New Delhi: Abir India, an Ahmedabad-based non-profit foundation, concluded the fifth edition of First Take, their art festival. The festival concluded with 10 artists out of 122 submissions from across the country being awarded a trophy and Rs 50,000 prize “for their excellence, ideas, and expressions”.
The submissions were made in different forms including mixed media, linocuts, sculptures, acrylic, etc. “An event of this magnitude, scale, and standard revived the enthusiasm of young artists and added a slice of hope and aspiration in the art community,” Abir India said in a press release.
The participating artists explained how their art deals with different walks of life in different ways. “My artworks deal with different socio-economic issues. I study different classes of people whenever traveling from one place to another and try to narrate my visual experience through my artworks,” said Asif Imran from West Bengal.
Kinnari Tondelkar said she depicts “ease of surrounding” in her artworks to "explore the lives lived within and the memories left behind". "I recreate visual experiences with the help of etching, woodcut, serigraphy or any such media to which I have easy access.”
While some artists plan on investing their prize money in future projects, others plan to use it for ongoing projects. “I am going to invest into an etching press and ensure that I have avenues to continue working even if events such as the lockdown reoccur,” said Chhering Negi from Himachal Pradesh.
Negi emphasised that her art is influenced by Thangka art. "...there are Buddist elements, such as the way I represent clouds, in my works.”
The jury for the festival consisted of KS Radhakrishnan, RM Palaniappan, Vasudevan Akkitham, Kristine Michael, and Hartmut Wurster.