A nine-day camp underway here brings together from the ASEAN countries -- Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam along with Indian counterparts -- a true confluence of art, imagination and inspiration.
Together, the artists are conveying that art is uninhibited and that no border can divide the artists and their thought processes.
With the theme "Oceans of Opportunity", the September 21-29 ASEAN-Indian Artists Camp has been organised by the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with the Seher cultural organisation to mark the 25th year of the ASEAN-India Dialogue.
The camp is set amidst the lush green The Ananta resort just a few miles from Udaipur. It witnesses an amalgamation of contemporary art with that of classical, fusion of old school of painting with that of new, sharing of same canvas between young thinkers with modern tools with that of old experts with brushes.
The camp allows the free flow of imagination. Thus, for Thailands artist Naphaphong Kurae it was a good opportunity to learn about not just Indian art forms but also of countries like Lao PDR and Philippines with which he was not so well acquainted.
"Miniature art of India is what I love the most. Although there are many (forms), but this particularly fascinates me. I learnt the details from (Indian artist) Kalam Patua. But what I really liked is knowing the art of my neighbouring countries which I was not well acquainted with," Kurae told IANS.
"When selected for the camp, I was initially nervous as my English is not that good. But here I realised language is not the issue at all. Art cannot be defined by the language we speak," he added.
Dennis Mallares Gonzales from the Philippines shared similar thoughts on his experience at the camp.
"Because there are hardly any art exhibitions or camps we don't get the chance to meet or interact with other artists. Art not just only conveys an artist's imagination but also reflects the culture, customs and traditions of the country. And here we are exchanging our art history, contemporary situation, getting to know how art is perceived in other countries," Gonzales stated. He further mentioned that he learned new techniques from the artist hailing from Brunei which wouldn't have been possible if he havn't attended the camp.
Malaysian artist Mohd. Shahrul Hisham B Ahmad Tarmizi said that apart from just showcasing their art, it was a good platform of exchanging ideas and concepts and learning different ways of creating a painting.
"It is more of contemporary art in Malaysia which reflects in my paintings. I also use modern techniques and tools for it. But here, I learned about old school art, use and choice of colours and even right brushes. Its an innovative platform," Tarmizi shared.
Kiyomi Talaulicar, an Indian artist, felt that such art camps should be organised frequently in India.
"Certain values are always common in all artists, no matter where they belong to. Art has no language, it's a medium of expression of our thoughts which may be different among artists, but we all are heading for the same direction. This camp is about connection, one place where we are getting to learn several techniques, not just of different countries but from India's as well," Talaulicar said.
Aiming to create awareness of ASEAN identity, each artist will create one work at the camp which will have the essence of their own culture and history.
This collection will be displayed in a special exhibition to be inaugurated at the ASEAN-India Summit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January next year.
"It is rare to have such brilliant visual artists from ASEAN countries, coming from such rich heritage and tradition in their art-forms. It is perhaps the first time that these artists, coming from their respective countries will be working on one platform and painting on one theme along with highly acclaimed and talented artists from India," Sanjeev Bhargava, Director, Seher, commented.
(Somrita Ghosh attended the art camp at the invitation of Seher, a cultural organisation. She can be contacted at somrita.g@ians.in)
--IANS
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