The Annual Art Exhibition 2024-25, one of the most prestigious art events of the tricity, was inaugurated this evening at 5:30 PM at the Galleries of the Punjab Arts Council, Sector 16-B, Chandigarh. Shri Rajeev Verma, IAS, Chief Secretary, UT Chandigarh, along with his wife, Mrs. Rachna Verma graced the occasion as the Chief Guest, while Shri Mandip Singh Brar, IAS, Home Secretary-cum-Secretary Culture, UT Chandigarh, was present as the Guest of Honour.
The exhibition, organized by the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi, showcases selected works of professional and student artists from the tricity region and will remain open to the public from July 23 to August 31, 2025, between 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM. This annual exhibition serves as a platform for contemporary expressions of creativity, offering a space for interaction between artists and art enthusiasts, and a window into prevailing art trends.
This year, the Akademi had invited entries from both professional and student artists. A total of 243 artists submitted 480 artworks, from which a distinguished three-member jury selected 162 pieces for display.
The jury, comprising eminent personalities in the field of art—Sh. Vinay Sharma (Painter, Jaipur), Ms. Kavita Nayar (Printmaker, Delhi), and Sh. Robin David (Sculptor, Bhopal) selected the awardees in Professional, Student, and Divyang categories. In the Professional category, three artists were awarded ₹50,000 each for their exceptional works: Vishal Rawat for his sculpture in black marble, Reena Bhatnagar for her mix-media painting, and Pankaj Saroj for his watercolour piece.
Merit awards of ₹20,000 each were conferred upon seven artists: Poonam Rana (Woodcut), Tarvinder Singh (Marble), Kulwinder Singh (Oil on Linen), Bharti Vandna (Acrylic on Canvas), Sarvjit Singh (Photography), Ranjan Kumar Mallik (Acrylic on Canvas), and Suraj Routh (Woodcut). Additionally, a Special Jury Award of ₹10,000 in the Professional Divyang category was presented to Abhishek Gupta for his painting.
In the Student category, five promising young artists received awards of ₹25,000 each: Kanika Verma (Mix Media), Abhijit Das (Acrylic on Canvas), Reetika Tiwari (Oil on Prepared Canvas), Pancham Gaur (Etching and Serigraphy), and Sumanpreet Kaur (Intaglio). Merit awards of ₹10,000 each in the Student category were given to Akanksha (Stone), Deepanshi Arora (Photography), Thongam Adison Singh (Acrylic on Canvas), Sunpreet Singh (Aquatint), and Shivam Gulati (Woodcut).
A Special Jury Award of ₹10,000 in the Student Divyang category was awarded to Subodh Kumar Giri for his work in wood.In addition to the awards, four artists were also provided space at the Open Hand Art Studios for a period of two months.
On this occasion, two eminent artists of the city—Mr. D.S. Kapoor and Mr. Dev Inder Singh—were conferred the Amrita Sher-Gil Samman in recognition of their invaluable contribution to the field of art. The artworks on display are diverse in medium, form, subject matter, and technique, including sculptures, paintings, photographs, prints, installations, and drawings.
The exhibition reflects a wide spectrum of emotions, everyday narratives, human experiences, and philosophical journeys, offering visitors a rich and thought-provoking artistic experience.