April 2, 2013 New Delhi, India
At a packed hall, with a huge attendance of media, artists and cricketers, an amazing collection of 15 specially painted bats was unveiled.
“Batting for Art” an idea conceived by Creatigies Communications that brought together the Delhi Daredevils and Arts4All to
create this unique concept, connected sport and art to create a special fund-raising idea for A4A.
The group exhibition of 15 eminent artists features an eclectic mix of contemporary Indian creativity that celebrates Art and Cricket. Special artistic creations have been painted by each of the selected artists that reflect their distinct oeuvre and style.
The concept that was conceived and coordinated by Creatigies Communications , will be showcased at an exhibition cum sale Celebration Dinner organised by GMR Sports and the fund raised will be for Arts For All Residency Programme and its other initiatives. The show aims to celebrate the diverse and vibrant spirit of the Delhi Daredevils.
The Participating Artists were Binoy Varghese, ChintanUpadhayay, Dileep Sharma, Farhad Husain, Jayasri Burman, Kanchan Chander, Khem Vaishnav, Neeraj Goswami, Paresh Maity, Sanjay Bhattacharya, Satish Gupta, Seema Kohli, Sidharth, Thota Vaikuntam and Yusuf Arakkal.
According to Hemant Dua, CMO, Delhi Daredevils “Batting for Art was an excellent idea mooted by Creatigies, and we were more than happy to support A4A to create this unique ensemble of creativity from around the country, which celebrates the indomitable spirit of the Delhi Daredevils.”
Puja Bahri and Archana Bahl, Co – founders of A4A were delighted that an event like this could be an excellent fund raiser, as well give artists the opportunity to express their feelings about the game. “Since times immemorial, artists have been playing games with their emotions, dreams, fears and experiences while giving expression to their thoughts and engaging their viewers. Artists representing different schools of art and thought were invited to create a new language in their respective distinct styles that resonate with the theme – turning lines, forms, colors and materials into their playing fields.”
“The idea of marrying Art and Cricket was something that had been brewing for a long time at Creatigies. We always believed that the two could merge to create some amazing artistic expressions that symbolise the spirit and energy of the game. Along the way raising funds for an excellent cause like A4A made us even more delighted. The response from both the Delhi Daredevils and A4A encouraged us to take this to the next level, and the end result was far more exciting than any of us expected.” said Navroze D Dhondy, Founder & Managing Director, Creatigies Communications.
The media launch celebrated the diverse and vibrant spirit of the Delhi Daredevils. The unique collection of artworks reflected the creative impulses from which spring such diverse forms of personal expressions. The artists reflect their distinctive creative styles on the specially-made larger-than-life-sized bats. The collection would be displayed at the T 3 Airport Terminal, Rajiv Chowk Metro station and the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium for people to be able to appreciate the unique artistic expressions.
The bats were unveiled by the Eminent Artists, and the Daredevil team members, Eric Simmons, T Sekar, Ashish Nehra, Andre Russel, Naman Ojha, and Hemant Dua.
Eric Simmons, the Coach of Delhi Daredevils, shared a secret with the media, about his own passion for art, as he got inspired by his brother who is a professional artist in South Africa, and found art a great way to distress and express one’s creativity.
Paresh Maity, one of India’s top artists, was thrilled being part of such a unique event. He said, “both art and cricket involve a great deal of creativity, and the thrill of the game spurred me to depict my interpretation… celebrating cricket using vibrant, rich, linear colours with stylized figures, motifs of birds and other forms…in myriad expressions with passionate undertones that glorifies the human nature.”
The finale will be a high-profile event that would include a gala dinner on the 9th of May 2013 at the ITC Maurya in New Delhi in the presence of the artists, players and art aficionados.