Bhubaneswar, Feb. 28: A group of 14 national and international artists took part in an artist-in-residence programme held at the Raghurajpur heritage village recently.
The programme is a cultural exchange event between artists representing various forms.
The event titled ‘Excavating Odisha’ had brought together leading urban artists and local practitioners of various tribal art forms in the state.
The artists presented their ideas through a variety of mediums such as films, writings, dance, paintings, sculptures, installation art and textiles.
Local artisans displayed expertise in pattachitra, palm leaf painting, terracotta, stone sculpture, coir work, papier mâché, Pipili applique, ikat-weaving and umbrella-making as they worked in unison with worked with eminent artists. The objective of the programme was to provide an idea exchange platform between urban and rural artists. It also provided them with an opportunity to learn from each other.
After a two-week collaboration, the artworks were presented at Raghurajpur Craft Centre on February 25 and in Bhubaneswar the next day.
“The process was documented to understand the rural-urban divide and its consequences,” said curator of the event Puneet Kaushik.
Puneet worked with the traditional palm leaf technique of cutting, carving, and etching to make screens.
He said: “For me art is the aesthetics of assembling various mediums and materials in systematic and distorted ways.”
Sheetal Gattani, who worked in the field of papier mâche, said: “I have been interested in merging traditional crafts with a contemporary sensibility. Such cross-pollination in any art form lets artists embark on uncharted paths. There is also something very meditative about handmade crafts that fascinates me.’’
Preetha Kannan is known for artworks that focus on environmental issues, especially the conservation of trees. Her area of interest is coir art. “For me, art is when aesthetics is blended with a viewpoint about life and the world,” he said.
Pradeep Naik, a renowned painter from Goa, also took part in the event. About a decade ago, he started exploring the world of terracotta with traditional potters. With local potter Ravindra, Pradeep reconstructed traditional pot shapes to create new innovative shapes.
Vaishali Chakravarty and Shashwat Srivastava of Folka Dots, an urban folk band, were also a part of the programme. They worked in close association with the folk singers and Gotipua dancers trained by Guru Gangadhar Nayak of Raghurajpur village to create recitals narrating the richness of the traditional art forms. The histories and narratives of the craftsmen were also documented. The programme explored the challenges faced by them and helped connect them with the modern technology.
The programme was organised by Management of Art Treasures of India founded by Siddharth Tagore in 2013 with an aim to document craft-making processes.
