CURATORS PERSPECTIVE

The concept of artistes’ workshops is not new, however multidisciplinary congregation is unique wherein artistes from varied disciplines work togeather under one roof. Artistes - be they painters, dancers or musicians have their own unique styles of working, most often their own set inspirations, different backgrounds and schools of thought, but when they are put together for a workshop and share creative energies with other «thinking» minds - a new synergy is born and it was this rare synergy that was celebrated at the week long SAARC artist camp organized by SEHER for ICCR.

The camp was held at one of the most picturesque locations in the subcontinent - Jaisalmer. Jaisalmer as a city is known for its color, its history, and interestingly is situated close to the Indo-Pakistan border with many similiarities emerging in music, culture and lifestyle. The idea came about when, along with ICCR we were told to create an event to celebrate the spirit of SAARC for the upcoming summit through culture - we converge on the concept of getting painters from all the SAARC countries to work at Jaisalmer.
As we are all aware, visual art is growing at a phenomenal pace in the sub-continent with artistes showcasing their works all over the world. Inviting artistes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka was not that difficult as there is substantial interaction between these nations, but we are hardly aware of the plethora of talent that exists in Afghanistan, Maldives and Bhutan. We attempted to give thse artistes a holistic experience through interactive sessions with art specialists like Roobina Karode and Abhay Sardesai as well as lecture demonstrations on Indian classical music, dance, poetry and literature. The participants interacted at a personal, cultural and professional level - learning from each other’s skills, adopting newer techniques, sharing fresher ideas that made it a worhtwhile experience for the entire group.

I thank the ICCR for having supported this concept all through and the help that my team at SEHER recieved at every step of its implementation. I am also delighted that this exhibition will be showcased in the SAARC capitals after the Summit. It will give the people of these countries a chance to see how creativity and harmony are linked so closely and how experiences like this artistes’ camp can increase people - to - people contact between neighbours.

Sanjeeve Bhargava
Founder Director, Seher