Paintings made by Lalit Kala Akademi research scholars at the gallery
Bhubaneswar, Jan. 4: Artworks by a group of seven research scholars of the Lalit Kala Akademi in the city are attracting crowd in large numbers.
From paintings and art installations, to works on ceramics and new media such as woodcut print, the young scholars have portrayed their imaginations and artistic skills proficiently.
A 40ft art installation by Pinaki Ranjan Mohanty surprises visitors as one enters the exhibition hall.
On a thin ramp he has placed over 1,000 small models of flamingos, the popular migratory bird of the Chilika lake. The installation titled Ramp of Sacrifice signifies the hundreds of birds that die at the lake every year owing to human exploitation.
In another installation, he has shown a calyx of a floating lily, the elongated stem of which is smeared with poisonous insecticide. The migratory birds, which get attracted to the calyx, face death many a times owing to the poisoned calyx from the insecticide.
Hailing from Satapada, artist's years of growing up near the lake and his childhood experiences have been reflected in his works.
Pinaki Ranjan Mohanty’s Ramp of Sacrifice on display at the exhibition in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Sanjib Mukherjee
'I have seen villagers hunting flamingos not necessarily to consume them as food but out of fun. Such incidents were extremely disheartening and my installations protest such unfortunate situation,' said the young artist.
Another scholar Baishnab Sahoo has put to canvas interactions with his artist friends during his journey as a research scholar. Blue and green are the dominant colours in his paintings.
Arjun Singh from Uttar Pradesh has recreated the popular Oshakothi rituals of the state in his canvasses. 'The tribal way of worshipping Goddess Kali had a spellbinding effect on me and I decided to represent them in my art,' said Singh.
Working on woodcut print, Priyoum Talukdar has depicted shades of humanity and the effects of technology on the lives of human beings. Using rice paper as his canvas, Anup Pandey has described his childhood memories of the coalfields.
'Their use of innovative medium such as woodprint is quite appreciable. Moreover, the artists have tried to focus on realities of life instead of going for abstract art form which has made their works more interesting,' said art lover, Manorama Behera.
