By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: City-based Jharokha Art Institution (JAI) organised the first ever ‘Face and Body Art Festival’ here at Khyndailad on Saturday attracting an overwhelming response from people who gathered to witness the one of its kind event.
Twenty two budding artists of JAI between the age group of 6 to 40 years walked the ramp where the young and old smeared and painted the ‘body’ with a range of fusion and colour.
Speaking to media persons after the event, the organiser of the event, Jaya Kalra, said that the objective of the festival is to sensitise people about paintings as apart from art lovers, people usually do not visit exhibitions.
During the programme, participants walked the ramp with different type of body art depicting social issues like female foeticide, poaching of tigers, water and environment conservation, terrorism and corruption and the like.
The organiser maintained that the colours used for the event were approved and certified under strict FDA standards of the USA for the safety of the participants and they do not pose any hazard to the skin.
Breaking the stereotype that art is only meant for the serious, Kalra drew illustrations of festivals and national celebrations where body paint is used to display renditions of art, thereby stressing that art can be fun as well.
She also said that the there is tremendous scope for people interested in body art as people in the West are making huge money out of the profession.
“Although many were unsure about this concept, I was determined to organize this programme” she said.
