National art conclave, expo open in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Feb 25 (IANS) A National Art Conclave-cum-Exhibition opened at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath here on Saturday where artists from across the country interacted and discussed their works.

"The conclave has provided the artists a platform to interact and deliberate over their works with slide shows, lectures and demonstrations," Parishath President B.L. Shankar told reporters.

The day-long conclave coincided with the 58th National Exhibition of Art at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) where a rich collection of 111 exhibits eminent artistes, including painters, sculptors, graphic artists and photographers from across the country are on display for the next one month.

Organised by the Lalit Kala Akademi, the conclave and the exhibition have diverse themes spanning the "Bhopal gas tragedy's 33 years", "Poke Park", "Civil War", "The Face" and "Journey".

"The twin events are meant to uphold and steer the great tradition of giving art its due importance and view into the future trends in Indian art," said Akademi Administrator C.S. Krishna Setty.

Terming the events historic, as they are being held in the city after 16 years, Setty said the Akademi was in talks with the state's Kannada and Culture Department for setting up a regional centre of the Akademi.

"The art works are on a wide range of subjects, expressing creative abilities, emerging trends and influences that have pivoted the art movement," said Setty.

Governor Vajubhai Vala conferred the National Academy of Award to 15 artists -- Aisharjya Paramita Konar, Akhil Mohan, Ananya Dalal, Anil Kumar Bodwal, D. Saravana Deivasegamani, Gukanraj Kothandaraman, Harish Kumar Ojha, Kavita Mehrotra, Lakshman Prasad, Madan Lal, Nilmoni Raha, Sajeesh PA, Satish Hanumanthappa, Suresh K and Vijay Bhagat.

The 111 exhibits were chosen from 6,000 works through a competitive process and 15 of them were conferred with the Academy's national award.

"The National Exhibition of Art is held in various cities across the country to reflect its national character and offer art lovers an opportunity to saviour quality production," added Setty.

The works for the month-long expo were chosen on artistic merit and to reflect innovative use of mediums, diversity and relevance of subject matter.

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