Chandigarh
27 September 2017
DIVYA AZAD
At the venue of the ongoing Exhibition of Modern Indian Art at Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi, Sector 16 Chandigarh, a unique workshop for the visually impaired children was organised. Worth mentioning is the PLKA and DAG Modern’s objective to make art accessible to all, which also includes children with special needs. With the help of an expert – Siddhant Shah, DAG runs a programme called ‘Abhaas’, an initiative that focuses on providing a sensory experience through the use of audio and visual aids. Tactile aids that are created in conjunction with the a few selected artworks invite the visitors to touch and smell. The visually impaired students from the Institute of Blind visited to engage with such artworks and actively participated. Each and every student was given an opportunity to actually feel the specially prepared tactile art works simulating the original in three-D for the benefit of visually impaired. When asked they expressed happiness and satisfaction at having been provided this opportunity not only to enjoy works of art but also an outing which they said they always cherish and welcome. Approximately 25 students along with their helpers came to the Exhibition and spent two hours of quality time amidst the art works and specialists.
Specialists from DAG Modern travelled from Mumbai and Delhi to Chandigarh to give curated walks to the public on September 26th and 27th. College students from Jalandhar and Chandigarh swarmed the gallery at the Akademi in huge numbers. The art sessions were customised according to their subjects across disciplines like Fine Arts, Fashion Design, Product Design, Mass Communication and Multimedia to name a few. Government College of Art, Chandigarh, Apeejay College of Fine Art, Jalandhar and Government College for Girls, Chandigarh were amongst the institutions who participated and interacted with the DAG Modern team. Throughout the day about 200 participants immersed themselves in the atmosphere charged with information about the political and social developments taking place nationally and internationally, and anecdotes about artists, their personal lives and artistic activities. Pages from the history began opening one after the other with revelations about how Indian artists got influenced or inspired, first by the Imperial art practices then confluence of the oriental with the western culminating with a fusion of local, traditional and folk with the avant-garde art movements of Europe and beyond. The gallery space was active all day with numerous interactions for curious minds.
This initiative is first of its kind in the region, brought to Chandigarh by artist Diwan Manna who also happens to be the President of Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi. DAG Modern, a private Art Gallery in Delhi with foot prints in Mumbai and New York has been extremely helpful in bringing this rare exhibition of such a large collection of original artworks to Punjab along with educational programmes such as Curatorial Art Appreciation Walks, Art Appreciation programmes specifically designed with tactile material for the visually challenged persons, Film screenings on Art and Artists with conversations with experts, Art Appreciation Workshops for the media persons, corporate CEOs and bureaucrats.
Programmes:
– Film screening with conversation would take place on 28th Sept 2017, at 11.30 am and 5.30 pm
– Art Appreciation workshop for Corporate persons and bureaucrats will take place on 7th Oct 2017, at 3.00 pm
– Art Appreciation Workshop for Media Persons covering visual arts and for students and lovers of art will take place on 8thOct 2017 from 11.00 am onwards
All the events will take place inside the Art Gallery in the midst of original artworks and books on art for immediate reference, at Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi, Punjab Kala Bhawan, Rose Garden, Sector 16 B, Chandigarh.
