New Delhi:
After making a successful Delhi debut in 2018, the much famed Centre of International Modern Art (CIMA) Art Mela will now make its foray in Mumbai starting January 23, announced the organisers.
Traditionally held in Kolkata, the four-day annual art event, now in its 13th edition, will take place at the Nehru Centre Art Gallery in Mumbai.
Known for showcasing genuine, quality art by artists — senior, young and emerging — at affordable prices, the festival this time too aims to merge the boundaries between the high and low art by displaying an entire spectrum from the “pop to sublime”.
Over 80 artists from across India would be participating in the event, including the likes of Padma Bhushan-awardee figurative artist Arpita Singh, renowned painters Jogen Chowdhury, Manu Parekh, Lalu Prasad Shaw, Paresh Maity and Madhvi Parekh.
“It was on the occasion of CIMA’s 25th anniversary in 2018, that we thought of taking the project nationwide. First to Delhi and now to Mumbai.
“This is a special gift for young Mumbaikars on behalf of the veteran and award winning artists from across the country. From the mighty centres of art to the quiet realms of the patachitra artisans and traditional artists of rural India. All selected meticulously and with a sense of humor and fun,” said Rakhi Sarkar, director, CIMA.
Inspired by the famous ‘Nandan mela’, the Santiniketan’s annual art fair conceived in 1973, according to Sarkar, the collection here is presented in a “salon style”, the one where the work is simply mounted, and not framed.
“The collection is inclusive and involves traditional artists along with renowned veterans, modern and contemporary artists of India. It is designed to mae art more enjoyable and approachable,” she added.
Also, talking about the concept of CIMA Art Mela, which was first initiated in 2008 in Kolkata, Sarkar said it came into being to make “quality art accessible to the middle class”.
“If people who are passionate about art stop talking about it, it gets forgotten. We felt that could happen if the discussion was restricted to how expensive a piece of art is.
“The moment they couldn’t buy, their interest started flagging. We felt we had to do something to bring the middle class and the upper middle class back into the fold of art,” she explained.
The art mela comes to a close on January 26.
