Howrah’s historic 300-year-old fish market hosts live painting exhibition by artist Hiran Mitra

Kolkata artist showcases paintings at historic fish market, engaging buyers and vendors in unique public art initiative.

Hundreds of buyers who went to buy fish at the nearly 300-year-old fish market at Kalibabur Bazar in West Bengal’s Howrah witnessed a live showcase of paintings by Kolkata-based postmodernist artist Hiran Mitra, alongside live performances in the evening, between July 9 and July 11.

As many as 31 new paintings by Mr. Mitra were put up at various spots in the fish market for three days between Tuesday and Thursday, as part of the ‘Art in Every One’ public art initiative by Kolkata-based multidisciplinary arts group Howrah Jonaki. 

Born in 1945, Mr. Mitra graduated from Kolkata’s Government College of Arts and Crafts and created his own niche by merging elements of performance art in his paintings. The exhibition this week was the second edition of the ‘Art in Every One’ initiative at the fish market at Howrah’s Kalibabur Bazar, after a successful first showcase on December 31, 2023, and January 1.

“This idea was born when Mr. Mitra expressed his wish to showcase his paintings outside of gallery spaces and to take his art to the public in more local, engaging ways,” Biswajit Das, the creative director of Howrah Jonaki, said.

He added that on a daily basis, there is footfall of almost 15,000 in the entire bazaar area. “Many people, including the vendors themselves, thought there would be a film shooting here when they saw the artworks hanging in the fish market. Many people felt curious, many loved it, and many did not engage with it at all,” Mr. Das said. 

For Mr. Das, the biggest takeaway was to be able to bring people out of their phones and make them engage more mindfully with their surroundings, irrespective of what they felt about the initiative itself. “The fish vendors thoroughly enjoyed the showcase, and even felt honoured to have been part of a multidisciplinary art initiative like this,” Mr. Das said. He mentioned Bulu, a fish vendor who has decided to take up painting as a hobby after engaging with Mr. Mitra’s art. 

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