That 17’s show

Amarjot Kaur

Seems like the number 17 rings in sweet serendipity for 17 artists at The 17’s Collision, a three-day long workshop in Sector 17 Plaza, organised by the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi (CKLA).

Bringing together 17 national and international artists on a single platform, the art workshop also features city artists Satwant Singh, Gurdeep Dhiman, Parmod Arya, Parbhinder Lal, Subhash Shorey and Aradhana Tandon.

City, in light and colour

On a cold winter afternoon that looked more like evening, these artists didn’t let their heart catch a cold as they set out to paint with colourful strokes all that they could gather from Chandigarh, and their life. Though fusing abstract art with architecture has been Parbhinder’s forte, he stuck to doing what he does the best. Only this time, he used primary colours and expressed his intention to make a circular stroke of gold dust on the canvas once the painting is done. “I wanted to make the city, which is otherwise so grey, look a little more colourful; the gold would depict glitter here,” he said.

Subhash Shorey reminisced his youth spent in Sector 17 near Neelam Theatre, he shared that he was going to paint the canvas with his love for films and theatre. “I remember 30 years ago, in 1987, North Zone Cultural Centre had organised a Chandigarh festival here at the Plaza, where I participated. In those days, Plaza was quite a happening place, bustling with movie-goers and theatre lovers. There were many street plays enacted here in front of Neelam,” he shares.

Aradhana Tandon, however, took to painting elements of nature, borrowing references from her travel escapades and fusing them with her thoughts about the city. Meanwhile, Satwant Singh took to pouring his heart’s unrest on canvas, the contents of which were a goat representing the vulnerability of women and tigers looking for a prey. “I was really upset over the Bengaluru molestation incidents and this painting, in the backdrop of contemporary geometric designs represents a modern city, vulnerable and defenceless women, with tigers (men) intending to attack them. It’s like a modern jungle,” he says.

Why so dull?

Le Corbusier’s City Beautiful to artists, from different parts of the country, including Gouri Shankar (Jaipur), Mohan Singh and Tajinder Kanda (Delhi), Anil Gaiwad (Bhopal), Neeta Mohindra (Amritsar), Him Chatterjee (Shimla), Bhup Singh Gulia (Rohtak), and Chander Kant (Dadar) seemed rather dull with the grey of concrete. So, they chose to put in fiery reds and oranges to their paintings. “I do take references from my surroundings, but I consciously keep away from copying things, so I like to inject my own perspective into things. The vibe of this city and its people is so bright and it does not at all go well with the colour of the architecture here, so I used bright orange in my paintings, which represents the city’s spirit, I feel,” says Anil Gaiwad. Also, Tajinder Kanda says, “This is a young city. I see so many young people here, yet, the city’s buildings look so grey and dull. Lift it up a little, colour it up... that’s what I am doing in my painting.”

Foreign value

The workshop also features international artist, Minjoo Lee from Seoul, South Korea. “I am painting an animal spirit that shows the city’s vibe, and trees, which even in my country, we pray to. I have also painted a woman of Chandigarh and a man bowing down to her beauty, strength, and talent. Women here are so confident and beautiful,” says Minjoo Lee.

For the people, by the people

Meanwhile, Bheem Malhotra, chairperson of the CLKA, adds, “The aim of the workshop is to explore new mediums and encourage interaction between the public and the artists. It shall promote an interest in art among people and instil in them appreciation for it.”

The workshop shall conclude following a 17-minute long solo performance based on Veena Verma’s story, ‘Phirangian di Nuh’, by eminent art and theatre personality, Neeta Mohindra from Amritsar. Mohindra is also a participant in the workshop.

On till January 19.

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