Acknowledging future art icons
Lalit Kala Akademi, India’s National Academy of Art recently announced its 58th National Exhibition of Art, which is being held at National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru from February 24 and will continue for a month. The current exhibition has 111 exhibits chosen from 6000 works through a competitive process, of these 15 have been conferred the Academy’s National Award.
The award is much coveted among artists as it earmarks the future potential of an individual artist in the art community. Many of the earlier awardees, such as MF Husain and SH Raza, are today’s icons of Indian art. Aisharjya Paramita Konar, Akhil Mohan, Ananya Dalal, Anil Kumar Bodwal, D.saravana Deivasegamani, Gukanraj Kothandaraman, Harish Kumar Ojha, Kavita Mehrotra, Lakshman Prasad, Madan Lal, Nilmoni Raha, Sajeesh PA, Satish Hanumanthappa, Suresh K and Vijay Bhagat are the 15 artists who were conferred with the Academy awards.
The award presentation held at Hotel Shangri La, Bengaluru had Governor of Karnataka, Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala conferring the National Academy Award to the 15 Awardees. To reflect its truly national character the National Exhibition of Art is customarily held in various cities of the country so as to give the interested people in these cities a chance to savor quality production. It has returned to Bengaluru after a lapse of 16 years, as the last time it was held here was in 2001, at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bengaluru. The works for the 58th National Exhibition of Art have been chosen on grounds of their artistic merit. They reflect innovative use of mediums, diversity and relevance of subject matter as also a high level of creativity.
CS Krishna Setty, Administrator, Lalit Kala Akademi remarked, “Besides upholding and steering forth a great tradition of giving Indian art its due importance, the National Exhibition of Art is also a window view into future trends in Indian art. The works of the awardees have expressed a spectacular range of subjects to express their creative abilities and carry in them an unwritten history of development, emerging trends and even influences that have pivoted the art movement of the country.”
The Award ceremony coincides with the opening of a month-long National Exhibition of Art being held at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru. The display is open to the public on all working days, except Mondays. The Awardees have been chosen by a two tier Jury system of eminent artists and art personalities who in the first stage had selected 111 artworks which are now on display at the 58th National Exhibition of Art. Each of the Awardees will receive a plaque and a cash award of Rs one lakh.