Srinagar: Director, Department of Archives, Archeology & Museums, Pradeep Kumar (IAS), on Thursday, inaugurated the Srinagar exhibition of Kala Bhavana Alumni from Himalayan Terrain (KAHT) at the newly established art gallery Shergarhi Complex, Cultural Center, Old Secretariat building, Srinagar.
The exhibition was organized in collaboration with Gayoor Art Foundation, Master Sansar Chand Memorial Trust, Department of Archives, Archeology & Museums, J&K, and Institute of Music & Fine Arts, University of Kashmir, Srinagar was inaugurated on 10th of June, 2023 at 1:00 P.M.
Prof. Ruby Zutshi, Principal, IMFA, University of Kashmir presided as Guest of Honour. Eminent academician Prof. Parul Dave Mukherji, Professor at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU, New Delhi was the Special Guest.
The founder of the Gayoor Art Foundation, Naushad Gayoor, extended a warm welcome to the participants of KAHT, while Sanchayan Ghosh provided insight into the vision behind KAHT. Dr. Waseem Mushtaq and Surpal Slathia, the coordinators of the Srinagar exhibition, extended their greetings to the esteemed speakers, artists, art enthusiasts, and students attending the event.
The idea of forming a collective of Kala Bhavana alumni from the Himalayan region, known as KAHT, emerged after rigorous discussions between Sanchayan Ghosh, an artist, and pedagogue currently teaching at Kala Bhavana, and several Kala Bhavana alumni who were subsequently appointed coordinators for their respective regions.
The main coordinators of KAHT include Maneswar Brahma, Dr. Rajkumar Mazindar, and Dr. Rikimi Madhukaillya representing Assam; Dr. Waseem Mushtaq and Surpal Slathia representing J&K; Sisir Thapa representing Sikkim & Darjeeling; Punyo Chobin representing Arunachal Pradesh; Arunima Sanyal representing North Bengal; Robin Wahengbam representing Manipur; Mrinmoy Debbarma representing Tripura; and Anupam Choudhury and Dharitri Boro coordinating the Santiniketan exhibition.
Following the successful exhibitions in Guwahati and Santiniketan, the Srinagar exhibition serves as the concluding tribute to the 100-year celebration of Kala Bhavana. The exhibition, open to the public, commenced today and will run until June 16th, with an extension granted until June 20th due to popular demand from art lovers and students from various institutions.
In addition to the exhibition, a Panel Discussion was held between the KAHT coordinators and invited speakers. Prof. Sanchayan Ghosh introduced the first session, which was moderated by Dr. Waseem Mushtaq. The session featured two esteemed speakers: Prof. Parul Dev Mukherjee and Amrita Gupta Singh.
Art enthusiasts and the general public have been invited to explore the exhibition and witness the creative journey of Kala Bhavana alumni until June 20th. “Don’t miss this unique opportunity to engage with the artistic experience and the diversity of artistic expressions from the Himalayan region.”
