Kumari Selja inaugurated 2nd Haryana Contemporary Art Exhibition

New Delhi, Kumari Selja, Hon’ble Union Culture Minister inaugurated at 2nd Haryana Contemporary Art Exhibition, the biggest ever showcase of modern & contemporary art traditions of Haryana by lighting the ceremonial lamp at Lalit Kala Akademi, Rabindra Bhawan on March 23. This exhibition has been organised by HIFA (Haryana Institute of Fine Arts) in collaboration with MINISTRY OF CULTURE.

A number of prominent personalities including Sh. Suresh Kumar Goel, Director General, ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations), Maj. Gen. (Retd.) L.K. Gupta, Chairman, INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art & cultural Heritage), Mrs. Tasneem Mehta, Vice Chairman, INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art & cultural Heritage), Mrs. Amal Allana, Chairperson, NSD (National School of Darama), Ms. Uma Sharma, Kathak Danseuse & Ustad Aslam Sabri, Famous Qwwal were present to grace the occasion. On this occasion eight talented artists were also awarded, who have been selected for award in the competition category by the jury under the chairmanship of the then acting chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi Shri. K.R. Subbanna. The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 31000/- alongwith personal diploma & angvastram for five (5) artists namely Shri. Kashinath Das (Painting), Kumari Renu Dhiman (Photography), Shri Pawan Kumar (Sculpture), Shri Rakesh Bani (Graphics) and Shri Satwant Singh (Drawing). In addition to these five (5) above mentioned artists, three (3) artists namely Rahul Dhiman (Graphics), Shrimati Renuka Sondhi Gulati (Sculpture) and Kumari Shivani Parmar (Painting) will receive Hon’ble Mention Award and Rs. 11000/- cash prize alongwith personal diploma & angvastram. The 2nd Haryana Contemporary Art Exhibition is primarily divided into three categories- Competition Category, Non-Competition Category and Invited Artists Category. The works of established artists belonging to state of Haryana and a number of veteran artists have been displayed at this show and these artists include Shri O.P. Sharma, Jai Zarotia, J.K. Chhilar, Kavita Jaiswal, Ashok Lavasa, Jagdish Chander, Dr. Ram Viranjan, Kalicharan Gupta, Viren Tanwar and Roop Chand. Another interesting feature of this show will be the showcasing of works of two hundred (200) artists on a large LED Screen. This exhibition is sponsored by Ministry of Culture, G.O.I. and the Media partner is F.M. Rainbow India 102.6 Mhz. In the absence of Lalit Kala Akademi in Haryana, the artists were disheartened and facing a number of obstacles in the progress of their creative endeavours. On the one hand, this exhibition will provide a suitable platform to the Haryana based artists at national level and on the other hand, it will provide interaction between artists who are feeling neglected in their own state. HIFA firmly believes that this exhibition will be a milestone in the progress of Haryana’s artistic journey. During this prestigious show, seventy-six artists belonging to Haryana will proudly display their works in the category of Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Graphic, Photography, Installation and Multi-media.