Kolkata’s CIMA Gallery’s annual art show, Art Mela, concluded its 2024 edition on November 24. Held at the gallery on Ashutosh Mukherjee Road, this yearly art exhibition makes original art by Indian artists accessible to everyone at affordable prices, bridging the gap between artists, art enthusiasts, and collectors. On its last day, attendees got the final chance to pick up their favourite pieces and even mingle with some of the artists present.
Shashank Bhootra and Garima Chandak, picked two pieces, one of which was by Subir Dey. “The other one was of a colourful flower vase by Swarna Chitrakar. We came in about two hours ago and wanted to get the bigger one but it was already sold out. CIMA is quite different from what I was expecting. There are many things apart from paintings available,” said the businessman.
Shashank Bhootra and Garima Chandak bought paintings by Subir Dey and Swarna Chitrakar on the last day of Art Mela
Arunava Sen has been coming to CIMA Art Mela for the last three years, and has admired the art of Subir Dey every year. “Every time that I have visited, I have seen the works of Subir Dey. I never got a chance to buy one for myself before but today I finally have. Whenever I see his paintings, it always lifts my mood. Last year I had thought I would get one of his paintings, but that did not happen. Today, I bought something similar,” said the telecom IT firm employee.
Arunava Sen got hold of his first Subir Dey painting
Artist Chandrima Roy was spotted admiring paintings by fellow artists. When we asked her about her work process, she said, “As a child, I always wanted to paint. So when a form comes to my mind my surroundings, stories about people, and what I keep around me play a role in what I am about to make. If I am drawing the face of a girl, I can’t explain her using my words, so I use expressions and features and convey her story in my way,” she said.
Chandrima Roy poses with her painting
Terracotta sculptor Shyamal Roy drew similarities between his paintings and sculptures. “I was pursuing painting before but I took up terracotta sculpting, eventually. If you look at the two, you can make out similarities between my paintings and the sculptures. You can see the eyes or the hair and relate one to the other. It is just for CIMA that I give my paintings, but mainly my art surrounds my sculptures,” he said.
Shyamal Roy displayed his sculptures and paintings
This year, painter Ramendranath Kastha had a more abstract approach to his paintings. There has been a shift in his work, like in the way he has used colours and splattered the paint making it more semi-abstract, as pointed out by Pratiti Basu Sarkar, the chief administrator of CIMA Gallery.
Ramendranath Kastha with his semi-abstract painting
Among the artworks were paintings by Satyaki Dey — the only photographer who showcased his paintings at Art Mela. In 2017, he was also a finalist for the CIMA Awards, held at the CIMA. The photographer has a keen eye for finding beauty and meaning in the overlooked and the ordinary. Drawn to the dull, mundane, and seemingly banal, Dey is captivated by the things we often dismiss as unworthy of attention. In his art these unassuming elements transform into reflections, like self-portraits, revealing the subtle interplay between the external world and inner emotions.
Photography by Satyaki Dey captures the smaller things in life in an arty manner
As CIMA wrapped up this edition, Pratiti Basu Sarkar looked back at the three days of the event, “In this edition, you could notice how people were more aware of art and why it’s important. I’m not getting that many people asking me questions, which is encouraging. Now they are more about looking at the image than the name, and people are getting the hang of abstract art,” she said.
Pratiti Basu Sarkar saw a major shift in the taste of the art lovers
Art Mela 2024 concluded on November 24, at CIMA Gallery (43, Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue, Sunny Towers, 2nd Floor, Kolkata- 700019)
