Odisha Tribal Art Exhibition Opens In New Delhi

New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Seeking to promote and popularise indigenous art forms and paintings in a big way, Odisha Tribal Art exhibition has been organised at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.

Showcasing a wide range of tribal paintings, the five-day exhibition has been organised by the Odia Language, Literature and Culture department of the state government and Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi.

The exhibition was inaugurated by Additional Chief Secretary (Odia Language,  Literature and Culture) Madhusudan Padhi on Monday.

Padhi praised the efforts being made by the Lalit Kala Akademi for the development and promotion of tribal art.  The initiatives of the Akademi in taking the tribal artists and sculptors to the modern art stream will play a significant role in giving them wider recognition, he said.

President of the Akademi and internationally acclaimed sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik highlighted the efforts of the Akademi in encouraging the tribal artists and sculptors and giving due recognition to their creations by holding an exhibitions in major cities of the country. A camp of tribal sculptors from Odisha and their art exhibition was held in Bengaluru in July, he said.

The exhibition in Delhi has been organised under the patronage of executive member of the Akademi and senior sculptor, Gajendra Prasad Sahu. Secretary of the Akademi and noted artist Panchanan Samal welcomed the guests and artists.

Prominent tribal paintings of Odisha including Saura paintings along with other tribal art of the state have been showcased in the exhibition. Of the over 40 paintings, some were basic tribal paintings, while others are strongly influenced by modern art forms, officials said.

The exhibits portray the lifestyle of the tribals, harvesting of crops, raring of cattle, collection of forest produces, dance forms, they said adding that different aspects of nature and animals have been beautifully depicted.

Some of the paintings showing creative depictions of tribal worship also featured in the exhibition. Several Odia painters and art connoisseurs visited the exhibition which will be open to artists and general public till August 26.