Barbil Art Project II - A community based experimental Art Workshop
November 30 - December 7, 2014 I Arya Colony, Barbil, Keonjhar, Odisha and Utsha Foundation For Contemporary Art, VR-39, Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Artists: Jagannath Panda, Veer Munshi, Shilpa Joglekar, Anuradha Pathak, Samara Kajal, Saikia Mandakini Galore, Anjan Kumar Sahoo, Kanta Kishor Moharana, Dipti Biswal, Susant Kumar Panda, Rajat Kumar Dhal, Narahari Bhol, Dwijabar Das, Sansari Godatla, Ramakanta Samantaray, Smrutikanta Rout and Golap Godatia
Curated by: Rahul Bhattacharya
Redefining an existing mining space through art was an exciting idea that expanded beyond the realm of 'white cubes' to include the larger spectrum of life through shared engagement of professional artists and local folk. The public art workshop, “Barbil Art Project” was designed and executed by Utsha Foundation at Arya colony in Barbil to create a fresh awareness. Utsha has been focusing on the alternate participatory space between different spectrums and creative minds.
It was an 8-day workshop curated by Rahul Bhattacharya with 5 artists from Odisha, 5 artists from outside the state, three practitioners of traditional arts and 5 students as assistants working closely with the residents of the Arya Colony, Keonjhar. The team of artists lived in the community and participated in the day to day activities and cultural programmes in the evening. It was a true community art enterprise with presentations, community building, site specific art exchange, film screenings and site mapping.
On the final day, when the project came to its end, it was magical. The kind of interaction that happened between women from the displaced communities and the women officers and wives of the Arya Colony was unique and was really successful in creating community bonding. Jagannath Panda's 'We are Here for a Reason,' Veer’s 'Pellet Rain' and Kanta Kishore's museum, Anuradha Pathak's wall and Samudra's wall paintings framed the site for the open day.
