When artistic souls come together under one roof to interpret the meaning of the word freedom, then one is likely to witness a start of an important conversation, followed by relevant changes in society. After all, art is said to imitate life and vice-versa as well. Earlier this month, 37 artists got together to display 55 artworks under the theme, Freedom. “We asked the artists to share their thoughts via art on the power or right to act, speak or think as one wants without being imprisoned or enslaved,” said artist Sonal Purohit, who founded the PaintBrush Art Community in 2019, and was also the curator for the art exhibition. The event was supported by Rex Interiors llc and PaintBrush Art Community and hosted at Holiday Inn, Al Barsha, Dubai. The art on display was a refreshing mix of a ballerina dancer depicting the emotion to a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi, and a flock of doves to a kaleidoscope of butterflies dotting the canvases with roar of a lion in a colorful way.
The thoughts on canvasses were further transformed into a coffee table book, Art & Artisans Next To You, which was released on the opening night of the exhibition. A concept by Vikas Bhargava, Creative & Designer, DCOM Designs Co. & Curated by Sonal Purohit, Founder TBPAC; that included 481 artworks and 1981 images by 70 artists from 15 countries. Interestingly, local artist Sugat Priyadarshi created a portrait for Anis Sajan, Managing Director, Danube Group, fondly known as Mr Cricket UAE capturing the sentiment. The art community also honoured and appreciated the works of Dr Jamil Ahmed, Managing Director, Prime Healthcare Group, for his various Covid-19 initiatives and support towards SNF Children (Special Needs Future Development Center) by portraying their artworks in the hospital. Anjini Prakash Laitu, one of the senior-most artists in the city, was lauded for his contribution to the art world. The White Coat Crew, a group of four doctors surprised the guests with a flash mob performance dedicated to the artists and the theme of the evening. Attended by Chief Guests Ruby Sajan (Danube Group) , Harmeek Singh Plan B (who declared his support) with Sam Pitroda and Rizwan Sajan on Zoom Live.
Until September 7, Holiday Inn Al Barsha
Participating artists:
Sonal Purohit, Shilpi Jain, Mohamed d Wadood, Anil Kamble, Latha Narayanan, Farhat Gul, Anjini Prakash Laitu, Sugat Priyadarshi, Narsing Reddy, Moni Shyam, Jasmine Mohammed Rizvi, Raisa Mariam Rajan, Nazar Haidri, Renu Shivam, Varsha Saju Nair, Aparna Sreejith, Adelina Maria Baldavin, Hafsa Banu, Vinu Arvind, Kavitha Vinod, Seema Guhe, Rishu Gosain Roy, Pricilee Abuan, Abbas Saberi, Nupur Jha, Jyoti Singla, Kiran Salunke, Reena Dhiman, Iti Sethi, Susmitha Dhruva, Vanashri Ransube, Sana Bano Moin Ahmed, Sana Sajan, Archana Udeshi, Anupama Jain, Shanaya Purohit.
– Pari Sagar
