Art fest to help protect Punjab’s culture, heritage, says minister

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 20

Punjab Art Initiative—Amritsar Edition, a public art festival supported by Yuj Arts Foundation, was inaugurated today by Punjab minister Harbhajan Singh ETO. The month-long art festival and exhibition has transformed the VR Mall (Trillium) into a lively art space with over 150 art works including paintings, installations and murals displayed for public.

In his address, ETO praised the artists and said the initiative is a step towards preservation of the environment and heritage of Punjab. “The government is making efforts to make Punjab a vibrant creative state through community reach-out activities that proactively engage citizens with its heritage and culture. This will be possible only when such support is received from institutions and fraternity,” he said.

The art fest is curated by Sumi Gupta, who has been curating such art exhibits across major cities in an effort to bring artists, communities and institutions together. “I am delighted to be running this wonderful project in collaboration with institutions and student artists from Amritsar, a platform for large-scale installations, sculptures, mixed media works and photography. The Punjab Art Initiative —- Amritsar Edition 2023 brings together the community of artists, art students, patrons as well as the people of Amritsar in celebration of the city’s art and culture. Through festivals like these, we not only provide a platform to emerging artists, but also create a sense of belonging and respect for the city’s rich heritage,” she shared.

This particular edition promotes creative explorations around the theme ‘A Fine Balance’ with the aim of examining the critical relationship between humans and their environment, with a particular focus on climate change and sustainability.

Collaborators from Amritsar include BBK DAV College, Khalsa College of Education, Inter National Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD) and Indian Creative Unity. Some of the renowned artists who exhibited their works this year include Dr Lalit Gopal, Prof Sandeep Jutshi, Kumar Vaibhav and Principal Dr Pushpinder Walia of BBK DAV College, Dr Mandeep Kaur and Assistant Professor Vinay Vaid and Brajesh Jolly from Khalsa College of Education.

‘Kala Kar’, a unique car created by using scrap and waste parts by artist Baljinder Gill, followed by the fashion showcase ‘Wearable Art’ and ‘Art of 2023’ presented by the International Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD) was the highlight of the first day.

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