Srinagar, June 27: In a major boost to its handicraft industry, traditional paper mache works of Kashmir will soon adorn Adani Corporate house in Ahmedabad.
Before being sent to Ahmedabad, all 16 fragments have been kept for exhibition at Arts Emporium Srinagar.
During its preview on Sunday evening, various politicians including former Chief Minister and sitting Member of Parliament DrFarooq Abdullah, officials, respectable citizens and others lauded the artists.
The idea to make the fragments was planned and given a practical shape by eminent contemporary artist of international repute Veer Munshi.
Rajeev Sethi, chairman Asian Heritage Foundation is designing Adani Corporate House in Ahmadabad and invited Veer Munshi to design the mural for the corporate space.
“The mural is of two sets containing sixteen fragments in a contemporary art forms in collaboration with paper mache crafts man under the guidance of Fayaz Ahmad Jan,” Munshi told Greater Kashmir.
Munshi’s intent is to uplift traditional paper mache to another level by interpreting it into contemporary language which can be recognized globally.
He is also concerned about artisans of J&K especially younger generation for not containing with this rich heritage of craft. “The reason could be economy, social respectability and the proper patronage,” he said.
“We know that paper mache has been used to manufacture small painted boxes, bowls, trays and other small items. I have moved ahead to promote this work and designed shrapnels,” said Munshi.
“The mural is not only about crafts of Kashmir but also its cultural antecedents. It gives a panorama of traditional crafts which have deep cultural moorings,” Fayaz Ahmad Jan Greater Kashmir.
Rajeev Sethi said that the role of the artisan and the artist as the custodian of our soul becomes critical.
“At the material end – as self-employed Hunnarmands (skillful), they face a serious and debilitating struggle. Yet, at an intangible level, countless skilled people have to remain resolute and upbeat,” he said.
He added that they are challenged to maintain their timeless inheritance while forwarding our collective heritage.
“This legacy of vulnerable resilience must be reciprocated with tenacious market support. Patronage requires a proactive and compassionate concern for empowering the talented with imagination and relentless exposure,” he added.
“The headquarters of the Adani group have steered unprecedented site specific art commissions, giving a rare opportunity to the traditionally skilled for showcasing their expertise in collaboration with leading artists from all over the country,” he said. Before shipping the artwork, the Director handicrafts and the J&K Government Arts Emporium, very perceptively felt it appropriate to mount this special preview celebrating the legacy of Kashmir’s famous and evolving art of paper mache.
A small but archival component of the exhibit reveals the remarkable versatility of paper machemould makers and painters adding new vocabularies of design.
Director Handicrafts Mahmood Ahmad Shah lauded the craftsman and artist and urged people to witness the murals being exhibited from 28 June from 11am to 6pm.