Story cast in stone

As many as 14 sculptors have transformed the Museum Outreach Activity Centre at the Leisure Valley into a sculpture park, as part of Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi’s stone sculpture workshop, which concluded on February 18. 

Manoj Kumar Parida, Adviser to the Administrator was the chief guest of the closing ceremony, and interacted with the sculptors about their work, which they have painstakingly completed over 11 days, each creating a story in stone. 

For the artists, the symposium was a chance to work together, a platform for the promotion of sculpture and a chance to understand each other’s work. The myriad forms, created as part of the sculpture workshop will be part of outdoor sites, complementing the character and beauty of Chandigarh. Participating in the workshop were Valson Kolleri from Kerala, from Delhi and sculptors from the tricity included Vishal Bhatnagar, Sanjeev Kumar, Rajesh Sharma, Nitin Dutt, Hriday Kaushal, Gurmeet Goldie, Rajender Kumar, Parminder Singh, Harpal, Parvesh Kumar, Ramandeep Singh and Pardeep Kumar. 

Renowned sculptor Kolleri says stone has such a strong character and withstands any climate and is witness to many generations and as a sculptor, one doesn’t miss chances to create a shape out of it. It’s experience that makes you an artist, and to work with stone it is very important to have focus.                                               

Relationships, human interactions...are some of the subjects that are close to  Nivedita Mishra’s heart and here she has created a sculpture using two stones, which depicts a  bond between a human and goddess. “For public art, it is important that the audience connects with what you feel inside. Such workshops give us a platform to learn from each other and take so much back with us.”—TNS