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Bhubaneswar, Sept 14: A gallery of artwork by renowned artists from the state was opened at State Museum here Wednesday. The artworks are part of a collection curated by Orissa Lalit Kala Akademi.
The gallery comprises 60 artworks, including paintings on different media and sculptures. The display is to be partially replaced every two or three months.
Tourism minister Ashok Chandra Panda inaugurated the facility. “The gallery includes a great collection of artworks. We hope it will attract more visitors to the museum,” he said.
Tarakanta Parida, the secretary of Orissa Lalit Kala Akademi, was among the dignitaries present. He said the gallery includes artwork that Orissa Lalit Kala Akademi has collected over several years. “At present we have more than 400 artworks of which we have exhibited only 60 by noted artists, some of whom are no more.”
Tarakanta added that works by artists who are no more will be on permanent display at the gallery. “Visitors, connoisseurs and art students will get an opportunity to see these works and study their style. Paintings by present day artists will be replaced periodically.”
The gallery had been closed for repairs and maintenance for the past many years.
According to Tarakanta, the gallery used to be operated in an unprofessional manner in the past. “The lighting system was faulty; the floor had been in disrepair and paintings had been poorly displayed. But now we have renovated the building and made arrangements to make it look professional.”
The permanent display includes works by late artists such as Murlidhar Talli, Vinod Routray, Nityananda Mohapatra, Gopal Kanungo, Bipin Choudhary, Ajit Keshari Rai, Kasinath Jena, Chhanda Acharya, Sarat Rath, and Chitra Patnaik. One painting of each of these artists has been included in the collection.
“Our state has produced several talented artists who experimented with different media to create art from the Sixties to the Eighties. It is a great opportunity for upcoming young artists to understand the styles of seniors,” Tarakanta said.
Govinda Chandra Dash, the gallery attendant, says the display is in great shape today. “After renovation, the gallery looks beautiful and the number of visitors has increased,” he said.
Visitors such as Sefali Patnaik of BJB Autonomous college cannot agree more. “The gallery has a beautiful collection. I had heard of Bipin Choudhary, Vinod Routray, Gopal Kanungo and others but had never seen their works. Today I got the opportunity to see their creations. Everyone should visit this gallery,” she said.
