Junk to funk

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Here’s how beauty can be put to the some right use. Recently, Niv art gallery hosted, “Junk to Inbox”, an exhibition that spoke for a cause.

Young artists created works from discarded materials like industrial waste — angle iron and rods, electricity fitting items like switches and boards and daily discards like laces, beads and buttons and spoke of recycling through their creativity.
The show, which was curated by artist Ranjan Fulari, saw young artists like Rajesh Ranjan, Trideb Dutta and Debashish Das at work at the gallery, where they were provided a residency to work for the show.
Debashish’s mammoth creation, which was put together with iron rods along with an interesting use of shoe molds of different sizes, depicted an animal form in action. The artist said it presents energy, motion and speed.
“The animal signifies a powerful character. The metal used stands for strength and shoe molds signify speed and action,” says Debashish.
In the other room in the gallery, Trideb Dutta, an artist from Assam, was painfully putting tiny beads on a discarded motherboard. His work in progress would have more of laces, patchwork and jewellery, he says. The artist points towards his creation, a black mannequin, standing tall and laden with beads. “As an artist this is my way of speaking up for an important issue using my creativity,” says Trideb.
Aruna, owner, Niv art gallery says, “The fast growing works of development also leave out a huge waste and many byproducts. We have always voted for re-use and recycling. But here we thought why not put some creativity to use. A thing of beauty will be a nice idea with this unwanted stuff which otherwise needs to be disposed off.”
Artist Rajesh from Bihar explains why he has put together an old water bottle, a telephone, a switchboard and fixed bright balls of different sizes on it. “This all connotes a flow of energy,” he says.
“The initiative has also been undertaken to given the young artists a platform to use their creativity and voice their concern,” says Aruna.
“We are aiming to put the works on display at some prominent locations of the city so that the viewers actually get talking about the cause, and at the same time appreciate the works of the young artists,” says Ranjan.