OTIA: An initiative to showcase Odisha culture

Culturally rich in art, music and dance – the state of Odisha/Orissa initiated India's first private sector triennial titled 'OTIA' (Odisha Triennial of International Art).The initiative which was taken by Sahank Mahptra; Founder of ANPIC and OTIA took place in the three major cities of Odisha namely Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konark.

OTIA, which was formally launched in Bhubaneswar in May made its national announcement – 'Delhi Declaration of OTIA' at the National Gallery of Modern Art on June 14, in the presence of Pinaki Misra, MP (Lok-Sabha) and Jeffrey Sexton, Minister Counselor of Public Affairs and the US Embassy. The evening was also graced by the presence of famous personalities like Anand Moy Banerji, Kanchan Chandra, Pratul Dash, Artist Sidharth, Raghu Rai, Jatin Das and many more.

The Chief guest of the program, Pinaki Misra, MP (Lok-Sabha) said, "It has been observed that the activities of ANPIC is promoting Indian culture and their initiative OTIA will give a boost to the state and its culture."

Sashanka Mohapatra, Founder Director of OTIA said, "While the state exhibitions are exclusively for national artists, OTIA is an international platform which gives stage to the international artists for showcasing their art along with the artists of India and from the Odisha state in particular."

"OTIA is a great challenge given to me and I am going to make it one of the worth memorable experiences in the Indian art scene," said JohnyML who is the Curatorial Director-designate of OTIA. "I have envisioned an international triennial in which the local aesthetics will find a chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with the international art. My idea is to create a 'global' feeling about art and culture through the OTIA platform by integrating art, music, dance, theatre, film, craft and literature," he further added.

It's the first time that Orissa's local artists got a platform to showcase the culture on a national and international level.