Stage set for art extravaganza in city

BHUBANESWAR: Fifty-four painters from all over India will showcase their works from October 14 to October 20 at Lalit Kala Akademi as a part of Cre-art-ivity - IV, organised by Jagriti Art Initiative. This is the fourth edition of Cre-art-ivity series, the previous three being organised in Kolkata. The organisers chose Bhubaneswar as the venue keeping in mind the rich cultural heritage of Orissa. Artists of Orissa have made a global name for themselves in fields like sculpting, painting or performing arts. The exhibition will focus on getting appreciation of the people at large. There will be three main categories of art on display - abstract, landscape and figurative.  Among others, senior painters like Surya Prakash from Hyderabad, Rameswar Broota from Delhi, Suhas Roy from Kolkata and 12 artists from Orissa will be showcasing their works. Tarakanta Parida of Orissa Modern Art Gallery will be showcasing his painting based on the folklore surrounding Kamdhenu, titled ‘Blessing.’ Parida was elated for getting an opportunity to display his work with numerous other senior painters. This is the second big exhibition being held in Bhubaneswar after the one organised by South Eastern Railway in 2002,  marking 150 years of Railways.   “Lalit Kala Akademi is a very good platform for both established and upcoming painters to showcase their paintings,” Gaurang Jalan, Director, Jagriti Art Initiative, told a news conference. The visitors will be rewarded in terms of visual delight, apart from being offered a wide array of paintings to choose from for buying. All the paintings are for sale. The exhibition will be inaugurated by Governor M C Bhandare. B L Bagra, Nalco CMD, and Nivedita Mohanty, historian, will grace the occasion.  A part of the proceeds of the show will be donated to Adruta Children Home on behalf of Jagriti Art. Earlier too the organisers have donated part of the proceeds for various social causes. Jagriti Art Initiative is based in Kolkata and has organised many such cultural exchanges previously in countries like Nepal, Bahrain, Egypt, Thailand and Italy. Anand Mohapatra, Chief Advisor of the programme, and R K Vedala, secretary, Lalit Kala Akademi, were present at the press briefing.