Agnimitra Paul launches "Art Utsav 2014" in Kolkata

KMC Councilor Shiela Kapoor, Chairman of Ruia Group Pawan K Ruia, artists Wasim R Kapoor, Rabin Mondal and Dhiraj Chowdhury were present at the venue.

“I am coming here for the first time. I don’t know much about the technicalities of painting but being from a creative field, it’s very enriching to see different kinds of color combinations, mediums and things they used. So, it’s quite an eye-opener for me to see the paintings. I don’t know how they do it but I can appreciate all the good work. It’s a good opportunity for me to actually learn, to elevate myself and to appreciate art,” said Agnimitra.

The exhibition is showcasing paintings, collages, sculptures, artifacts and handmade gift items made by various artists.

In the exhibition, artists like Aditya Basak, Amitabh Sengupta, Atin Basak, Debabrata Chakrabarti, Manoj Dutta, Monoj Mitra, Pradip Maitra, Partha Bhattacharjee, Partha Pratim Deb, Rabin Mandal, Samir Aich, Sekhar Roy, Subrata Gangopadhyay, Wasim R Kapoor and more than 100 others are exhibiting around 450 artworks of different genres.

The Mirage Art Gallery paid a tribute to a young poet named Rhiju Basak, after whose demise in 2012, his friend Vinayak Parishcha has dedicated all his paintings to keep alive Rhiju’s creative and poetic legacy.

Virendra Daga, one of the two founders of Mirage Art Gallery, said, “Being an art lover myself, I can say, life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one. I believe that an art exhibition can be engaging, fun, deeply intellectually satisfying and serious. These are not contradictory concepts in art. For an artist, there is a wonderful feeling when you walk into your own exhibition. You see the work as a true extension of yourself.”

Sandip Somani, joint founder of the art gallery, said, “The privilege I’ve had as a curator is not just the discovery of new works, but what I’ve discovered about myself and what I can offer in the space of an exhibition, to talk about beauty, to talk about power, to talk about ourselves, and to talk and speak to each other. Art is often intended to appeal to and connect with human emotion. Art may be considered an exploration of the human condition; that is, what it is to be a human”

The exhibition will continue till Dec 21. Art lovers can visit the gallery from 12 noon to 7 pm, except on Monday.

(Reporting by Torsha Banerjee)