Every city in India is bestowed with a monument, a place or an area which is representative of the city's tryst with history. Taking a trip there is like taking a trip down the city's memory lane. Old Town in Bhubaneswar, resplendent with temples and architectural masterpieces, is one such place. Now imagine world-class artists from across the globe taking you through the same Old Town that you know and yet, on this journey, you will really experience art. This was the thought behind the ongoing Bhubaneswar Art Trail (BAT), the brainchild of Utsha Foundation for Contemporary Art.
Along with the support of Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and Odisha Tourism, this Odisha-based trust invited 24 artists from around the world to enable us to see “the same Old Town in new light”, in the words of Jagannath Panda, the renowned sculptor who is curating the trail with Premjish Achari, a translator and writer. "The objective is also to take art to the public and help them understand how art is a part of our life," says Panda. These artists will be interacting with the communities, exploring Old Town, gazing thoughtfully at the many historic structures and will get to know the city and depict it through their own art - be it through paintings, installations, sculptures, photographs - sky's the limit.
What we think is the best about the trail is the involvement of students, not just as volunteers but as people who work closely with the artists to create art. They are also conducting various workshops, one of which includes students from ten government schools. "It helps students gain an understanding about contemporary art along with experiencing something that they don't practice in educational institutions," says Panda, adding that this trail has a holistic approach to bring contemporary art to Odisha. The government is excited and the local communities are equally excited, so much so that they are offering not only their time to narrate their stories but also their home and public spaces for displaying artwork. This is the magic of art, it opens all doors and turns strangers into friends. Continuing in the same vein, Panda says, "Art truly renders a new direction to our thinking."
We caught up with a few artists who are weaving this magic on the 1.3 km trail in Old Town about their art, craft and other spells.
Satyabhama Majhi
Majhi has been working in the domain of art in education, and in this regard, with students, for over 15 years. This particular project is more special because the artist was born in this Temple Town. But in her memories, the place always stood for something else. "Because of the homes that have come up, it feels like the temples have receded into the background," says Majhi, who has been a recipient of the State award from the Lalit Kala Akademi. So her art installation, which is a replica of one of the smaller temples near the Mukteswara Temple, will be shrouded with a red cloth. This depicts that though the temples might be hidden by modern structures, the faith and belief remain. Did you know that the area which is the airport today was once known for its abundant deer population? Also, the area in where governor stays was once a bamboo forest. This trivia and more is what one can absorb while gazing upon the painted map of the Old Town, as it was 100 years ago, sans the homes and any other modern structure. And this is the 37-year-old's second project for the trail.
Ramakanta Samantaray
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Ramakanta Samantaray and Sailen Routray (Bhoomi) along with Ramahari Jena (Lalit Kala Akademi award winner) will be exhibiting 15 photographs as a part of the trail. Think of it as a 'then and now', Samantaray advised us. These photographs are of Old Town as it was and the same space has been clicked in the same angle as it is today. There is also an audio installation with oral testimonies of 'outsiders' of Old Town, who have been living here for quite some time. Then, at the centre is the pièce de résistance — a fluid, earthly structure that has water from the eight water bodies of the Old Town. "I love Bhubaneswar, especially how it was 30 years back — less polluted and more green. We have to respect our heritage and nature to progress," says 47-year-old Samantaray, who has received Senior Fellowship, Ministry of Culture, Government of India in the past among other fellowships. Their projects are a tribute to the three 'outsiders' of Bhubaneswar, Former Chief Minister of Odisha Harekrushna Mahatab, Bengali Indologist Rajendralal Mitra and American cultural anthropologist Cora Du Bois, who have shaped the way people look at Odisha's capital city.
