Painting for peace transcends borders

AHMEDABAD: “We all laugh and cry in the same language,� says a 5,100 sq ft, finger and feet painting that made it to the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ in September last year.
Made by Jignesh Patel and Munir Rehman in the parking lot of a ‘gurudwara’ in Surrey, Canada, it depicts a burning globe saved by a flock of doves. It is the first of a series to spread the message of world peace and harmony.
“We will carry this project to nine other countries, each time increasing the size of the painting by 15 sq ft,� says Jignesh.Next, a team of 40 artists from across the globe will make a painting at the Central London Mosque on June 5.
“Deeply moved by the Gujarat riots of 2002, Munir and I started this project as all of us had suffered in some way or the other,� says Jignesh. Jignesh and Munir are a part of the Creative Campus International Art Association (CCIAA), an organisation with a motive to spread public awareness through art.
“It is very difficult to find sponsors,� says Rajeshwary Sinh, a team member. Jignesh adds, “But we know that art can bring about a revolution and nothing can stop us.�
His conviction strengthened after his stint in UK, and he plans to make the next one on September 11 at a temple in New York. His belief is backed by the “positive response� that the painting in Canada has elicited. “We had artists from Pakistan who participated in Canada and the effort received high praise from the media in Pakistan,� he says.
CCIAA plans to go to Hiroshima, North Korea, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and India being the last, where they plan to make the largest painting. An effort that started with Munir and Jignesh found 17 willing participants from 10 countries in Canada, and the number has increased to 40 for UK. “Munir, and I believe that it will snowball into a movement by the end,� says Jignesh.
Six of these artists, Rajeshwary Sinh, Jignesh Patel, Dhara Shah, Vaishaki Shah, Shaid Raheman and Shimul Chokshi, who originally hail from Ahmedabad, will exhibit their paintings reflecting their post-riot angst at the Hutheesing Visual Arts Centre from April 3 to 7.