Bhubaneswar, July 29: For Utkal University of Culture student Surendranath Sahu, the concept of video art was unheard of.

He had no idea about the art form genre, which relies on moving pictures in a visual and audio medium that first gained mainstream popularity in the 1960s and 70s.

But now, his understanding of the genre has become much clearer, thanks to a session on video art by the regional centre of Lalit Kala Akademi here today.

Around 50 students from the varsity and other art colleges took part in the session, where senior artist Veejayant Dash and video art-maker Sarat Nayak gave an insight into the genre and its concept.

"Video art, as a new genre of contemporary art, is a popular concept in the West. In India, it is at a very nascent stage. Artists in many other countries have taken huge leaps, but few people here even know about it. So, we wanted to make these youngsters aware about this recent advancement," said Dash.

Video art relies on moving pictures with audio for expression, which was first experienced with by the leader of the American visual art movement Andy Warhol alongside Nam June Paik. It is believed that the first video art in India was done in the 1990s by Vivan Sundaram and Navjot Altaf.

The session began with the artists talking about the historical perspective of the genre. They also screened a number of works for the participants as they explained the significance of each.

The artists feel that there is a growing enthusiasm about the genre in India, but the number of collectors is very small.

"There is lack of awareness about the form. But, over the years it will have an impact because it is a great medium to portray the artist's concept vividly," said Dash.

"Recent advances in digital computer and video technology has also expanded the range of artists' creative opportunities. A number of artists are drawn into this genre these days, because it helps to develop a different perspective of art," said Nayak, who has worked with Manjunath Kamath, an artist who has been working with moving images for over 10 years.

The participants were also shown the process of making a video art. They were told about various software used for production and the scope it offered.

Senior artists from the state such Adwaita Gadanayak, Panchana Samal and M. Sovan Kumar also took part in the event.

"It is important for artists to come out of their cultivated conventions and explore new things. In cities such as Mumbai and New Delhi, a number of artists are working on video art and we want to popularise it here as well," said Lalit Kala Akademi secretary Ramakrishna Vedala.

For the students, the experience was an enlightening one.

"I realised that video art helps to explore the subject in a better way and I would love to try it out," said Archana Kumari, a research scholar in painting.