Pankaja Sethi
Rarely do we think about textile when one says the word art. Thirty-nine-year-old Pankaja Sethi is working towards changing this. So at BAT, the Bhubaneswar-based artist is creating a 4x8 feet piece of abstract art which reflects how change is the only constant. And in the bargain, there are two students who are learning wrap and weft and other techniques of textile art. Sethi, who is a guest lecturer at NIFT, Bhubaneswar, feels that though textile art is a subject, it is not pushed enough. As a part of the Nehru Trust for Indian Collections at the V&A Museum fellowship, she has travelled to districts like Ganjam for three years to record their textile art. The Cuttack-born artist tells us about a quilting method that they employ using a recycled methodology that might be on the brink of extinction. "There is no support for such art and even the women who do this are not aware of its value. So weavers not only need right honorariums, they, and we, also need to feel pride for our textiles," says Sethi, who showcased her organic cotton natural dyed saris in rural Adivasi silhouettes of Odisha at Lakme Fashion Week, Mumbai in February 2018.
Arnika Ahldag
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Ahldag rightly describes Bhubaneswar as an ancient temple town which has suddenly found itself at the centre of the stage, especially with the Smart City Mission. When the German artist met Meera Parida, the transgender activist, the latter explained how the Smart City proposal isn't great news for her community. As the proposal asks for the city to go cashless, how does a community which depends on hard cash, survive? "'This is a society which works best with cash, which we saw during the time of demonisation. The city is not working for transgenders, senior citizens, children and other segments of the society,' she told me," says the 35-year-old artist, who is a PhD candidate at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU. So she set up a talk, as a part of her video installments, with Meera Parida and Antarin Chakrabarty, a Technical Expert (city-level), Sustainable Urban Development, Smart Cities for Bhubaneswar. They speak about cities, its strength, and shortcomings. In another project, she spoke to people in Old Town about what the city should be like and drafted eight proposals fictionalising what they said. "I feel that sometimes, in India, the past is glorified so much that we forget about the present. What about the people who don't fit into the 'aspiring India' segment? Like tailors, farmers...," says the artist who has been residing in New Delhi for six years now.
Sharmila Samant
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Sharmila Samant has been working on a series of questions - What is happening around the world? What influences me? What troubles me? What is dangerous about me? - which will be performed by her and students and will be put out in the public in various forms — painted, carved and what not. "I am not Arnab Goswami, demanding answers to the questions. They need to ask these questions to themselves," says Samant, Associate Professor at the Department of Art, Design and Performance of the Shiv Nadar University, Mumbai. While the 52-year-old will be performing it for two days, (November 18-19), around 18 students will perform it throughout the duration of the trail. "Some of these questions the students will take back with them and that is important. I'm not asking for big revolutions, just small changes," says the visual artist from Bombay. And that's exactly what she loves about teaching — changing attitudes. "Young minds need to understand the role of art in society. Art is not just an object that can be hung in a gallery and subsequently, on our walls. Art really is a means of communication," she says. When we ask her if there is a conclusion, a finale to this performance in terms of answers, she says, "We are talking about philosophy, not a consumerist idea of fulfillment."
Markus Baenziger
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The Swiss-born artist, who is currently based out of New York, is loving his first time in Bhubaneswar. The first thing he tells us is how inviting the community is and how historic the sites are. "It's wonderful," says the professor who teaches at Haverford College, Pennsylvania. He particularly describes how he is 'struck' by the buildings and architecture of Old Town and how he spent several hours walking and exploring this part of the city. And it is this environment that has been an enabler for the artist. Baenziger is working on a 3D structure made of metal which is inspired by nature. Think interplay of shadows of leaves and sun rays and the shadow this creates. "The idea is the simple beauty that is found in nature and reflecting on these things," says the professor, adding that "The most exciting part of the project is working with students. It is my favourite part of the whole experience." Talking about Bhubaneswar Art Trail, he says that he found the project very exciting and upon hearing about it, thought that he should definitely be a part of it.
Timeline of BAT
August 26: BAT was announced
August 30: Officials from BAD, Bhubaneswar Municipality Corporation, ASI, temple trustees and Utsha walked the trail to check preparations
September 6: Curatorial walk wherein curators and team members walked the trail
September 7: Meeting with stakeholders
October 18: Trail walk with curators and the artists
October 19: Trail walk with artists officially began
October 20: Artists' talk series began
For more on them, click on bhubaneswararttrail.org and follow them on facebook.com/bhubaneswararttrail
