MASH YOUNG ARTISTS’ AWARD ONLINE EXHIBITION, 2023
MASH recently announced the Young Artists’ Award Online Exhibition, 2023. An impressive 300+ applications were received during the open call to select the Young Artists’ Awards recipients. Out of these applications, seven artists were shortlisted – Arpita Akhanda, Ashima Raizada, Debashish Paul, Deepti Gaur, Jhanvi Patel, Mehak Garg and Rakesur Rahman. The Award aimed to provide young artists a footing in the world of art.
With their works, the recipients of the Young Artists’ Award Online Exhibition, 2023, pushed the boundaries of the conventional understanding of art and carved out their own spaces in the art world. The award recognised the talent of Arpita Akhanda (Winner), Debashish Paul (First Runner-up) and Mehak Garg (Second Runner-Up).
Arpita Akhanda won the Young Artists’ Award Online Exhibition, 2023. Arpita comes from a family who witnessed the traumatic events of partition. Inspired by the trauma of forced migration and displacement inflicted by the Partition of the subcontinent, Arpita employed her own body as a “memory collector” of the past.
Debashish Paul is the first runner-up. His oeuvre comprised several Durational Performances. Paul is interested in delving into the challenges associated with queer identity. He incorporated the method of automatism and presented his ideas spontaneously. His sculptural costumes had fluid gender orientation. These costumes conceal the physical body while presenting the internal body. He showcased Art becoming the “door to freedom”.
Mehak Garg explored a dialogue between art and the human psyche. She tried to forge a link between the tangible material world and intangible emotional experiences that influence us all.
