The city is likely to lose out on the opportunity to host the National Exhibition of Art, one of the most prestigious annual events in the art world hosted by the Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA). The exhibition is scheduled to run from January 15 to February 28, but the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in Bengaluru has expressed its inability to hold the show citing “absence of approval” from the Union Ministry of Culture (UMoC).
NGMA in its communication to the Lalit Kala Akademi (National Academy of Art) in December said that though LKA expressed its desire to hold the 58th edition of the exhibition, “no approval has been received from UMoC till now.”
The last time Bengaluru had a chance to host the festival was in 2001, said Chi. Su. Krishna Setty, Administrator LKA. This year, LKA will be spending ₹1 crore on the event. More than hundred art works — 111 to be precise —representing the cream of Indian art have been selected out of 6,000 entries for display.
The possibility of Bengaluru missing out on hosting the festival has come as shock to the art community. National award artist Manjunatha Kalledevar has written to Union Minister Ananth Kumar about the matter.
Noted artist Pa. Sa. Kumar acknowledged that it would be a great loss to the artists in Karnataka. “We have been waiting for the event from the day it was announced. It is an opportunity for us to get a glimpse of art at the national- level and interact with the artists participating in the event,” he said.
Mr. Krishna Setty said that as he was from Bengaluru, after taking over as the administrator of LKA recently, he did his best to bring the event to city. “If NGMA supports, we will hold the event. Otherwise we will shift the event to another city that is eager to host it, he said. “We are also spending ₹80 lakh to hold an art conclave representing over 100 artists for nearly a week. Certainly it will be great loss to Karnataka’s art community.”
When asked about the lack of communication from UMoC, he said that as both LKA and NGMA come under the Ministry, the former had clarified every query that NGMA had raised and offered to meet the requirements needed to hold the event.
When The Hindu contacted N. Prasad, Administrative Officer, NGMA, he cited the November 2, 2016 letter. “If UmoC directs us to hold the event by setting aside previous commitments, NGMA will hold the event” he said.
