The RPG Art Camp 2011

An art camp as a concept has certainly taken root on the Indian art scene. Informal settings at these camps tend to bring out the lighter side of otherwise reclusive artists who are temporarily drawn out of their shell. The occasion provides just the right setting and mood for informal exchange of ideas. A perfect example of the is the annual RPG Art Camp.

Back again, as is the case at this time of the year, the eagerly awaited event on the Indian art calendar has just unfolded, having taken place in the first week of February at Marve beach in western Mumbai. Providing a backgrounder Megha Mahindru of The Hindustan Times mentions in a news report (A bungalow with a view):

“Every year, Harsh Goenka’s beach bungalow at Marve transforms into an artist residency of sorts. Several artists come together for the RPG Art Camp that features an array of talent from across India and the globe. What started as small camp in 1991 is now a calendar-marked event for the city’s art fraternity.”

The director of Arts Trust, Vickram Sethi, quips that the camp is a captivating confluence of artistic thought. He adds: “Artists go back to college days, and it’s akin to painting in the class room. The process of questioning starts all over again. The exchange of ideas is always intense. Each participating artist finds a meaning and reason (at the end of it).”

Senior artists here are able to guide the budding talent, thus providing a unique opportunity to the latter to grasp a few tricks of the trade. For them, the art camps serve as the perfect learning experience whereas it's an opportunity for the veterans to get acquainted with the new trends in terms of styles and techniques.

Established and emerging artists, such as Paresh Maity, Anjolie Ela Menon, Krishen Khanna, Arijoy Bhattacharya, Abir Karmarkar, Avishek Sen, Binoy Varghese, Mousumi Biswas, Nandita Kumar, Neeraj Goswami, Vibha Galhotra, Pradosh Swain, Puja Bahri, Nupur Kundu, Rajesh Ram, SN Sujith, Rajan Krishnan, Tong Zhengang, Purnna Behera, Vijender Sharma and Shahabuddin among others featured at the RPG Art Camp this year.