BHUBANESWAR: A travelling art exhibition on the evolution of Gotipua dance and the condition of the dancers, by painter Birendra Pani, is being organised at the state museum art gallery.
Through various mediums, the artist has underscored the distinct aesthetics and cultural identities of the Gotipua dance and the dancers of Odisha, but also about their vulnerable condition.
On the show are paintings, drawings, photographs, and video-based artworks on the theme. A series of drawing-based artworks ‘Revisioning Gotipua’ highlights the root, cultural sensibility and challenges of the dancers in a poetic way while photographs titled ‘Gotipua Dancers: Transitions and Transformation Series’ highlight their real life and their transformation during a performance.
Similarly, the ‘Proscenium Stories’ and the ‘Bandha Nrutya’ photographs portray the significant and evocative aspects of the dance form. The ‘Handmade Memories: Gotipua Dance’ drawing series is a creative reflection by the artist of the dance form and the video work titled ‘Boy Dancer: Convergence and Continuum-A Revisiting’ is the reflection of the Gotipua dancers who are now placed in diverse domains of life.
Eminent linguist Debi Prasanna Pattanayak, director of Culture department Dilip Rout was present at the inauguration of the exhibition on June 14. The exhibition will continue till June 29. Previously, the exhibition was showcased at MS University, Vadodara.