Camp that spans beyond the canvas

Students relishing the art work displayed at the National Art Camp 2018, organised by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.

With an aim to bridging the gap between contemporary art practices and art education in the country, the Government Fine Arts College is organising an eight-day-long National Art Camp on the campus, in association with the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi

Secretary of Cultural Affairs Rani George inaugurated the camp on the campus on Monday evening. Forty nine art students from 17 national-level institutions will be taking part in the camp. Students from colleges including MS University, Baroda, Santhinikethan, and College of Fine Arts Chennai have arrived on the campus. The camp titled ‘akhi’ (‘eye’ in Bangla) is dedicated to the victims of cyclone Ockhi.

According to the Fine Arts College Principal Tensing Joseph, the camp is also an attempt at improving the interactions between artists and the public.

“There is hardly any interaction between the artists and the public these days. It is important that we discuss this issue at a time when artists are becoming more like a businessman, focusing on what their art can fetch. They have to intervene in the world around them and bridge the gap with the public. The camp will free the students from the studio and give them the freedom to explore and experiment with materials as well as subjects,” says Mr. Joseph.

Ponniam Chandran, Secretary of Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, said this was the first time that the Akademi was collaborating with the Fine Arts College to organise such a camp. “The Akademi usually organises camps of veteran artists periodically. But it is time we focussed on the young talents too. Such a camp has been long overdue,” he said.

As part of the camp, open forums, slide presentations, and cultural programmes would be organised on all days. The Cultural Affairs Secretary inaugurated the camp by handing over a plain canvas to Simran Dogra, a fine arts student from Rajasthan. Nemom Pushparaj, Chairman, Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, presided over the function.

Another camp organised by the Akademi and the Fine Arts College, is currently ongoing at Myaludy, a village of traditional stone carvers, in Kanyakumari.