Sahitya Kala Parishad dedicates Annual Art Show to S H Raza

New Delhi: Sahitya Kala Parishad's Annual Art Exhibition is remembering modernist painter Syed Haider Raza, who recently passed away, by showcasing prints of his selective works.

"The reason behind dedicating an entire exhibition to Raza was because we wanted to remember our major artists, not just through talks. Seminars and lectures alone cannot get you enough crowd. So, from now on, we will dedicate our shows to art greats who have recently passed away," says Sindhu Mishra, Deputy Secretary, Sahitya Kala Parishad.

The 2016-17 edition, organised by the institution that seeks to promote and propagate art and culture, was inaugurated last evening by Kapil Mishra, Minister for Arts and Culture, New Delhi.

The exhibition opens with an introductory section on Raza, who passed away at the age of 94 in July last year, showcasing works that bring forth the artist's influence and persona.

One of his artworks on display is from his 'Aarambh' series that Raza painted in 2014-15 at the age of 93. The series stand testimony to the skilful passion and daring vision of the artist who refused to give up his brush until the very end.

Artworks by stalwarts like Anjolie Ela Menon, Arpana Caur, Rameshwar Broota, Ved Nayar, Gogi Saroj Pal, Raghu Rai, Jatin Das, Veer Munshi, Jagannath Panda, G R Iranna and Rajeev Lochan, occupy the first section of show.

The exhibition, which has been divided into three parts, also serves as a platform for artists based out of Delhi, as well as emerging painters, sculptors and photographers from across the country, to showcase their talents to a wider audience.

"The exhibition has on display work of young artists who came from different corners of India to Delhi and took education in the field of art...Or those who are working in this field for 5-10 years.

"The paintings give glimpses of different cultures, environment, customs and styles they come from. These include artists like Vijender Sharma, Shridhar Iyer, Hem Raj, Vijendra S Vij and Sanjoy Roy," says artist and visual designer Sushma Vishwakarma.

The opening day also saw many young artists being felicitated for their exemplary creations.

One of the award winning works is an oil on canvas artwork titled 'Curtailed Carriages' which depicts a scene from the daily travels in the ladies coach of Delhi metro, which according to the painter, is a place where women feel "free".

Another urban landscape brings out the contrasting characteristics of a cosmopolitan existence - while there is open defecation in the slums, skyscrapers continue to tower up in the skies.

Other artists whose works are on display at the show include Anand Singh, Punam Sharma, Sangeeta Bhardwaj, Vipeksha Gupta, Piyush Agarwal, Himak Soni, Chetan Negi, Deepika Gautam, among others.

The exhibition is set to continue to till January 7.