The Bird Project by Open Studio: Flocking Together for the Winged Spirits
Art
Feature
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May 27, 2016 at 05:31 PM
In the stranglehold of scientific jargon and methodology that usually informs the now critical issue of sustainability, saving the earth and its endangered environment, and of protecting and preserving species which face imminent extinction due to mindless human development and consumption, there is the danger of missing the role of the arts in this colossal endeavour. But wait, it was always the arts that remained close to the universal mother nature, portraying it, borrowing from it, picturising it, eulogising it, drawing inspiration from it, holding a mirror to its abuse by humans and drawing attention to the urgency to preserve this singular invaluable human asset. As Picasso said, ‘Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life’.
‘Open Studio’ is an artists’ collective operating from the vibrant, energetic and liberating artistic biome in Gujarat’s acknowledged cultural capital, Vadodara, offering an equal and ‘open’ platform for artists to share their art and experiences. Led by artist couple Heeral Trivedi and Arunanshu Chowdhury (img 1), its activities include workshops, seminars, art shows, informal discussions and any other form of sharing among participating artists and the public alike. Inspired by the recurrent appearance of birds, those enviably winged free-spirited creatures, in works of artists past, present and (hopefully) future, Open Studio conducted a 4 day show of works by around 100 participating artists from all over the country themed around the winged spirits, called the ‘Bird Project’ in March this year. The proceeds from sales at this much appreciated and well received show were donated to V Care, an NGO working for animal and bird welfare. As part of the current ‘Endangered Species Awareness Week’, TFOD takes the opportunity to highlight this example of the art fraternity’s endeavour to raise awareness about the earth’s varied life forms.
© Courtesy of
Open Studio
The ‘Bird Project’ was a result of a spontaneous brain-storming session between the organisers, nearly as spontaneous as the working of Open Studio itself. It inadvertently occurred to Heeral and Arunanshu that birds figured so recurrently in their artistic works that it would be difficult to imagine many works without these winged creatures which lend themselves to a wide range of metaphorical expressions. When they found this feeling being echoed by some of their fellow artists at Open Studio, they knew they had a project at hand. The long term association of Baroda artists with the local animal welfare organisation V Care, gave strength to the cause and the ‘Bird Project’ was initiated.
The Fine Arts faculty of the Maharaja Sayajirao University, one of the premier art institutes in the country, obviously logged the maximal participation in this event with veterans, former and present students and faculty displaying their works. Many artists from other parts of the country like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Jaipur and Shanti Niketan were also invited to display their art works centred on the avian theme, with some even coming forward with requests to participate. The event which opened to a spontaneous crowd of 200 visitors at the traditional inaugural (img 13)on the evening of 4th March 2016, went on to see a steady and overwhelming stream of patrons over the next four days, attracting even tourists visiting Baroda at the time.
Birds are used to represent a myriad human feelings and ideas – flight, freedom, liberation, absence of restraint, ability to touch unreachable, unexplored frontiers, caged birds expressive of constraints, suffocation, binding, the urge to break free, and of course, the quintessential expression of nature’s limitless beauty. Whether we take a flight of fantasy, give wings to our dreams, get our wings clipped by fate, fly the nest and leave it empty, or have our nest full; the avian idiom tells it like none else. Religion and mythology are replete with winged gods and heroes like Garuda, Jatayu and the Phoenix. Historically doves have carried messages, especially of peace, some birds have provided food to humans in their eggs and meat, assisted plant reproduction and animal scavenging and even functioned infallibly as nature’s best morning alarm! No amount of attention given to the current existential crisis faced by these aves, and consequently by the bio-diversity in different eco-systems on our planet seems enough to mitigate the loss. .
A range of these and other emotions, concepts and ideas have been expressed in the sketches, paintings, sculptures and installations of artists like Yaswant Deshmukh, Kiyomi Talaulicar, Venkatesh Pate, Sujiet Poddar from Mumbai; Ajay and Vinita Sharma, well known miniature artists from Jaipur; Indrapramit Roy, Sashidharan, B.V. Suresh, some of the senior Baroda Fine Arts Faculty members, many local artists like Uday Mondal, Sajal Sarkar, Ekta Singha, Kim Kyoungae, Lavanya Mani, Arunanshu and Heeral at the Bird Project art display.
Prasanta Sahu’s Acrylic on Canvas titled ‘Blueprint of a Wing’ (img 7) evokes the wing’s similarities (or otherwise) with a human hand raising, perhaps, the question as to which one is more able. Abhay Gaikwad’s muffler-ed duck in his work which features on the invite (img 5) as well seems to hint at the irony of most natural forms needing protection in a world abused by human greed. Arunanshu’s fragmented peacock (cover image) has its front half enjoying being a free-spirited part of a scenic natural world, while its rear half with its attractive feathers is under the dangerous gaze of human consumerist greed. Uday Mondal’s ‘Flamingos’ (image 11) captures various nuances of the graceful bird in a single frame, Heeral’s untitled mixed media creation on paper lucidly articulates the graceful long body of a Tern appearing to float through different landscapes (image 8).
The exhibition also attracted felicitations due to the informal and aesthetic format chosen for the display, a factor appreciated by participants and patrons alike. Another facet of the format that garnered a lot of appreciation was the equal pricing of all works irrespective of size, artist, medium, colour, etc. at Rs.10,000/- each. This challenged any notion of hierarchy among the works and facilitated their uninfluenced appreciation. They had to be purchased at face value, serving to offer an equal platform to beginners and veterans alike. Avoiding even a list of artists being published along with the invitation, the displayed works were simply documented on the Open Studio Facebook page to be followed by those interested The result was an overwhelming response, with over 70 works getting sold, raising a substantial fund for the beneficiary NGO V Care and proving a satisfactory sale for more than half of the contributing artists.
The fact that Open Studio was approached by the NDTV initiative mojarto.com with a request to showcase the displayed works on their website reflects the reach and popularity the Bird Project. Yet, the biggest take away for the organizers and artists remains the opportunity this show created for so many artists to come together in good faith and revive a recently subdued art scene through it. Well, there can be no denying the need for more such opportunities to be aware of and appreciate our world and its endowments through works of talented artists. So, more power to Open Studio, to the cause of art and art with a cause.
Designer :
NA
Photography :Open Studio
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