Arts for Liberation

A panel of artists from diverse societies will share their works that are grounded in the Neohumanist values demonstrating how their art serves the liberation of the intellect, liberation from exploitation, and liberation from suppression.

“Through the arts, we expand the possibilities of our imagination. And that certainly is liberating. Therefore, the arts must be fundamental and integral to education.” Ole Brekke, Clown, Founder/Director of The Commedia School, DK

“Art is what reminds the intellect of that which is always just beyond its reach – that the universe is so much bigger than what the conscious mind can capture and articulate. In short, art is the realm of possibility, where the intellect is what makes sense of, and therefore fixes possibility into one specific form (out of the many that it could take).” Dr. Jaya Klara Brekke, artist and researcher, Durham University, UK

TOPICS

Art: The Tool for Transformation – Divyendu Anand
The vision of the neohumanistic world cannot be achieved until we goad each and every human expression and action towards supreme fulfillment. In this crisis-ridden world, art and literature, primarily used, as the medium of expression for selfish gain has actually become an agent of destruction. Artistic expressions, if channelized towards the sublime realm, have the potential to heal and transform our planet by elevating the collective consciousness towards sublime realm and create the congenial atmosphere for the all round progress of collective humanity. Concerted effort has to be made to use art and literature as a tool for transformation for the same. Having said that, we wish to share our incredible voyage so far in this direction. We also want to present our work progress and achievements since the 3.5 years of our inception. Last, but not the least, we will be sharing the future roadmap to achieving our vision.

Giving Importance to the Popular Art Forms – Ole Brekke

To quote the founder of neo-humanism, P.R.Sarkar, “A writer or artist who is born to elevate society has to tune his or her artistic creation to the vital stirrings of the common human heart.”

Assuming that we as artists have an important quality to impart to the public, we need to select the art form that will reach the immediate public to stir and inspire the minds of the public. This presentation will give importance to the much maligned popular art forms with special focus on popular theatre styles.

Presenters:

Divyendu Anand

Growing up with the dreamy thoughts of altruism, idealism and beauty, Divyendu joined The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT, Delhi) after high school.

He landed with a good product design job with Michael Aram, an award-winning, internationally- renowned American artist who dedicated his career to craft-based design.

After having a long and successful stint (20 years) with Michael Aram, Divyendu relinquished his comfortable and well paying job to set on an extraordinary journey. With the support of his wife and family, in the year 2017, he founded Studio Renaissance, a non-for-profit initiative to restore art as a tool for public welfare.

With the mission to make the inner and outer worlds beautiful, Studio Renaissance has been making attempts to support and guide artists towards sublime expression and promote the idea of oneness.

In this process, Divyendu himself underwent transformation and evolved into a successful visual artist in the public domain. His sublime artworks are not only in-sync with the neo-humanistic ideals but also fund Studio Renaissance projects.

Inka Mbing

Inka Mbing is a member of the Atayal ethnic group of Taiwan. In her youth, she left her ancestral land to make a living as a professional singer with a female rock-bank in Taipeh. Later in life, aroused by the ancient songs of her ancestors, she returned to her native community. Today, Inka teaches Atayal children their native language and composes children’s songs in Atayal with them. She also works with the community to revitalize the land, revive Atayal culture and strengthen the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Inka Mbing has won many national and international music awards, both in her early days, and in her current work to promote indigenous culture.

Ole Brekke

Vishva Shanti Ole Brekke, Founder/Director of The Commedia School, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Over forty years in Theatre as a teacher, director and performer with a focus on performance relevant to the lives of individuals and society. He has given workshops on several continents using theatre in diverse circumstances, on stage, in the classroom, in social research, for personal development and education about social political issues. He recently created a show in the genre of Ecco-theatre, the exciting criminal adventure with scientific information packed in the thrilling melodrama style , Korridor, now touring in Turkey about the conservation group, Kuzy Doga, in remote Eastern Turkey where they created an 82 km long wildlife corridor for threatened large carnivorous animals. Ole has also taught at several NHE teacher trainings.