BHOPAL: After ten year long gap, the controversial Bharat Bhavan Seventh Biennial of Contemporary Indian Art exhibition is going to begin from February 13 under 14 day long, 35th Foundation day celebration. The entries were invited way back in 2013. Started from 1986, Bharat Bhavan Biennial of Contemporary Indian Art exhibition is organised by Roopankar, a visual art wing of Bharat Bhawan.
As many as 75 artists from all genres including painting, printmaking, drawing, and sculptures, including five tribal artists of MP are participating in the exhibition. They are exhibiting their works in two categories, Group A and Group B.
Group A is for those artists who have been creatively engaged and experimenting in their art mediums and have created an idiom and niche of their own at a national level. In addition, artists who have received awards in previous editions of the biennial have also been selected under this category as special invitees. Group B is based on an open competition in which artworks has been selected through form entry.
Speaking to Free Press, Chandan Singh Bhatti, Deputy Director, Roopankar says, “After 10 years, the exhibition has been organised. Due to controversy on invitee selection, this time we selected the work of artists through two categories i.e. invitee and open category. In the month long event, various activities like talk shows and others will also be organised in which artists as well as art critics would participate. The event would conclude in second week of March with the award ceremony and among all, five artists would be awarded with Rs 1.5 lakh”. He further added, “We are organising the exhibition due to limited budget. We are using the amount in organising other programmes of the Bhawan like State Mahotsav and others.”
However, several solo and group exhibitions of Indian and foreign artists have been organized by Roopankar. Notably, among its events, Bharat Bhavan International Print Biennial, which started in 1989, has also not held since 2011 due to controversy.
The 14-day-long 35th foundation day celebration would be begin with Seventh Biennial of Indian Contemporary Art exhibition and recital of eminent vocalist Girija Devi on Monday. Noted vocalist Gauri Pathare would also perform on the inaugural Day.
Various other activities like classical singing, instrumental music, Odissi , Kathak and Kathak group dance, film, plays, poetry recitation and story telling, would also be showcased. A movie ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi,’ directed by Satyajit Ray and ‘Parineeta’, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra would be screened on February 24 and 25. The fest will conclude with live concert of noted Sufi singer Hansraj Hans.
