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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No issue can be resolved through military conflict: PM Modi
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for a "swift end" to the conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine, saying no issue can be resolved through military confrontation.
Modi made the remarks after holding wide-ranging talks with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
"India and Finland, both, believe in the rule of law, dialogue, and diplomacy. We are in agreement that no issue can be resolved through military conflict alone," he said. "Be it Ukraine or West Asia, we will continue to support the swift end of conflicts and every effort towards peace," Modi said in his media statement.
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In the talks, the two sides also agreed to accord India-Finland relations in digitalisation and sustainability as a strategic partnership.
"This partnership, from AI to 6G telecom, from clean energy to quantum computing, will give momentum and energy to our cooperation in many high-tech areas," he said. Modi said the India-EU free trade agreement will bolster trade ties between India and Finland.
"This agreement will further strengthen trade, investment, and technology cooperation between India and Finland," he said.
Finnish President Stubb began a four-day visit to India on Wednesday with an aim to shore up bilateral cooperation across a wide spectrum of areas, including trade, investment and critical technology.
