Chaitali Shome, OP
Contemporary artist Rohit Supkar’s works represent the riparian suffering of the people of western Odisha. Recently, he participated in the Mahanadi Bacho programme and his art reflected the problems being faced by the people residing on its banks.
A dedicated genius with a cause, Supkar, has participated in many art fairs and exhibitions throughout India. An exhibition of his works called ‘River in Distress’, is on at Mumbai’s Nehru Centre for Arts, which drew praise from the art fraternity there.
Orissa Post interacted with him at his Patia residence where he talked about his creativity in Odisha and outside and his future plans.
What artistic medium did you use to create the cover for the latest edition regarding the Mahanadi River?
I used Acrylic to paint the woes of Mahanadi. Being a resident of Jhaduapada of Sambalpur I used to spend a lot of time near the river. Today, the river is dry and contaminated. My heart cried out at this, and I started being vocal in the Mahanadi Bachao movement from 2015 with my paintings.
How did you start your career?
Coming from a design background I used to draw from the age of three and my interests made me pursue BFA from B.K Art’s College and MFA from Khairagarh University. My entire family was also into art and literature and inspiration was always there for me.
Artists are usually on the lookout for fame and recognition. Why have you chosen the opposite?
See, recognition is something I received in my 11 years of career like the ‘Prakruti Mitra’ award from Uttarakhand. However, it is burning issues that force me to express reality through canvas. Humans can never defeat nature. The next problem will be water shortage as we are not being careful with it.
What are your future projects?
I want to work on more projects linked to human problems, environmental issues and youth. Respecting history and seeing value in that is huge. It’s preservation in a way, but it’s also the world we live in. Things are collapsing around us.
What do you plan for Odisha’s art world?
I want to revive the dying arts and crafts of Odisha. Every year I visit Bhubaneswar where contemporary painters and sculptors meet, and we craft innovative sculptures and paintings based on nature.
What’s your message to upcoming artists?
Don’t run after glory, because art itself is glory. Showcase the pain, woes and the small happiness of your subjects. Create a mirror image of issues that face us and paint from your heart and not by books.