Cuttack : After having created a world record in painting on the largest canvas ever, Mumbai-based Oriya artist Aasutosh Panigrahi now aims to outdo the record he and his co-artists created in February this year. If his previous record was created in Mumbai taking artists from across the country, he now wants break the same by taking artists only from Orissa.

Record-breaker

A retinue of young artists from the state is set to paint on a canvas of nearly 10,000 square feet at Puri sea beach in October this year.

"At least 1,000 artists from the state would wield their brushes on the largest canvas of the world in October this year at Puri sea beach," says Panigrahi, a Guinness world record-holder twice over for having painted on the longest and the largest canvas before. He also holds the world record for creating the largest indoor mural landscape measuring approximately 904 metres.

The Puri workshop would be organised by the NGO — Prarambh, headed by Panigrahi himself and the efforts are to draw artists of every genre from across the state to contribute in unison without expecting anything in return. "We are expecting to collect a sum of Rs. 2 crores and the proceeds would be utilised for charity and to set up a high-tech art gallery in Bhubaneswar," Aasutosh informed.

Pained over the fact that the state doesn't have a proper art gallery to display the creations of the state artists, Panigrahi is aiming to set up a gallery in next two years, says Ajit Keshari Ray, a retired principal of a government art college and Aasutosh's teacher.

Due credit

"Bereft of a proper art gallery in the state, the artists from Orissa are forced to display their paintings elsewhere in the country and are unable to get proper price and due credit of their creations," Ray said. Lauding the effort of Aasutosh and his friends, the veteran painter hopes that the world's biggest-ever fine arts workshop in Puri would make every Oriya proud of their art, culture and artists.

Global canvas

As a prelude to the Puri workshop, Ray conducted a camp for the young artists at his residence here on Utkal Divas on Sunday to paint on a canvas on the theme `Spirit of Orissa and World Peace'. "Our aim is to explore the hidden talent in Orissa and to popularise the rich cultural heritage of the state on the global canvas by conducting the Puri workshop," Ray asserted.

Aasutosh informed that the Puri workshop would also aim to create yet another world record for having the most number of artists working in unison for a common cause.

The artist from Dhenkanal is also credited for organising Asia's biggest fine arts workshop in Shimla in April.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail