Regional Art Work shop 2013:
possibilities beyond horizon

Sayan Dey

Dhaneshwar Shah, an internationally acclaimed artist in his thirties was
one of the resource persons for the two days workshop. Well ‘it is not about
the age, it is about mileage’ seems to be the catch line which suits Shah pretty
well. Despite his young age, the artist has bagged coveted glories like National
Award for painting, Civitella Ranieri Residency Award in Italy, and, most recently,
prestigious residencies in Australia and Tanzania in his kitty and stand out as not
an addict of Western Art. Though Shah has been a globe trotter with respect
to his frequent shows in first world nations, merrily points out that his reasons
for this lack of inclination is due to non familiarity with the art form. Rather the
charismatic Shah is characterized in his depth and focused works by recurring
images of animals and influence from tribal and miniature art forms like that of
Mughal and Rajasthan. Shah, based in Delhi in his works like to experiment with
objects of everyday life, culled from his immediate surroundings as well as a range
of vibrant animal figures inhabit his canvases.