It must be a rare assembly of more than a dozen Bengalis that does not have its own Durga Puja. But that’s because the group — Bengalis in Delhi and NCR (BDNCR) — was formed on social networking site Orkut, not around a chai stall. And though they do not have a puja, this weekend they will have
their own exhibition, the Bengal Art Show.
Of the more than 3,500 members of the Orkut group that came into existence three years ago, 70 members came out to register the offline society. Their aim is to promote Bengaliana in different forms. The latest expression of that intent is an art show comprising 50-odd works by 16 Bengali artists at Delhi’s Habitat Centre.
They have nothing much in common except their Bengaliness. So, is their art ‘Bengali’ in any way?
Niloy Roy, 35, CEO of worldart.in and co-organiser, says, “When new artists enter the field, they find the old guard of the so-called Bengal School well entrenched. Most think it wise to stand apart from the older order. So we have a range of styles today.”
Zamir Rahman, one of the eight artists on the show from Kolkata, says, “In earlier days, both the artist and the viewer had the luxury to be contemplative. Nowadays, mediatic images flash by so quickly that you hardly have time to reflect.” Rahman’s ‘Shield’, a mid-sized canvas awash in red, works on a photo-like image of a soldier firing from the shoulder of another. Back home, Rahman makes ends meet by teaching drawing to 15-odd students.
Roy, a former consumer durable salesman, is interested in getting a market for artists such as Rahman. Head for the show if you are a corporate buyer looking for bargains in the
Rs 5,000-50,000 range, or an aficionado looking for emerging talent.
“Such sales may push down prices,” admits Roy. But they also let the artists live today to paint tomorrow.