No more in cultural backwaters
By Balvinder

THE Tenth Triennale India, an international show of art that the Central Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, organises after every three years, concluded recently.

Though our region is still considered culturally backward, and even the modern city of Chandigarh has not yet acquired the hallowed stature of an important art centre of the country, it is heartening to note that the region has been contributing considerably to this particular art event of utmost import.

Brahm Parkash and Prem Singh, two well-known painters of the region, did not only participate in the 5th and 9th Triennales, respectively, but also bagged prestigious awards.

Not so strangely, the Triennale has always been clouded by one or the other controversy since its inception in 1968. While the first one saw its commissioner, Krishan Khanna, himself pocketing one of the awards/honours, the recently concluded one was without entries from both the USA and the UK, which are considered, rightly or wrongly, the trendsetters of world art movements. Even the two Indian judges who were the part of an international jury of six artists, did not attend the inaugural function. They were reportedly disgruntled because one of the ten awards was withheld by the jury.

Still, it certainly was a honour for the whole region that out of the 37 Indian artists selected to participate in this exalted art event that comprised works from as many as 30 countries, two belonged to this region.

While the 58-year-old lanky and soft-spoken Malkit Singh is quite well known in this constituency, it was very laudable that Subhash Shorey (35), a young and energetic artist from the city, could also make it to this lofty level.

Rustic, unpretentious, sentimental and of course extremely talented, Malkit has paved his way to the present position by sheer dint of hard work. Through his affable, demure and cordial mien, he has won many a friend in almost every walk of life. And this certainly reflects in his works which he renders with complete devotion and involvement.

Like his likable low-key persona, his drawings or paintings never show any commotion, even while dealing with subjects relating overtly to turmoil.

Apart from being an accomplished painter, Malkit has also fine administrative skills. In the six years during which he remained Secretary of the Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi, it bubbled with art activities, mostly because of his consummate ability to tie even warring/diverse groups of artists together. No wonder his long and sincere artistic travel, from Landey (a sleepy village in Moga district of Punjab) to a global Triennale, has been both smooth and rewarding.

Chandigarh-born Subhash Shorey, who completed his art education from the Chandigarh College of Art in 1987, is artistically much more mature than most artists of his age.

A systematic and keen observer, Shorey has been working, now for the past many years, on his canvases like a researcher. He etches his images, of diverse nature, with great skill and sensitivity.

Thus it was not amazing when he graduated from pure painting to print-making that requires, apart from the artistic expertise, a good amount of technical skill as well. Shorey became a proficient print-maker under the able direction of Brahm Parkash who has been his guide for the past two years. Shorey has been awarded a National Scholarship in this field.

"One gets the feeling that he (Shorey) dreams in front of his shapes and things happen by themselves". This was how Dr B.N. Goswamy once described Shorey’s "effortless" rendition. Controversy or no controversy, the contributions in events like Triennale surely increase the arty height of its participants. Through this enviable participation both Malkit and Shorey, however, have not only raised their own stature as artists, but also that of the whole region. No more in cultural backwaters!