A preview exhibition of festival art kicked out in Kolkata on Wednesday, with an opening ceremony held in the city's famous Town Hall, just days before the Durga Puja celebration kicks off. An open-air display featured shola art and pat paintings used to decorate pandals, along with a traditional Chhau dance that portrayed Goddess Durga, her four children, and her struggle with the devil. At the opening ceremony, which included an exhibition and access to roughly 26 Durga Puja sites across the city where guests could peep into pandals before the celebration started, ambassadors from a number of nations were in attendance.
The British Council is massArt's international partner, and the show is being organised by the Kolkata-based firm. In December 2021, UNESCO included the Durga Puja in Kolkata on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. As part of the convention for the conservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage's 20th anniversary celebration, which will take place in Paris later this year, UNESCO has included massArt's preview exhibition of Durga Puja artwork for 2023.
A report titled "Mapping the Creative Economy around Durga Puja," which was commissioned by the Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal, was mentioned by Alison Barrett, Director of British Council India. She added that the report highlighted the importance of large-scale public arts festivals for the State, artists, artisans, and related industries. The research, which was released in September 2021, assessed the West Bengali creative industries' economic value at ₹32,377 crore in the vicinity of Durga Puja.
The purpose of the Durga Puja art preview, according to its organisers, was to provide access to the event for artists, the general public, and foreign dignitaries before large crowds congest the city's streets, posing logistical difficulties.
The Durga Puja art preview event is primarily being held to draw attention to the outstanding artwork that has been mostly overlooked for a very long period. For art enthusiasts, we are confident that this year's Durga Puja Art 2023 preview show would be more educational and captivating, according to massArt secretary Dhruvajyoti Bose Suvo.There will be pandal excursions for the elderly, the disabled, and orphans during the Durga Puja art showcase. Starting on October 11 and lasting until October 15, this campaign will take place prior to the start of Durga Puja.
