Artist Manash Jena. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, May 2: Artist Manash Jena has had a vivid journey with colours. From an ordinary childhood at a quaint village in Mayurbhanj to the most famed art galleries of the world, Jena has come a long way.

But the painter has not limited his dreams to the canvas. He works towards making Odisha an art hub.

“My parents were art enthusiasts and my siblings are into music. So the love for art came naturally to me. Art was always a passion for me and I’m glad I pursued it,” he said.

A graduate from the B.K. College of Art and Craft, Jena had won many awards such as the national gold medal awarded by Association of Indian Universities for Visual Art in National Youth Festival, Roorkee University and zonal silver medal awarded by Association of Indian Universities for Visual Art organised by Banaras Hindu University, Uttar Pradesh, during his student days. He has always received appreciation for his solo shows be it in Switzerland, Delhi or Bhubaneswar.

“The legendary Charlie Chaplin’s son has a collection of my paintings at his residence. Apart from that, many famous Indian cricketers and art lovers including chief minister Naveen Patnaik have shown their appreciation for my work by collecting my works,” he said. Jena feels an artist must not limit his expertise to the gallery, especially when art needs to be promoted in a state such as Odisha.

“I believe that if Odisha is to love contemporary art and has to become an art hub, members of the art fraternity here must join hands to organise more art camps and exhibitions. Also, more young artists should make it to national and international galleries to establish a name for the state,” he said.

The painter has been instrumental in organising some major annual national art camps in the city. He has also organised various art exhibitions, the last being Sangam, held at the Rashtriya Lalit Kala Akademi.

“Art enthusiasts and those who patronise paintings outside and within the state are loving the work of artists from Odisha and see great potential here. I am working towards bringing them here so that the state becomes active when it comes to art events,” said the artist.