Double dose of art and culture

Merging Metaphors, the art exhibition was an initiative curated by Sushma K Bahl with the theme, 'India looking East' to promote contemporary art in place of cultures. The main idea and thought behind organising this event was to promote bonding, solidarity and networking for sharing, understanding and learning between artists of the ASEAN community and India. A two week camp was held in Darjeeling in 2012 for the artists to familiarize with the culture, lifestyle and environment by talking around and spending time with the locals. All the paintings exhibited were made during the camp in Darjeeling and each painting had a subtle thought and idea to it. The camp brought together 25 artists from 10 different countries for creative encounters and dialogue. 17 artists were from the nine ASEAN member countries .

Amongst the artists from India, Binoy Verghese and Seema Kohli shared their experiences from the camp, 'We had a very good time there, the camp gave us a lot to learn and experience. There was work as well as enjoyment.'

The evening also had a theatre act from the Calcutta Puppet Theatre (CPT), a Bengali puppet academy, theatre group, and an institute of dance, drama and music. The group was formed in 1973 by Suresh Dutta back in Calcutta and has completed 27 glorious years of existence. The act on Friday showcased a different style of puppet show that entertained the audience watching the show. The show had attracted families and an audience of all age groups from children to aged people. The story narrated in the puppet show was about a father and a son and their life, thoughts, wishes, conflicts etc. Some of the performances of the group include:Ramayan (1982), Aladin, Seeta, Ajob desh, Kagoj, Kaktarua, Kalo Hira, Boka Hash.

On the whole, Friday proved to be a wonderful mix of creative and performing art – a great blend of colors on canvas and puppets at ICCR.