The Art of Salvation

The lights are quiet, waiting to be accepted in a room full of dense conversations, lost among the murky dialogues of the earthly beasts and the stubbornness of an impending shadow. The lights fight the darkness, the darkness holds on, the lights fade away, leaving behind a twilight of despair, replacing the quiet calmness of hope with the anarchy of hate. We are creatures of the things we pass by, listen to, things and thoughts that govern us. And in this place of dirt and mobbing is an unescapable truth of the death of love – pay heed to the sinful shores of voiceless disarray, pay heed to the demise of parity, peace and art.

Yet in these troubling times there are saviours, saving us from the ordeals of the times we live in, showing us the way through spiritual, arty, inspirational collectives. And sharing the multitude of possibilities a piece of art or a few creative moments could generate when rightly communicated, understood and widely talked about.

A not for profit: Cobalt Blue Foundation is consistently working towards a future that would create a firm platform for art, storytelling and therapy in India and take Indian heritage and art to the world. Founded by Ruchi Goyal Kaura – a visual artist, art therapist and counselling psychologist and Sundeep Verma – an author, graphic novelist and storyteller, the foundation intends to become the citadel for dealing with modern world issues through the creative modes of storytelling, art and mythology. “Since our launch in the summer of 2018 we have formed a community of people with common interests.” says Sundeep.

One of their art-based programs called the Art of Seeing & Beyond Mythologies, is an endeavor to connect people to museums and engage them with artworks & sculptures through immersive storytelling. “Many of these people go back and bring others to the museum on their own because they feel empowered to share their knowledge of museum objects with others,” states Sundeep. “We are collaborating with Kiran Nadar Museum, Sahapedia & UNESCO for the same.”

Their workshop: Expressive Arts Therapy Program uses art & therapy to help people deal with their anxieties, conflicts & stress in a fun and insightful manner, and the Art of Connection is a workshop on love and human relationships. One of their more significant educational programs, affecting the working of a daily school life in India, is called Pursuit: Alternate Learning Methods, where they train teachers and students to learn various subjects using art and storytelling as a method of teaching & learning.

The Speak Art meet brings together art lovers & artists who could then share their work and thoughts with each other. It’s a platform for different minds coming together for the common love of art.

Art comes in as a rescuer and protector of rich philosophies, history, and an emotional, spiritual, creative past and present in a world which is becoming deeply devoid of life free of hunger, poverty, war and hate. Art is the redeemer, the spirited warrior in a garb of vivid words, forms and appearances.

“Good art challenges the status quo of society. It provokes, reflects and provides alternate perspectives on society. Every great piece of art has contributed in altering our perceptions, perspective and self-knowledge that in turn shapes the society at large,” states Sundeep.

Free ourselves from the bane of the world we live in, fly, fly away into a field of nothingness, then fill it with brush strokes, and little artefacts of the years gone by, yarns from Grandma’s beautiful closet, scents from the shelves that opened half, letters from under foamy soft mattresses, dried crumbs from the kitchen trunk, whisk of a chiffon saree, tresses of a new bath, unshackled thoughts from the 80s, whispers of cigarette stubs and notions lacking hate, only garden of roses and a Subodh, a Karim, a Ram, a Rahim, a Stephen, a Church, a Temple, a Mosque, and Oms and biryanis and Salaams, all together, all in one pretty sentence of unity and peace.

Put these thoughts together and carve out a piece of art. Narrate stories of what had been and what is, of people’s prolific voices and poignant things of the past. Make art, then build museums within you – protected, untouched, free – now bring the predators to these unprejudiced galleries and show them what was and what could be: we are art in motion, yet lights lost in dark spells.

Upcoming Event/Workshop by Cobalt Blue Foundation

Indus: Tracing the Lost Civilization on 13th October at The National Museum, Janpath Road, New Delhi, between 2-5pm