Bhubaneswar, Dec. 10: Shilpi Divas, the state's biggest exhibition for child artists, concluded in the city today.

The three-day event, hosted on Khadi and Village Industries ground, saw more than 1,500 drawings, paintings, photographs and art works created by schoolchildren from all over the world. Hosted annually by Odisha Modern Art Gallery (Omag), the exhibition has been promoting young artists.

Artworks showcased in the exhibition were soaked in innocence and a passion for art. Not all works were perfect, but each of them reflected the zeal of the child artists. Many works were striking with the talent of the school kids evident in the great details they portrayed such as the techniques of shading or the finesse of expression. Many artists surprised the visitors with abstract works.

Class-I student Preet Parineeta's 'Mama and Papa' was absolutely simple and fascinating for its treatment that had a touch of abstractness. She had depicted the merging of side views of a female face and male face in a very unconventional form. The works of Class-IV student Prajakta Nanda and Class-IX student Bipasha Martha were impressive for the shading and themes just as the works of Guddu who used mixed media with real feathers on his painting to show a contemporary theme of water preservation or Prabhu, whose scenery looked emphatic.

Many artists had submitted their work through their schools in various districts of the state and from other states, while some made it to the event in personal capacity. "I loved watching the works of other artists. I did not know there are so many children who are such good artists," said eight-year-old Abhilasha, who took part in the event.

Entries to the event had also come from China, Japan, Canada, England, Malaysia and other countries. From a small event six years ago, artist Tarakant Parida's consistent efforts have helped Shilpi Divas emerge as a phenomenon in encouraging art among children in the city. Parida, the founder of Omag, had not even imagined that the event would attract so many child artists over the years.

"When I first hosted the event in 2010, I had to control furious parents who were upset that their kids did not win the competition. But their mindset is slowly changing. Usually, kids are corrected when they use their imagination and paint the sun blue or the ocean yellow. But with growing awareness, guardians are gradually understanding the importance of freedom to practice art," said Parida.

At present, the exhibition gets response from numerous schools and individuals. This year, Omag awarded 10 child artists in each category of gold, silver and bronze based on their works in four age groups. Veterans artists such as Asim Basu, Siba Panigrahi, Debraj Sahoo and Jagdish Kanungo were also felicitated at the event.