The year 2020 marked by the pandemic has undoubtedly been a tough year for all us. The confines of four walls have compelled us to stay indoors for our own safety and have changed the very patterns of our lifestyle. The change has been so sudden and drastic that all of us have been trying to cope in some way or the other. From work -from- homes to online education to finding ways to stay mentally sane, has been few of the daily challenges for most of us.

However, the mind as we all know is a treasure house of potential and wants to explore territories that otherwise seem out of reach. The fear, joy , anticipation , anxiety or any kind of emotions that make us feel overwhelmed can be channelized when we indulge ourselves in any form of art. The creative streak fueled by the passion of being able to generate something of our own is what keeps the artists going even during testing times. Such kind of dedicated ardour has led to a unique collaboration curated by the the renowned Visual art – blogger Ms. Deepa Gopal, who hails from Kerala, India but is residing in Dubai currently and she has been able to create an online art exhibition.

The exhibition is an online collaboration which aims at bringing together poets and artists under one roof. The show is currently live from November- 4-12 ( 2020) and aims to showcase 40 artworks and 40 poems. The renowned artists from across the world have surpassed all hassles and come together to create a beautiful experience where the minds of the geniuses have interwoven splendid work of art both visually and intellectually. The pandemic and the restrictions imposed due to this has unleashed the innovative potential and the result has been something spectacular and the very name Ignite: From within the confines perfectly portrays the intention behind such a noble endeavor.

The exhibition in the form of videos with introductions, art, poem recitals and texts through blog, Instagram, YouTube and personal social media handles , stiches together diverse thoughts and expressive imageries . The acclaimed artists have created masterpieces and they have been paired up with the celebrated poets and then the magic happens when one listens to the powerful renditions based on the visual treat.

The artists include Ahlam Abbas (Beirut, Lebanon), Anindita Chakraborty (Hyderabad, India), Deepa Gopal (currently in Dubai, from Kerala), Devan Madangarly (Kerala, India), German Fernandez (currently in Dubai, from Peru), Lauren Rudolph (New York, USA), Liz Ramos-Prado (currently in London, from Peru) and Yamini Mohan (currently in Dubai, from Kerala).

The poets include Ardra Manasi (currently in Manhattan, USA, from Kerala), Ellora Mishra (currently in Hague, from Bhubaneswar), Gitanjali Kolanad (Toronto, Canada), Joseph Schreiber (Calgary, Canada), Mini S Menon (Kerala, India), Namratha Varadharajan (Bangalore, India), Radha Gomaty (Kerala, India), Sonia Dogra (Delhi, India).

Please visit the links , be a part of this celebration and you are in for a treat!

More information can be found from below links:

• The blog.
• Youtube
• Instagram
• All Paper Publication
• Paper excerpt (below)

Love ,

Chinmayee