In a unique initiative organised to honour the Indian artists and take them to the international platform, the second edition of CIMA (Centre of International Modern Art) Awards will take place at Kolkata Art Festival on February 4. The biennial festival will kick-start at various venues across Kolkata and will continue till March 4.
CIMA Awards are designed to discover genuine talent and bridge the urban-remote divide. The project has been expanded to include other allied creative disciplines and activities including design, architecture, cinema, performing arts, symposia, talks and workshops. Several leading varsities, agencies and institutions from across the globe will participate in the event to give it a holistic experience.
Rakhi Sarkar, project director, CIMA Awards, Kolkata Art Festival, said the CIMA project was started in 2015 with the aim to ensure that every practicing artist from across the country get an opportunity to showcase their creativity. “The idea is to promote Indian talent and take them to the world. Our preliminary jury came from varied fields of art such as graphic, culture, paintings, new media etc. and shortlisted 196 entries from over 1500 entries that were sent to us. These shortlisted artists will now participate in CIMA Award show that will take place across the city of Kolkata in old buildings, galleries...we have chosen an old cinema hall this time so that we can turn it almost like a museum."
This edition will have around 20 awardees in eight categories. The event will also see participation from international artists. Nearly 30 collateral partners including IIT Kharakpur and Satyajit Ray Institute of Cinema will also participate in the event.
