The Ojas Art Award will be presented to the winners on January 24 at Zee JLF.
Six people are at the foot of a metal installation sculpture, heaving it into place. Diggi Palace is abuzz with activity on Day 0 of the eighth edition of the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival, and even art is on the move.
Sculptor Vyom is trying to ensure that three of seven ‘demons’, a product of hard work and sleepless nights over the last one month, are ready to be unveiled. Titled Vyomasur ke 7 roop, the second part of his ‘Asura Series’ continues to draw heavily from the epics. “My voracious interest in the fantasy genre led me to Indian mythology. It hooked me, even though I’m not a religious person, because I choose to view them as purely fascinating stories.” Being particularly drawn to the character of the ‘asura’, Vyom noticed that what was thought about a demon two thousand years ago, is exactly what humans have turned into, over the course of time. Demons of the yore were believed to be selfish, hedonistic, gold-craving beings that spend a lifetime accumulating wealth. “But if you were to characterise human beings today, these aspects would completely match up and hold true for us as well. To me, it’s incredible how this came about, within the same cultural setting.”
With each work, Vyom says he tries to delve a little deeper in the history and origin of mythological stories. His next work will try to further explore how the idea of good, evil and morality have changed over the years.
Meanwhile, last minute scramble is also underway at the entrance to the Palace, where the winning entries of the Ojas Art Award, which is to become an annual award at the Zee JLF, are being displayed. This year’s theme being Gond Art, invited applications from across the country and Bhajju Shyam and Venkat Raman Singh Shyam were declared as winners with a special mention for Roshni Vyam. Gond Art typically depicts stories about myth, nature, magic, life and mother earth among other subjects using natural colours.
“Every year, we select one genre of traditional and tribal art. It’s a great opportunity for the winning artists to display their work at the festival and gain more exposure,” says Anubhav Nath, art curator at the festival. The Ojas Art Award will be presented to the winners on January 24 and will also include a cash prize of Rs 51,000 and Rs 31,000 respectively.
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