Young artists throng GKP exhibition

AHMEDABAD: At the Ravishankar Raval Kala Bhavan artists from across the city congregated to discuss and display artwork. It was one of those rare instances where 145 artists displayed their work at a single location. Though the event was inaugurated on Sunday, the event concluded on Monday with leading artists of the city describing it as a landmark.
From photographers and painters to sculptors, all artists took part in the elaborate exhibition organized by the Gujarat Lalit Kala Academy and Gujarat Kala Prathishan (GKP) - an organization that has been encouraging young artists across the state for the last decade. As part of the 10th anniversary of the GKP, Kalagranth, a set of 10 books on fine arts of Gujarat was distributed free of cost to artists.
Most artists who displayed there work on Sunday used watercolour, traditionally the forte of artists from Maharashtra and Bengal.
Amit Ambalal, a leading artist of the state described the event as an important milestone in Gujarat's art history, coming after Kalaguru Ravishankar Raval's book 'Gujarat ma Kala na Pagran', which was a repository of Gujarat-based artists.
Ramnik Zapadia, secretary of GKP said, "There are numerous gems that shine on Gujarat's art-scape and it is our resolve to find and nurture them." Zapadia explained how GKP had spent Rs68 lakh behind supporting artists from donations it had received from well wishers in the last decade.