Indian painters’ forum to promote budding artists

SANTHOSH CHANDRAN

DOHA VISUAL Artist Forum India (VAFI), a forum of Indian artists formed recently, will organise a three-day workshop in Doha soon.

The forum seeks to promote up-and-coming Indian painters in Qatar and hone their skills through workshops, exhibitions and seminars.

The forum wants to create a platform to elevate Indian visual artists in Qatar, an entity that will work to spot and nurture Indian painters helping them to blossom into great artists able to produce artworks of international standards.

This will be accomplished through collective efforts, active engagement, dialogue and advocacy of artist members led by art authorities and select corporate firms in Qatar.

According to Mohan Thomas, chief patron of the forum, the new body will provide an opportunity for Indian artists to exhibit their works at international platforms in Doha.

Notable Qatari artist Yousef Ahmad will be the chief advisor of VAFI.

As a first step, VAFI will organise a three-day painting workshop at the new Birla Public School premises in Qatar from October 27 to 29.

The participants will do two paintings on canvas during the workshop. This inaugural event will kick off with an address by Mohan Thomas to the participants. The Qatari artist Yousef Ahmad will also attend the function.

VAFI will also form a Board of Advisory consisting of wellknown artists of international repute from Qatar and India.

The organisation will be supported by patrons from Qatar and India. Membership will be open to Indian nationals and persons of Indian origin with members of other communities allowed to join the forum as associate members. VAFI will also include a panel of juries whose primary function would be to professionally evaluate the artists and quality of their works.