In pictures: Birla Academy of Art and Culture unveils ‘Stories of Light and Song: Contemporary Practices in Asia’

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The inauguration ceremony was held on January 9 in the presence of noted names from Kolkata’s art world, as well as art aficionados and dignitaries

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Inaugurating the month-long celebration, Jayashree Mohta, chairperson, Birla Academy of Art and Culture, shared insights into the 57-year legacy of the academy founded by Basant Kumar Birla and Sarala Birla

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There was a panel discussion after the inauguration event with curator Ina Puri, artists Kamruzzaman Shadhin of the Gidree Bawlee Foundation of Arts in Bangladesh, and Sudharak Olwe, talking about the special exhibition, titled ‘Stories of Light & Song: Contemporary Practices in Asia’

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Following the discussion, the special exhibition opened its doors to the public. Speaking about the exhibition, curator Ina Puri said, ‘Contemporaneity requires museums and art institutions to engage in a dialogue with the world on an equal basis. ‘Stories of Light and Song: Contemporary Art Practices in Asia’ is brought to Birla Academy with the hope that we can speak one universal language of inclusivity. The powerful, contemporary voices may be moving at different speeds, yet they move through the same historical time’

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‘Waves’, is a site-specific installation made of bamboo cane was done by Gidree Bawlee uniting artisans from West Bengal, India, and Bangladesh. It is a collaborative effort by bamboo and cane artists Amal Tudu, Prodip Roy, Gurupada Dome, Srikanta Pramanike, Paresh Dome, Palash Dome, Bijoy Dhara, Kamruzzaman Shadhin and Salma Jamal Moushum from Bangladesh and Birbhum in West Bengal

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Through a process of knowledge exchange and experimentation, the artisans have created an installation that resonates with the local history of bamboo crafts in Bengal. These installations can be found on the Academy lawn and on the first-floor gallery

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In the Sarala Birla gallery on the first floor, visitors can marvel at a beautiful exhibition of photographs by Sudharak Olwe, capturing the lives of Lavani dancers from Mumbai, Maharashtra

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Olwe, who has been documenting the lives of these performers since 2003, said, ‘Lavani dance form is fading and the dancers are also a neglected community today. There are only about 3,000 dancers in the region. They were mostly women from the Dalit communities. These photographs were meant to bring them respect and dignity’

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A special Lavani dance performance by Mamta Patil and her troupe was also held on January 10 at the Academy lawn

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Another interesting installation is the ‘Change Room Archives’ by Delhi-based artist Baaraan Ijlal. It’s a travelling sound installation of voices of people sharing their stories, apprehensions and desires. Ijlal conceptualised this installation as an open channel of voices telling their stories anonymously, with herself as the witness

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A special screening of Ranbir Kaleka’s film ‘How far…?’ is also being held. A painter and multimedia artist, Ranbir has mastered animating two-dimensional canvases through experimental film sequences. Time and space are yoked together in his immensely powerful film

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A series of artworks — sculptures, paintings, prints and video installations — by 147 art students from across the country is also on display. These have been selected by a jury and a few of them were awarded on the inauguration day of the 57th Annual Exhibition