An International Collage of Art and Artists
Photo courtesy: jüSTa Hotels & Resorts
The fifth edition of the international art residency ‘Chitrashaala’ concluded in Mukteshwar, inspiring over a hundred new artworks by artists from all around the world at the foothills of the Himalaya.
The winter sun shines bright on a cold morning, and the courtyard space is abuzz with a motley group of artists, all busy painting on their canvases. While one paints an abstract design in hues of grey, another works on something that looks like an architectural space. Walking down the adjoining stairway, I reach a fairly large room where more artists are at work. These are younger and are taking inspiration from nature, painting the majestic Himalaya that are seen from the floor to ceiling windows. Others paint the landscape with flowers and butterflies. Colour is key—in the artwork, and on the floor.
These scenes encapsulated the explosion of creativity playing out at the recently-concluded art residency ‘Chitrashaala’, in Mukteshwar, a village in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district at the foothills of the Himalaya. Launched in the year 2015, Chitrashaala is a joint initiative of jüSTa Hotels & Resorts and fashion designer Deepika Govind, to build a credible cultural dialogue among artists from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds through an enriching reciprocation of artistic ideas. This year saw 49 artists, 22 from India (Kolkata, Surat, Vadodara, Mumbai, Nagpur, and Ahmedabad) and 27 international artists (USA, Germany, Poland, Egypt, Thailand, Norway, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Algeria, and Jordan), all coming together for creative collaborations.
“There is a good potpourri of different countries,” said Govind. “Egypt is a big contingent this time and each country’s artist has a distinctive style and come with a different perspective. The pain of artists, especially from Iraq, Jordan, Syria can be seen through their work and that is getting released. It is very inspiring for me as it is nice to see how artists think which is so different from how I think.”
Photo courtesy: jüSTa Hotels & Resorts
Currently, almost 1000 original artworks made by emerging artists of India are displayed across all the hotel chain, with much of this art produced in the previous editions of the art residency. Curator Anirudh Chari explains, “Chitrashaala is all about bringing together a host of talent across media, ages, and forms of artistic experience. Avijit Mukherje (an artist from Kolkata) and I spent about six months prior to the event reviewing the artist portfolio. We look at whose work is of a certain standard and people who can gain from this kind of experience. Finding the right people and finding work of some standard was a challenge. A lot of international artists happen to come due to word of mouth and we have selected the ones that will be able to make the most of a residency of this nature. With students, we have reviewed their work and spent time looking for talent. Each artist is going to produce two works or at least one large canvas.
“We have no expectations from the artist, we just want them to be inspired or draw inspiration from what they see.”
This year featured a number of students taking part in the residency for the very first time. Priya Rani Bhowmik, a second-year Graphics student from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, said, “My experience has been beautiful and this is the first time I have come to a platform. I am a print maker and I am making this painting from what I saw here: with the butterflies, flowers, and pitcher plants.” While the art is seemingly simple, she hopes to show the fact that men (like butterflies) and women (like flowers) often have a relationship that is not as equal as it must be.
Another first-time is Raveewat Panchuay—an art lecturer at the Surat Thani Rajabhat University Thailand—for whom, the inspiration has been spirituality. “There are a lot of references to Hindu Gods in Thailand and I have a tattoo of Lord Ganesha on my back. I am very inspired by the way people in India respect their spirituality. And my artwork shows me, Buddha, and another figure, who could be anyone soaking in the happiness of Shiva.” Nature forms the backdrop of the artwork with mountains, the sky and swans framing the image—it is interesting to note the various interpretations of joy and spirituality that the artists seek through their work.
Lobzang Zangpo, a freelance artist from Bhutan, added, “It has been a great experience and is a learning process every day. My art is an ode to the landscape of Mukteshwar that looks like my hometown.”
Photo courtesy: jüSTa Hotels & Resorts
Located 7500 feet above sea level, Mukteshwar in Uttarakhand is best known for its panoramic surroundings and stunning views of the snow-capped Nanda Devi, peaking in the Himalayan range. The landscape is dotted with oak, pine and rhododendron trees and beautiful wild flowers—to many, it makes for an ideal backdrop for their artistic pursuits.
Rohan Poddar, a 20-year-old student from Kolkata said he was spellbound by the aura he experienced. “Spending the time with art and the natural vistas has made me speechless. Being the youngest person in this group, I have found a new perspective for the genre of my art and I have been taught a new way in this path.” Poddar’s painting shows the severity of terminal diseases and depicts his mother’s pain and the suffering of his family in the seven years of her battle with cancer.
For some international artists, this event been an eye opener of sorts. Mohamed Chafa Ouzzani from Algeria said, “I have participated in several workshops across the world but this experience is very different, and painting near the Himalaya is quite amazing. We spent a couple of days in New Delhi before we came here and this painting is from my inspiration of the city as it is different from other cities in the world.”
For artists like Hanne Haukom from Norway, who specializes in painting and ceramics, the Chitrashaala programme has been like an addiction—she has now been part of four editions of the event. “Now I have many friends here and it is nice to come back to paint and work together,” said Haukom. “Being a ceramic artist, I work completely differently and I am inspired to work with architects and colours and how they interact and the forms that are squares as I see it. Apart from the change of, there is a variety of artists in terms of the quality of artists is much better. The mixture of age, nationality and gender is a good balance.”
This year saw 49 artists, 22 from India (Kolkata, Surat, Vadodara, Mumbai, Nagpur, and Ahmedabad) and 27 international artists (USA, Germany, Poland, Egypt, Thailand, Norway, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Algeria, and Jordan), all coming together for creative collaborations.
A key feature of the residency is the artist presentations that are part of the symposium. The artist’s presentation gives information on their general practice, the artwork they create, as well as their inspirations
One of the themes at Chitrashaala has been the freedom that the participating artists have to pursue innovation and creativity. “We do not really force the artist to do anything,” said Ashish Vohra, the founder and CEO of the resort chain. “This edition is special, as the destination itself is quite unexplored, magical, and inspirational, which makes it a perfect choice for an artist residency. The quality of artwork is several notches higher, and now we have had people asking to be part of the residency.”
Whether art imitates life or vice versa, this symposium saw how art can be a great equaliser. From making connections with each other, art can transcend boundaries of countries, age and experience, and create a space where art itself is the greatest winner.
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Bindu Gopal Rao is a freelance writer and photographer based in Bengaluru. She is passionate about all things to do with the environment. You can follow her on Instagram @bindugopalrao.
