Unity in diversity may not work every time but it worked harmoniously in Art Reflect 2016, the recently held three-day exhibition which brought diverse artists and their works under one roof, all for a humanitarian cause. Held at the Visual Arts Gallery in India Arts Centre, it saw 20 prominent artists, photographers and sculptors exhibit their works at the annual charity art show to raise funds for Udaan, a non-profit foundation working for children with autism and cerebral palsy.
Talking about the show, the award-winning architect Nilanjan Bhowal who is one of the patrons of Udaan said, “The paintings are not thematic. I didn’t want to restrict the artist’s imagination as it could lead to some sort of monotony.” Helping him in curation was his wife, an art historian and also a patron who ensured that the works were displayed in a way that they could be appreciated without any visual fatigue.
Art Reflect 2016 showcased artworks donated by well-known artists Anjolie Menon, Paresh Maity and photographers Rameshwar Broota and sculptor K.S. Radhakrishnan which were auctioned to generatefunds for various activities of the NGO. Other artists whose works were included were Rajeev Lochan, Jagannath Panda, Ashok Dilwali, Jayasri Burman, Jai Zharotia, Veer Munshi, Manu and Madhvi Parekh, G.R. Iranna, Jogen Chowdhury and Yuriko Lochan, among others.
The 50 works that were displayed at the exhibition included nearly 43 paintings along with ceramic works by popular Telangana-based artist P. R. Daroz and sculptures by K. S. Radhakrishnan.
Giving details about the exhibits at Art Reflect, Nilanjan said, “Some of the artists who were busy and were travelling gave me their earlier works that were not displayed before. Others have given me their very recent and never-seen-works that were completed right in time for the exhibition,” while pointing at the humorous artwork by Farhad Hussain. “As a gesture they will be charging the buyers half of the cost of the painting and the buyers will be giving the other half to the NGO,” he specified.
Praising the artists he knew, Nilanjan said, “Everyone I approached said, yes.”
Commenting about participation of artists for fund-raising Radhakrishnan who donated three of his sculptures, said, “When there is a real reason and the intentions are right then everything falls in place.” He went to add that “Art comes from basic sensibility and you wish to share it with the people who are actually concerned about it. Art is a space where people can be pulled into.”
The level of awareness and sensitivity the exhibition created towards autism and the tremendous response in terms of sheer footfall gave Nilanjan many reasons to cheer about. His book titled “Wings for Udaan” was also launched at the event in the presence of autistic children.
