Art for a cause

Bindu Art School that uses art to change the lives of people affected by leprosy is organizing an exhibition of paintings 'Pain to Paint' at India International Centre.

It will be inaugurated by Brigitte Öppinger-Walchshofer, Ambassador of Austria on January 21, 2020 at 6:30 pm. Also present on the occasion will be Padma Venkatarman, Anjolie Ela Menon and Suresh Jindal along with four of the school students from Tamil Nadu. The art work will be on view till February 1, 2020.

The event is curated by Werner Dornik, Multimedia-Artist, Social Activist and founder of the Bindu-Art-School, who first came to India in 1977 as a young 18 years old "Hippie". "I came to Varanasi and met people affected by leprosy. I was very shocked because all they needed was Euro 10 for their treatment but didn't have this little amount. I couldn't sleep for two nights and thereafter decided to come back and help these people all my life."

Since then, he has been working in the field to help the affected people through art.

In India, more than one million people affected by leprosy lives with a social stigma and are pushed to the edges of society, dependent on alms to live. Although leprosy is a curable disease, the social stigma persists.

The artists of Bindu Art School support similarly affected individuals with 30% of their income and teach them what they themselves have learned. This unique process is far removed from a charity-based approach. They are consequently treated with respect and attain dignity. Indeed, their lives become resurrected.