in an exhibition. Similarly, I hope this book will delight the readers to realise and understand the intricacies that go behind making a sand sculpture and amaze them when they see the final art work,” said Sudarshan, who announced to give half of the proceedings from the entire sale of the book on the inaugural day to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for flood victims.

The book is priced at Rs 2,000.