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IGNCA opens for visitors with first major exhibition at new location
The five-storey building, where IGNCA will function from for the next 2-3 years, was inaugurated on July 1.
The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) on Friday opened its doors to visitors as it kicked off its first big event -- an exhibition on freedom fighter Chandrashekhar Azad on his birth anniversary -- at its new, though temporary, premises at Hotel Janpath.
The five-storey building, where IGNCA will function from for the next 2-3 years, was inaugurated on July 1.
Achal Pandya, head of the IGNCA’s conservation and cultural archives unit, said that the idea of holding an exhibition on Azad was first floated in November. “While the idea was proposed in November, work started around 3-4 months ago. This is the first big event at our new premises and is open for the public. Besides the current exhibition, we plan to conduct many other activities as part of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’,” said Pandya.
The exhibition on Azad will be on display till August 10, following which another exhibition on relatively lesser-known freedom fighters, including a storytelling program - Kathakar, will come up next month, said IGNCA officials.
Set up in 1985, IGNCA is actively involved in organising exhibitions, performances, conferences and lectures to promote various art forms, and also offers short-term and certificate courses in arts and culture. It was temporarily moved to Hotel Janpath in March as its original location, on Man Singh Road, was identified as one of the areas to be demolished as part of the Central Vista redevelopment. According to officials, IGNCA will be moved to Jamnagar House once the Central Vista work is completed.
Patrons of the IGNCA are likely to miss the sprawling lawns of the original campus at Man Singh Road, spread over 27 acres, that played host to major exhibitions and festivals.
IGNCA member-secretary Sachidanand Joshi earlier told HT that the terrace space in the new building will be used for hosting activities and events once visitors start trickling in. “We have created a welcoming ambience for the public. Our gallery space fell short, so we have used the lobbies for displaying our paintings. We plan to use the terrace space for performances in the coming future. While the location is temporary, our work continues as before and visitors will have a lot to admire and learn from,” he said.
At IGNCA, its souvenir shop, Prastuti, and the Svasti Cafe are open in the main building though minor maintenance work continues in both the outlets. The library is expected to start in August.
“Ventilation is much better in our new space. Due to the location, we get significant natural light which is beneficial since our work entails dealing with intricate material like paintings and documents,” said Anil Dwivedi, project associate, conservation.
Dwivedi said that though he had many memories associated with the original location, the working space for the unit was more spacious now.
Simran Sangal, 25, a conservation assistant, said that the varied rooms and alcoves of the hotel ensure enough and distinct storage for different projects. She said her team is currently working on Kalamkari paintings from Andhra Pradesh, and will soon start work on a set of paintings from Rashtrapati Bhavan.
