Art for Land

The seventh Art for Land exhibition was inaugurated in the Unity Pavilion on 7th August by the Secretary, Dr Jayanti Ravi. This edition moved from its usual February slot to August due to the corona wave and to coincide with the 150th Sri Aurobindo birth year celebrations. Quoting Sri Aurobindo, the organisers remind us that he said that “it is Beauty that expresses the Divine best” and “Beauty is his foot print showing us where he has passed”.

Every year there are different tones and emphases in Art for Land. The pertinent theme of this year is ‘Unity for Peace and Harmony’ with an aspiration to create a space where art could bring people together. The over one hundred and sixty paintings, twenty woodworks and thirty ceramic pieces included over fifty paintings and black and white sketches by Amit Bawa, an Aurovilian who sadly recently passed away recently. They were discovered in his home and are a last offering to the community. There were also two pieces of intricate needlework by Terra where the graded colouration was striking. Cristel’s art work involves pyrography, burning on to wood, which she then paints over.

The organisers were happy that in the last week many of our Puducherry neighbours contributed art works, including Dipti Agarwal who drew some beautiful landscapes, and Vivechana’s mandalas which lit up the Peace Hall of the Unity Pavilion. This year just over half the artists were Aurovilians, with contributions from local supporters. One image not for sale was Usha Patel’s rendition of Mother’s Prayer of the Earth in 1971 which was exhibited as an inspiration.

As before, all money raised through buying art will go fully to purchasing land for Auroville. Since Acres for Auroville, the initiator of Art for Land, started some eighty-three acres of land have been purchased for Auroville.

A new inspiration came from Jaya of Unity Pavilion with a suggestion that people buy art pieces for Auroville to be kept for the community in what will hopefully be an permanent art gallery.

Aside from the art, there are four weekends of cultural evenings, with visiting artists from Puducherry and Bangalore offering dance and song as a gift to Art for Land. Anandi, a long term Argentinian Aurovilian, has published a book ‘Matrimandir – the Privilege” of her poetry with photographs, and the proceeds of the sales are also being given to Acres for Auroville.

Compared to the fifth Art for Land in 2020 this was a quieter year, but the theme of ‘Unity for Peace and Harmony’ is a much-needed aspiration for our times.

For more information visit artforland.in