National art exhibition in Chennai after 17 yrs

CHENNAI: The city will host the prestigious national art exhibition organised by the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, after 17 years.
"It is an opportunity for art lovers to see the most innovative and interesting art from across the country," said Rm Palaniappan, secretary of Lalit Kala Akademi Regional Centre, Chennai. The National Academy Awards for 2011 will also be presented on Saturday after the inauguration of the exhibition at 6pm."These are like the Padma Shri awards of art," said Palaniappan.
Ten artists, including S K Srinivasan from Tamil Nadu, have been chosen for the award, which will be presented by Governor Surjit Singh Barnala. The award includes a citation and Rs 1 lakh in cash.
The annual national exhibition has been organised by the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, from 1959. This year, the academy received a record 7,723 pieces from 3,048 artists. Of these, 117 entries were short listed for display and the awards.
"Entries were received from all parts of India, including areas of the north-east, where the earlier track record of participation had been somewhat slim," said Sudhakar Sharma, secretary, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.
Palaniappan said the show is usually held in Delhi but over the last decade it has been held in Goa, Simla and even Kashmir so that more people get to see the best of contemporary Indian art. Last year, the exhibition was held in Kolkata. "People will get to see artists from big cities as well as smaller towns. The exhibition is an indicator of the art scene in the country," he said.
The exhibition will be open to the public till September 15 between 11am and 7pm.