Pune artists on a wing

With the colourful tulips in full bloom in the Netherlands, the eight-member team of artists from Pune and Mumbai have their job cut out as they prepare to wing themselves to tulip country this weekend. And while they will have to paint out of their skins to match the magic of the flowers, they seem equal to the challenge. Led by Montu Patra, the team will be part of a 40-day tour of exhibitions and workshops in the Netherlands. This tour is an initiative of the Netherlands-based Pune-born artist, Bhaskar Hande, who has managed to get the support of the Indian embassy in The Hague, the International Institute of Social Studies and several Dutch art associations. According to Montu, manager of the Vaishwik Art Environment in Aundh, this initiative is an effort to bring the artists of the two countries closer through regular exchanges between the two countries. The team comprises two Mumbai artists, graphic designer Montosh Lall and interior designer Hetal Shukla, while the Pune brigade is led by painter-sculptor Abir Patwardhan, artists Abhay Varpe, Santosh Shirsat and Lakshman Gore. City-based ceramic artist Amolika Rao, presently indisposed, will join the team at a later date. To begin with, the team will visit several galleries exhibiting the works of Rembrandt and Dutch artist Piet Mondrian in The Hague, followed by a series of workshops on silk-screen painting, sketching, ceramics, music and digital art. They will also be able to exhibit their work in The Hague and in Amsterdam. The team also hopes to travel to Paris to interact with Indian artists Anju Chaudhari and Viswanathan, who are based there. by Rahul Chandavarkar Times article