Birth Anniversary of Svetoslav Roerich in the IRMT: Inauguration of the 1st International Postal Art Exhibition and Art Workshop
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On 23d of October 117th Birth Anniversary of Svetoslav Roerich was celebrated in the Roerich Estate in Naggar. Svetoslav Roerich is an outstanding artist, thinker, public figure, the founder of International Roerich Memorial Trust in Naggar (India) and International Centre of the Roerichs in Moscow (Russia).
Svetoslav Roerich came to the Estate in 1931 to live there with his family for many years. His parents Helena and Nicholas Roerich and elder brother George had already lived there. In 1945 Svetoslav Roerich brought to Kullu Valley his beautiful wife – famous actress Devika Rani and till the beginning of 1948 they all lived together. During all years of living in Kullu Valley Svetoslav Roerich actively participated in all activities of his family: in efforts of promotion the Roerich Pact and the Banner of Peace, in research work of the Urusvati Institute, in organization of exhibitions and publishing. He cherishingly studied traditions of Kullu Valley and contiguous Himalayan regions, wrote essays, created paintings, and travelled a lot throughout India. Svetoslav Roerich loved India as his adopted country; he admired spiritual deepness of its culture, wisdom of the people and richness of the nature. He was familiar with Indian art, understood it and set a high value on its harmony and beauty. “Let us always strive for Beauty” – these words were mission statement of his whole life.
It is no coincidence that the main event of the Birth Anniversary of Svetoslav Roerich was an inauguration of International Art Exhibition where more than 70 artists from India, Russia, Spain, Poland, Vietnam, Thailand, Egypt, South Korea, Bangladesh, Sweden, Denmark, Ghana and Sri Lanka took part. The exhibition presented either original paintings or miniature digital prints as due to coronavirus pandemic most of the artists didn’t have possibility to come to Kullu Valley and they had sent images of their paintings by post.
The organizers of the exhibition were Prabhinder Singh Lall, the patron of the Group Art Fort (Chandigarh), Jang S.Vernan, the patron of the Group Verman Cultural Celebrations (Jammu), artists Roma Bahl and Harsh Inder Loomba (Delhi).
For many years Art Groups Art Fort and Verman Cultural Celebrations have organized group exhibitions, art workshops and master classes under the name of “Individual Expressions” all over India. Every year more and more artists from different countries participate in those cultural projects and many of them have exhibited their art works in International Roerich Memorial Trust.
Prabhinder Singh Lall is a long-time friend of the IRMT. He did his Masters in Applied Art from College of Art, Chandigarh in 1979. Since then he has participated in national and international events of art in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Turkey. His art works have been collected by art collections and museums like: Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi; Museum & Art Gallery, Chandigarh; Himachal State Museum, Shimla and many others.
At the exhibition Prabhinder Lall presented his painting in a style of urban graphic. A stream of bright sun is succeeding to light up all floors of the high grey building announcing a new day and bringing hope that light will come into every window, every life, and every heart.
Harsh Inder Loomba has already participated in exhibitions and cultural programs of the IRMT several times. The artist constantly looks for new styles, investigates different art movements. In the meantime her interest is in studying forms of sphere and spiral that symbolize endless loop of life, absence of life’s beginning and death. The artist puts colors on the graphic images of spheres and spirals layer by layer so that we can see all layers. There are flourishing flowers, blazed windows as entry to other worlds, never-ending stairs going up and deep in that multidimensional space… At the exhibition Harsh Loomba presented her painting under the title “Hallucination of Happiness.”
Prabhinder Singh Lall and Harsh Inder Loomba gave a tour around the exhibition making a stop near each painting and talking about their authors who could not participate in the exhibition personally.
The guests solemnly lit the lamp and then Indian Curator IRMT Ramesh Chander and Russian Curator Larisa Surgina working in the Trust on the direction of International Centre of the Roerichs (Moscow) welcomed the guests and participants of the celebration. Having expressed their gratitude to the artists for their bright and interesting exhibition the Curators noticed that the exhibition impressed everybody by variety of styles and ideas expressed with different art techniques.
The authors belong to different countries, nationalities and religions but despite this the exhibition united all of us as the art language is only one, it is common to all mankind.
A music performance by a group of the teachers of Helena Roerich Academy of Arts for Children became a nice complement to the exhibition: musicians Anshul Kumar and Anup Kumar, a dance teacher Mamta Thakur and painting teacher Sapna Thakur took part in the performance. The music, song and dance created a special atmosphere in the Modern Art Hall of the IRMT and elicited burst of applause.
The celebrating of art didn’t finish at that. The artists solemnly opened the art workshop. In accordance with Indian tradition all participants and guests got a possibility to take part in creating the first painting symbolizing the beginning of the creative process.
Indian and Russian artists participated in the exhibition were involved in the workshop. They were creating their paintings in the territory of the Roerich Estate during three days. At the workshop Closing Ceremony the artists gave the paintings as a gift to the IRMT enlarging the impressive IRMT collection of modern art with new items.
Prabhinder Lall presented his abstract peace of art “White Cloud”, arousing feeling of freedom and never ending space among the audience.
Harsh Loomba in her painting “Abode to Heaven” continued the theme of endless life taking the visitors in deep thinking about maya and reality.
“Urusvati (Morning Star)” by Sapna Thakur is shining in the blue sky bringing to mind flame-colored sunflower and deliver warm feelings especially to Russian viewers.
“Birth” by Russian artist Mira Kudriashova turns to emblematic images of Beginning and Ending of all processes in the world.
Anna Oleinik called her painting “Mountain travel in the footsteps of the Roerichs”. Stars tracks in the sky, sacred valleys with ancient temples, Watchers of protected secrets and contemporary witness of the Great Ones’ Travel.
The Chief Guest of the Closing Ceremony of the art workshop was Mr. Raj Thakur, SDM Lahaul-Spiti.
Cheerful celebrating, interesting exhibition, friendly communication and creativity definitely became one more sign of Indian-Russian friendship and acknowledgment of remarkable words of Svetoslav Roerich: “Search for beauty – this is what will bring people together and save the world. At the difficult moments of life, one should think of beauty.”
