International Day of Disabled Persons: Spectacular strokes of the differently abled

New Delhi

From clouds to stars and joys of little things in everyday life, their imaginative minds capture it all. And no physical shortcoming can limit the scope and vastness of their creativity. This zeal to showcase what they’ve got has brought together 66 differently abled artists, from across India, to participate in the exhibition titled Beyond Limits 2021.

More than 100 artworks are on display at the exhibition that opened in the Capital, on the eve of International Day of Disabled Persons (December 3). With thought-provoking visual commentary on themes such as disability and society, the works are done in various mediums including oil and acrylic on canvas and paper, collage, woodcut, leather, digital art, and even sculptures created in bronze and fibre. And these works, mostly figurative, are by artists with hearing and speech impairment, polio, cerebral palsy, paralysis, autism spectrum disorder, multiple sclerosis and Down’s syndrome, are part of the show, and visuals such as that of Varanasi ghats, rivers, varied seasons, deities, and birds and blossoms are abound on the gallery walls.

Chinmay Pradhan, who has speech and hearing impairment, has depicted themes of clouds, stars and other sky elements in his work. Incorporating the concept of ability as a fresh addition to his painting, he presents his thoughts in the artwork named Reach For The Stars that depicts “three children, who despite having their own physical limitations supplement each other amicably and reach the stars.” Sharing how he had a very difficult one year due to Covid, Pradhan adds, “Many of my paintings have been sold through such exhibitions, which is a bright ray of light in the life of differently abled artists like me.”

This exhibition is organised every year, since 2001, by Family of Disabled (FOD), and helmed by Preeti Johar — daughter of Rajinder Johar, who lived with quadriplegia for over 25 years. Talking about their aim to facilitate the economic rehabilitation of artists, Johar recalls, “We started with taking the art of people with disabilities for greeting cards, but over the years, expanded into an art exhibition format. Disability has been treated as a charity-based issue, and not a rights-based issue. One look at their artworks, and you can tell their art is lacking nowhere in talent, it’s just equal opportunity that they need.”

“After a virtual art show last year, we are taking the exhibition offline again this time,” informs Johar, adding: “Seeing art online is like watching any other image, you can’t see the texture and depth. The physical exhibit has brought cheer to such artists, as it’s the first time we have received 100+ artworks to showcase in 20 years.”

“I was so happy when I got to know that two of my works have been selected for this show,” says Divanshu Gupta, a Delhi-based speech and hearing impaired artist showcasing an ‘Antique Clock With No Hands’ that uses the motifs of ears and hourglass to signify diminishing hearing capacity with passing of time. Gupta, who feels elated to get such a platform that introduced him to quite a few art promoters, adds “Woodcut is my favourite medium. It’s very time consuming and I’ve spent nights in a row to make these works that are displayed here. But I feel satisfied when people appreciate them; I’m glad they are being liked… I believe we can now look forward to good times once again after a depressing period that the pandemic showed us.”

Another city-based artist Shreekant Dubey, who is displaying earthy watercolours at the show, says: “I had to train my left hand to paint after my right hand was amputated above the elbow. My works, though usually on religious themes have a modern yet classic quality. I have a certain fascination for shapes, and like to use familiar shapes to create new ones.”

Catch It Live

What: Beyond Limits 2021

Where: Arpana Fine Art Gallery, 4/6 Siri Fort Institutional Area

On till: December 12

Timing: 11am to 7pm

Nearest Metro Station: Green Park on the Yellow Line

Author tweets @siddhijainn

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