A national conference on “Children in Difficult Circumstances” was held in the Capital by non-government organisation Plan India in association with the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development. It was followed by an exhibition highlighting various issues affecting the lives of children living on the street or working from a young age.
Workshop
The exhibition showcased works by children aged between 12 years and 18 years from six States — Manipur, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand. The artworks were created after a four-day workshop conducted by Ela Mukherjee, the curator for Plan India, in these States. Nearly 150 artworks were submitted, of which more than half were displayed at the exhibition.
“The children were introduced to new medium to express themselves and handling each medium itself was a learning experience for them. They challenged themselves to portray new ideas and express themselves differently with each new medium introduced. It was an unconscious evolution and they captured each level of this evolution in different mediums,” she said.
Themes
The themes on which the children based their artworks include sexual exploitation and trafficking, children of female sex workers, orphans, child labourers, HIV/AIDS-infected children, female foeticide and gender inequality. The children created artworks using canvas, glass, papier-mâché and other recycled wastes.
“The children were introduced to local, inexpensive and easily available materials. In every region, at least one artwork was made using waste materials, which made them realize that one does not need fancy art materials to convey ideas through visual mediums. This was very encouraging for these children, as they come from very underprivileged backgrounds,” she added.
The exhibition opens for the public on Friday at the India Habitat Centre.
(The writer is an intern with The Hindu)
