BHUBANESWAR: Deputy chief minister KV Singh Deo inaugurated artist Jagannath Panda’s solo exhibition here on Friday, urging viewers to engage deeply with the art works rather than viewing them in haste.
Speaking at the exhibition titled ‘The Long Now of Us’ at the Lalit Kala Akademi Regional Centre in Bhubaneswar, Singh Deo said appreciating art requires patience and reflection. “You cannot simply take a quick round and expect to understand the story behind the strokes of the artist’s brush and the journey of the artist. Rather, you need to spend time with each and every paintings, then you will understand what was going on in the mind of the artist,” he said.
The exhibition, Panda’s first solo show in Bhubaneswar, has been curated by artist Shibdas Sengupta and will remain open to visitors till February 28 from 11 am to 6 pm.
Singh Deo recalled first encountering Panda’s work at an exhibition in Delhi organised by former MP and BJP leader Maneka Gandhi. Impressed by his work, he sought Panda’s address and later visited his studio in Gurugram. Speaking about his work, Panda said, “This exhibition is deeply personal and makes me return to the place where my way of being and seeing were conceived.”