Visual Impact

The play of colours,images,motifs and metaphors is hard to miss at the gallery of Punjab Kala Bhawan,as more than 100 art works,including sculptures,create a visual impact. Organised by the Haryana Institute of Fine Arts (HIFA), the Third Haryana Contemporary Art Exhibition is a large showcase of modern and contemporary art of Haryana. Part of the show are awarded works in the categories of paintings,graphic prints,photographs and sculptures. An interesting blend of hues,materials,new experiments and compositions,HIFA’s effort to provide this platform to the artists is seen as both encouraging and inspiring. Apart from a stage for artists,HIFA is also awarding 11 young artists with cash awards to help them continue their passion for art.

Part of the exhibition are six major publishers,with Marg,National Book Trust,Oxford and Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi showcasing books on art,and Artfull presenting art material made from hand-made paper and eco-friendly materials. Among the awarded works are Pardeep Kumar’s sculpture in mix media,Priyanka Batra’s etching and silk screen titled “Entwined”,Rishi Raj Tomer’s stunning drawing with pen on paper which depicts a group of apes gossiping and Pavanendra Tiwari’s painting of a progressive Haryana,with the metaphors of farmers,material and personal success creating a new road. Kavita Jaiswal,who is being awarded for her significant contribution towards abstract expressionism,showcases her painting in mix media. Titled “No Beginning,No End”, Jaiswal has created a wilderness that has beauty in its unstructured form,with sparks of red lighting the white and grey work.

An integral part of the Chandigarh art movement,Roop Chand has worked with Corbusier,Mulk Raj Anand,MS Randhawa and now heads Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of Creative Arts. Chand’s work deals with the themes of time,space,anxiety,inner strength,and here he showcases his work in oil titled “Way To Meditation”,in orange tones and his signature bindus creating life’s intricacies,with a straight road depicting the power of faith. Viren Tanwar has created movement with his flying Hanuman,with the shadows in “Ram Setu 3” giving the work character.

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Many young artists have captured life and the common man in interesting frames,be it people’s endless wishes,a sadhu oblivious to the world around him,a baby dishing out food from an empty vessel,a fleet of empty rickshaws and horses sharing some secrets – the photographs tell many stories. The exhibition also showcases a large number of sculptures in a variety of materials,with fibre glass being used in many innovative ways.

The exhibition is on at Punjab Kala Bhawan,Sector 16,Chandigarh till July 21