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Delhi artists get together to turn waste into sculptures for G20 exhibition
To be developed on the theme of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", the park is proposed to be located around Delhi’s Shanti Path and Kautilya Marg
As one walks through the narrow bylanes of Garhi village near East of Kailash and enters the Garhi Art Studio through a small door, it is difficult to imagine what lies inside – a peaceful lawn.
The lawn, along a bustling city market, is the perfect “green and sustainable” setting for artists trying to work on reducing metal trash by turning them into sculptures to be placed in the proposed G20 park in Chanakyapuri. On Friday, several artists came together for a 10-day art camp at the studio, where metal scrap was used to make 19 national birds and animals of the participating G20 countries.
To be developed on the theme of “One Earth, One Family, One Future” (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam), the park is proposed to be located around Delhi’s Shanti Path and Kautilya Marg and will showcase sculptures of national animals and birds of the G20 countries based on waste to wonder” concept. The sculptures will be completed by May 1 and displayed at the G20 park, being readied by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).
“The sculptures will be completed by the Lalit Kala Academy, after which we will start the installation and other civil work,” said Amit Yadav, chairman, NDMC.
“The art pieces for the G20 park have been conceptualised, designed, and curated by a team of renowned national-level artists with experience in waste-to-wonder projects,” said V Nagdas, chairman of Lalit Kala Academy.
Officials added that each piece will be firmly installed on a base platform to prevent theft or mishandling. An information plate on the side indicating the animal, its real photo, and its importance for the country concerned will be shown, along with details of the artist.
The raw materials or metal scraps were being taken from NDMC warehouses while the artists were from Lalit Kala Academy. Artists could be seen using iron rebars, automobile parts, metal plates, wire mesh, and other junk at the site. The finished sculptures will be 5-7 feet by 4-5 feet.
While one artist was seen welding small iron rebars together to make a gallic rooster (one of the national emblems of France), another was peeling and shaping a pile of coconuts under a tree and yet another had just finished work on the outer frame of a Komodo dragon, the national animal of Indonesia.
Others said that the work has been slow and will only gain pace after Eid as more workers will join.
“Most of my team is not present and they will only join after Eid on April 22. Once the team is here, we will start working on the puma, the national animal of Argentina. We are hoping to finish work before May 1,” said Gopal Namjoshi, an eminent artist who has installed several waste metal sculptures across Delhi and the national capital region.
Additionally, about 50 students from universities across NCR are also volunteering to get the sculptures ready. Officials said that the art pieces will be created on-site at Garhi Artist Studio, where the public will be able to see them.
“This will be run through a campaign on YouTube and other social media websites. Every evening, a “meet the artist” event will also be conducted for the public. The artists will be assisted by a team of students from leading art colleges who will benefit from exposure to the exclusive work,” said Gayatri Mathur, in charge of Garhi centre.
Artists from different states including Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala, Odisha, Haryana, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Chhattisgarh are working on the projects. The birds and animals of the different G20 countries include the Indian peacock, American bison, Brazilian jaguar, red-crowned crane from China, Saudi Arabian camel, Korean magpie, Australian emu, Canadian gray jay, Russian brown bear, and Mexican golden eagle.
The G20 comprises the European Union and 19 countries – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
