Press Release
Art is very therapeutic and has a healing touch. During these pandemic times, the artists and the monuments will need a lot of support because of the financial impact the society is facing. These are also the times, when the public will need a lot more art for the simple reason that it is what keeps humanity alive and sane. This was stated by Secretary, Department of Art & Culture, Government of Rajasthan, Ms. Mugdha Sinha. She was addressing the interactive talk session on ‘Public Art’ held on the occasion of World Tourism Day. The programme was organized by Centre Head Center for Design Excellence (CODE), Vivekananda Global University (VGU) in collaboration with Department of Science and Technology, Government of Rajasthan; Department of Art and Culture, Archaeology & Museums, Government of Rajasthan and JKK. The programme was moderated by Centre Head Center for Design Excellence (CODE), Vivekananda Global University (VGU), Ar. Shweta Chaudhary.
Renowned independent artist, Mr. Yunus Khimani said that art by and large remains within the museums and galleries. These places are sometimes intimidating for the general public. Although you may still see people walking into museums but galleries are generally not walked into. So art remains an elite domain for people who are educated and used to going to galleries. Once an artwork is within a gallery, it usually walks into a private space. It is bought by somebody and then it ends up in their drawing room, bedroom or even the bathroom. This is the reason why the public remains unable to interact with the art. So, public art is that domain of art where public interaction with the art actually happens. This is the reason why many artists wish to practice public art so that their work is in direct contact with the public and interacts with the public.
Architect, photographer, educator & artist, Ar. Hemangi Kadu said that there is a need to aim for positive transformation through public art and break the banal notions of representational public art. Planning processes need to be inclusive, open-minded, non-destructive and encouraging. It should not only become a beautification project but one that develops identity, sense of belonging and helps create many memories through urban experiences.
The vote of thanks was delivered by CEO, VGU, Mr. Onkar Bagaria.
Quiz on Tourism
The talk was followed by an exciting quiz on tourism for the online and social media audiences of the programme. The picture-based quiz had questions on well-known locations, cinematic spots, murals and graffiti, public art installations and much more.
Slogan Writing Competition Winner Announcement
The programme ended with the announcement of winners for the ‘Slogan Writing Competition’ organized by CODE-VGU. The first prize was bagged by Kavita Sharma from Jodhpur. The second prize was won by Jayesh Choudhary from Jaipur and the third prize was won by Sushma Ramdeo from Jodhpur. Apart from this, the consolation prize was won by Dr. Niyatee Ayyar from Chennai.