International artists capture Meghalaya's heritage on canvas
New Delhi, June 10: The picturesque beauty of Meghalaya's Cherrapunjee -- nestled deep in nature's lap -- has inspired 12 international artists to create unique representations of the region's and heritage.
Titled "Abode of Clouds", the exhibition draws its name from the English translation of Meghalaya, and is open for viewing till June 18 at the India International Centre (IIC).
On display are the works by participants of Artists' Point international arts residency programme in Meghalaya in 2016, which aimed to introduce a dialogue between diverse cultures and their art forms.
The group art exhibition is "the reflection, the visual record capturing the essence and spirit of Meghalaya" on canvas.
The northeastern state is a rich repository of biodiversity and natural splendour, spanning hills to waterfalls, all of which segue onto canvas from the imagination of the artists-in-residence.
A confluence of nature and culture, Meghalaya is truly embodied in the art works which includes paintings of landscapes, churches, foot bridges, flora, open fields, red cows, among other peculiarities of the state.
In the past two years, professional artists from Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Spain, France, Bangladesh and India have explored the diversity of Indian culture, exchanging creative ideas with locals and art enthusiasts.
Local school children from areas around the East Khasi hills took part in the workshops conducted by international artists, and won accolades too.
The exhibition showcases works by Jana Bednarova and Juliana Mrvova (both from Slovakia), Juhidevi Bhanjdeo (India), Dominik Bouma, Eliska Failova, Barbora Chlastakova, Katerina Pekna, Jan Prazan and Michaela Vrbkova (all from Czech Republic), Zsofia Hajdu (Hungary), Moinuddin Moni (Bangladesh), and Gabriela Valls Schorr (Spain).
The residency, organised jointly by the Slovak Embassy and Meghalaya's Art and Culture Department, was supported by Picasso Pupils, an international artists' community.
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Israeli police make arrests after flares fired at prime minister's private residence
Tel Aviv (AP): Israeli police said on Sunday that they have arrested three suspects after flares were fired at the private residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the coastal city of Caesarea.
Authorities said the prime minister and his family were not at the residence when two flares were fired at it overnight, and there were no injuries.
The police did not provide details about the suspects, but officials pointed to domestic political critics of Netanyahu. Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the incident and warned against “an escalation of the violence in the public sphere”.
Netanyahu has faced months of mass protests over his handling of the hostage crisis unleashed by Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack into Israel, which ignited the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
Critics blame Netanyahu for the security and intelligence failures that allowed the attack to happen and for not reaching a deal with Hamas to release scores of hostages still held inside Gaza.
A drone launched by Lebanon's Hezbollah group struck Netanyahu's Caesarea residence last month, also when he and his family were away.
