“Thank You for the tragedy, I
need it for my art.”
Inspiration, and not
sympathy, is the driving force of this universe. What better can be an
inspirational source to us but noticing Specially-abled people working their
way out to give some of the best paintings to the art industry? For art to
leave a mark, talent is a prerequisite. But talent that is instilled in
the specially-abled, touches
heart and soul.
Talking
about inspiration, at the age where people focus on their own careers, the
students of SRCC and IIT Mandi have
come up with the idea of generating sustainable
employment opportunities for these artists. Their creation- iOTA, is a platform to promote art.
They are currently linked up with ten artists who paint beautifully despite
their struggles. These are internationally
acclaimed artists and few of them have been awarded by the President of India himself.
“The fact, that the artists are delivering
unique kind of art to the world like painting with ball point pens, reviving
coffee-painting, devoting their love for God and Music, has made iOTA to be my
passion. After all, DIS(is their)ABILITY”
says Pranidhi, the co-founder of
iOTA.
“Not everyone is good at everything. Though they excel in creating
masterpieces and gathering appreciations for the same, they fail to reach out
to the world and get the deserved value for their works. This is where iOTA
comes in, acting as a middleman and creating a market for specially-abled artists
by linking them to their prospective buyers,” adds Preena, another co-founder of iOTA.
Megha, who came up with
the idea of iOTA, said, “We sat down for
weeks on wondering what can be the best start for iOTA, how could we make an EXHIBITION WITH A DIFFERENCE and we
decided to go for crowdfunding,
making it THE FIRST CROWDFUNDED
EXHIBITION IN INDIA FOR SPECIALLY-ABLED ARTISTS.”
Their crowdfunding
campaign is now live at the crowdfunding portal, Desired Wings and is supported
by Josh Talks, Fever FM and their
college professors. A premier venue
for the exhibition, preferably Indian
Habitat Centre would catch attention of art lovers all around and give the
right start to iOTA.
Some of the Kalakars
associated with iOTA:
Sheela Sharma- She paints the world right with her left foot by
depicting human emotions like empathy, love, bonding.
ShreekantDubey- He always carries the go-getter instinct; blessed
with one hand, his unique way of painting and is renowned in the art industry
for his works and perseverance for more than 25 years. 
CV Surendran- Hails from a small town in Kerala; doesn’t his
paralyzed body affect his soul. Paints with ball point pens and creates
canvasses which amaze everyone.
Amita Dutta- She suffers from bilateral hearing loss. Her style
of coffee painting is one of its kind. She wishes to create many art
enthusiasts like her.
Vipul
Mittal- An offbeat artist. He portrays life and time as illusions. His transmutations
are fresh. Mute lips and silence is his world, but his art speaks a lot.
Shivraj Singh- A veteran artist, his well-crafted sculptures make up
his cramped legs.
Neelesh Ganesh- A 23 year old autistic kid, whose artistic paintings of
GOD and MUSIC render his audience wonderstruck.
On
being asked about their plans after the exhibition, Prateek says, “We wish to
hold theme-based multi-city exhibitions in the next two years and increasing
the number of artists associated with iOTA. Our aim is to become the largest supply chain of artworks in homes, museums, galleries, hotels,
multi-specialty hospitals and every place a painting could earn its place.
We’ll be up with our website in a couple of days and the major plan is to make
an online bidding platform to remove international bars and make it accessible
everywhere. However, currently we are focusing on the crowdfunding campaign. A
strong base would pave way for a strong pillar.”
Through this exhibition they intent to create a
support system of people which will be an enabler for these artists. They are
also gauging eyes of online crafts platforms in helping them do well to these
especially abled artisans, who should enjoy the same opportunities that we get.
Donate on www.desiredwings.com/iota to help them turn their dreams into
reality.
So,
what’d be your excuse for not being a contributor of the noble cause?
Let’s do our bit by
contributing maximum to this initiative in any way we can.
#DoYourBit
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