Abir India’s First Take 2021 revives young art community; emerging artists are back with a bang

Abir India received a whopping response for the fifth edition of FIRST TAKE art festival with over 2500 submissions from over 250 pin codes. Out of 122 artists, 10 winners – Shubhanker Suresh Chandere from Pune, Kinnari Jitendra Tondlekar from Thane, Sriparna Dutta from Hyderabad, Jintu Mohan Kalita from Barama, Assam, Priya Ranjan Purkait from Kolkata, Asif Imran from Lalgola, West Bengal, Chhering Negi from Solan Himachal Pradesh, Rutvik Mehta from Surendranagar, Gujarat, Mausham R Manglla from Vadodara, and Jithin Jayakumar from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala – were selected for their excellence, ideas and expressions.

Emerging artists submitted entries in mixed media, linocuts, sculptures, acrylic, among others to create a festival of colours and youthful vibes. The jury, comprising K.S Radhakrishnan, R M Palaniappan, Vasudevan Akkitham, Kristine Michael, and Hartmut Wurster, had a problem of plenty and chose artworks after candid consultation over many rounds. An event of this magnitude, scale, and standard revived the enthusiasm of young artists and added a slice of hope and aspiration in the art community.

Through its last five editions, Abir India has received over 10200 entries out of which works of 620 artists have been chosen and 42 artists have been awarded. The entries have so far come from over places like Cooch Behar, Gulbarga, Yawatmal, Imphal, Siliguri, and Margao. The jury for the past competitions has included eminent personalities such as Mallika Sarabhai, Brinda Miller, Subodh Kerkar, Veer Munshi, Muzaffar Ali, Seema Kohli, among others.

Abir India is an Ahmedabad-based non-profit foundation started by painter, designer and natural dye expert Ruby Jagrut in 2016. The foundation promotes young artists and has now institutionalized into a festival where immense talent takes wing. Driven by a strong ethic of philanthropy, the foundation not only hand-holds artists but also serves as a vibrant meeting point for art connoisseurs, art lovers, buyers, and artists.