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Chitrashaala in Rishikesh saw two artists hailing from different backgrounds talk about climate change through impactful art.
(L-R) Gyanwant Yadav and Gen-Shu
Just an hour away from Rishikesh, two artists from different generations, different countries and different backgrounds painted a powerful reflection of the world’s fragility at Chitrashaala – an international art residency.
One, a fairly young man, born and raised in an agricultural family based in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, the other- a bubbly twelve-year-old boy who flew to the Himalayas from Japan with his mother to exhibit his talents. However, the driving force behind their art remained the same, the urgent need to address climate change and its detriments.
Gyanwant Yadav is more than just another artist who is trying to create awareness about the necessity of tackling climate change. He is the son of a farmer for whom land and nature have been deeply intertwined within his identity since childhood and someone who sees nature being pushed to its limits every day.
What motivates his artwork is an epiphany that occurred to him during his college days where he thought, ‘We mercilessly take away, whatever we can from the earth, be it pumping the soil full of fertilizers or cutting through mountains to build roads but what are giving back to it?’
As a first-time visitor to the state of Uttarakhand, he was heartbroken to see the mountains which should be lush with greenery, being buried amidst the rubble of construction. To reflect his heartbreak, he split his canvas in two where a representation of what the sacred city of Rishikesh should’ve been was illustrated by him.
On the other hand, there was Gen-Shu, a vibrant twelve-year-old boy from Japan, who brought a fresh, hopeful perspective to the residency. With his infectious optimism, Gen-Shu had journeyed from Japan with his mother, eager to create art that spoke to a greater cause.
Having grown up in a country where global issues were a constant part of his education, Gen-Shu was acutely aware of the climate crisis weighing heavily on humanity and the artwork reflected this. He vividly captured this awareness, depicting figures distorted beyond recognition who had been choked by the constant exposure to hazardous gases and waste which was again a grim reminder of the future that awaits the coming generations if collective action is not taken now!
Though they hailed from different corners of the world, both artists highlighted the same truth, i.e. climate change is no longer the problem of a single country and the Earth, if left unchecked, will bear the scars of our neglect for generations to come.
- Location :
Delhi, India, India
