Bengal artists merge art with activism on World Art Day
The Statesman | 22 April 2025
Every year on 15 April the global community celebrates World Art Day, a moment to pause and reflect on the transformative and healing powers of art – as a mirror to society and a torch for progress. This UNESCO-led initiative was launched in 2019 to mark the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci.
Inspired by Hyundai’s vision of ‘Progress for Humanity’, the initiative has championed artists as changemakers – voices that amplify endangered traditions, question norms, and re-imagine inclusion.
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The fourth season Rs 60 lakh was awarded to 50 grantees, including 40 individual artists. West Bengal’s five grantees merged craft with activism. Ghana Shyam Latua’s paper art (Territory in Transition) depicted agrarian distress, while Indrani Acharya transformed polluted ponds into art spaces (“Revitalizing Urban Ponds”). The Daricha Foundation revived Gambhira masks, Rabiul Khan stitched homemakers’ autobiographies into quilts (“Kanthar Ghar”), and Tamal Das turned scrap metal into sculptures, training ragpicker youth in sustainable artistry.