Young Maharashtra-based artist Shashikant Patil wins CIMA Award

Young Maharashtra-based artist Shashikant Patil was declared winner of the CIMA Award having a cash value of Rs 5 lakh, as part of the leading art gallery's effort to search country-wide talent in visual arts. Patil who was trained at Visva Bharati said it was the first such award in his life.

"I had been inspired by the painting of Nandalal Bose and sculptures of Ramkinkar Baij," the artist said. "The ambiance of Kala Bhavan (the institute of fine arts at Visva-Bharati) has moulded my thoughts and vision and my guiding force is Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's philosophy," he said after the award function on Saturday night.

Patil, who hails from a village in Maharashtra, got the award for his painting installation 'Transformation'. It also included a trophy and a solo exhibition opportunity. The Centre of International Modern Art (CIMA) instituted 20 awards - the CIMA Award and two runners-up, two Jury Awards, one Special Mention, four Merit Awards and ten Special Awards. The awards were selected from the works of 158 participants.

The First Runner Up award, having Rs 3 lakh and a trophy, went to Suvanwita Saha while the Second Runner Up award having Rs 2 lakh and a trophy went to Anupam Basu. Both the artists hail from West Bengal. The Jury Awards - consisting Rs 1 lakh each and a trophy went to Jintu Mohan Kalita of Assam and Prithwiraj Mali of West Bengal.

Speaking on the occasion, author Kunal Basu said, "Art speaks louder than words. You will find voices of the artists louder in their works of art than their spoken words." Chairman of the Victoria and Albert Museum and Chairman of Cond Nast Britain, Nicholas Coleridge said in his address that museums are becoming free spaces of creative art. Coleridge also dwelt on the issues of artistic freedom and the threats faced by artists throughout the world. Founder of CIMA Rakhi Sarkar said the awards were part of the efforts to promote young, talented artists.

(With inputs from agencies.)