The objective of this workshop Renewed Intensity was to reach out to the urban mass in a meaningful manner, involving the public and their useful connect in Art

 

B.K.College of Art and Crafts, is an art institution that is responsible to bring innovative curriculum into art education in Odisha. Along with art education it has considerably propagated art in the state and beyond. The college is celebrating its Silver Jubilee on the completion of 25 years of its inception in the state. To commemorate this event, a national workshop on Public art and Site Specific art was curated by Jagannath Panda, alumni of the college and illustrious artists of Odisha.  

The objective of this workshop Renewed Intensity was to reach out to the urban mass in a meaningful manner. Many such attempts are made in recent years, involving the public and their useful connect in art, but here, Bhubaneswar is approached with intent to interact rather than reach out alone by artists those, in some way, relate to the situation. The approach was to evolve and propagate providing the continuum in mind to mind overplaying the skill. Renewed intensity is all about focusing on the creative passion and commitment to art by the artists, who once were trained here and practiced art in the national and international forum. They are purposefully brought back to their home (Odisha), re-inventing themselves and re-locating their art in the changed situation.             

The participants of the workshop focused on the collective ideology in expressing the content of theme in context. Paribartan Mohanty, Pratik Sagar were invited to the workshop while the BKCAC alumni was represented by Anjan Kumar Sahoo, Helen Brahma, Kanta Kishore Moharana, Nityananda Ojha, Sudarshan Biswal, Sujit Mallick, Sambit Panda and Veejayant Dash. 

Anjan Sahoo proposed a site specific work on the eternal journey: a physical transformation with help of clay pots, 108 in number, defining the sahatsra ghatak [pots] with filled water as sent that passes through to attain moksha while Nityanand presented the search for a golden bone referring to simultaneous death of two artists few years back, one at Bhubaneswar and other at Baroda. The memory and pathos were compared quite near to the rituals with incense sticks put around the grave.  

Helen Brahma intelligently dealt with a subject on woman nexalites titled `surrender’ that clearly reflected the psychological and physical torture leading to surrender of the self and the male counterpart. The happiness of the familial unity is mentioned in undertone. Kanta Kishore Moharana’s incarnation was a video projection/presentation, allowing the public to pass through the light on screen emphasizing the internal body matter reflected in projection, thereby re-inventing the human body, few subjects with designated choreography.                       

Sudarshan Biswal and Veejayant Dash performed public art on Green devastation [Rickshaw] and once there was a true respectively. Both of them caught the public attention by motivating common man through participatory dialogue. Sudarshan’s concern of conversion of farm land to growing property enclosure and the harmonic disorder found effective viewers while Veejayant had a radical and direct message. Tree or no tree, infrastructure and life, both are need of time. His concern focused on planning rather than preaching lone. A truncated tree space in form allowed the public to pass through and experience the space-form relationships. Sambit presented a chappal, common man’s footwear pressed against defined garbage, including housefly. House fly is a common fault finder and thus ignored in life. His concern of `can me follow’ seems meaningful through philosophical transformation of the subject. Sujit Mallick, a young artist was a little shy for his appearance in public was for the first time. But he carried a dynamic subject, `hati ne ghoda ne mo pehenkali bajei de’, reflecting the mood of a village shrine and its durative terracotta horse and elephants, commonly found in Orissa and inspires people to forget the communal bias that divide people.    

The guest artist Pratik Sagar has successfully experimented in site specific art in the past and his work True sad space God was just another trial in the continuity. The most interesting part lies in his in-definitive result, which increases the curiosity. He tried to definitive/predictable this time involving natural interception. Paribartana Mohanty’s imagery based on a novel titled `Dasyu’. The composition is a transformation of verbal to visual-re-looking at the city that has grown up to the day. The characters, infrastructures, mentality of city as one of the character have witnessed the change-a critical depiction.                     

The evening of 25th January was devoted to a critical discussion and presentation by artists. All the participants presented themselves through video art, art documentation in AV and announcing their concept. The artist presentation began with initiator Dr. Pradosh Mishra briefly questioning the curator of workshop Jagannath Panda about the origin of concept and its transformation in the urban context. Prof. Deba Patanik, a veteran literature and art connoisseur discussed the public and site specific art in the global context. Dr. Ramkrishna Vedala, Shri Ramhari Jena and Adwaita Gadanayak presented their views on the emerging art trends and local adaptability. The public-artist interaction was ably coordinated and initiated by Dr. Pradosh Mishra introducing the local young artists to a fresh mode.  

The young artists assisting the participants were felicitated by alumni BKCAC, while Prof. Deba Patanik did the honor. The AlumniBKCAC also handed over a contributory amount of Rs.5000/- to Shri Ashok Das(class-3 employee at B.K.Art college) who is undergoing treatment after a heart surgery. Shri Subrat Mallick, the secretary AlumniBKCAC presented the formal vote of thanks. The workshop was coordinated by Dr. Pradosh Mishra, Ashok Nayak (Ashok Art Gallery, New Delhi), Sudarsan Biswal, Veejayant Dash, and Anjan Kumar Sahoo. The workshop was supported by the Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art, Gallery Sanskriti , Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi and stage sponsored by Ashok Art Gallery, HYTONE and Immagery. The event continued from 20th to 27th January 2010 at the Lalit Kala, Regional Centre, Kharvela Nagar, Bhubaneswar.

The Ashok Art Gallery is internationally known for one of its most important holdings: more than 2000 major works by the world's most significant Artists.Over the past years, as Ashok Art Gallery has become a major centre for contemporary visual art, the Gallery has built a strong collection of contemporary work of different artists, became a sponsor of the STANDUP-SPEAKOUT Artshow, Organized by Art Of Living Foundation and United Nations.Organized an International Contenmporary Art Exhibition including artists from USA, The Nederlands, Pakistan and India.We have also participated at Art Expo India Mumbai and India Art Summit Delhi