Breaking the mould

We catch up with acclaimed ceramic artist and sculptor Hanibal Salvaro who has been single-handedly promoting Indian art in Croatia for the past few years.

When we spoke to Hanibal Salvaro, all he could talk was about the India Fest 2021. As the main organiser of the event in the Croatian capital city of Zagreb, he was bristling with energy and enthusiasm. A ceramic artist, sculptor and painter, he has produced a wide array of artistic creations in various media.

A highly accomplished and widely acclaimed artist, his creations are to be seen around the world. This was the second edition of the India Fest, the first having been organised by him in 2018. India Fest 21 concluded yesterday at the European House in Zagreb.

The Croatian ceramicist has been promoting Indian art in Croatia for the past few years. His visit to India in 2017, when his porcelain and cement mosaic creations were up on display at New Delhi, proved to be the beginning. Recalls Salvaro, “In 2017, I was invited by Indian artist, Rekha Bajpe Aggarwal, to take part in an international ceramic exhibition, A Journey
of Transformation, at the India Habitat Centre. We understood that it is necessary, possible and very useful to develop artistic and creative cooperation between India and Croatia on a purely humane and collegial basis. That is why a month after returning from India, I organised the India Fest, an exhibition of acrylic collages inspired by Indian colours, and impressions from India, at the European House in Zagreb. It was organised on the occasion of India’s Republic Day in January 2018.”

Positive curiosity

Over the past three years, Salvaro has been organising various art events, and Indian artists have participated in these events and also been on the jury. In 2019, India Welcome, was organized in Zagreb by Salvaro, and was co-curated by him and the Indian studio potter and ceramicist, Rekha Bajpe Aggarwal. And what was this event? “The event, held at the Zvonimir Gallery, showcased contemporary Indian ceramics, photographs of Indian cultural landmarks, poems, as also works of art by Croatian artists and artistic hosts inspired by India,” says Salvaro. And he adds, “After Zagreb, I organised the same exhibition in the Slovenian mine museum in the town of Velenje, where Slovenian artistic hosts and ceramic artists were included.”

Explaining the role of the artistic hosts, Salvaro says, “The artistic hosts of the exhibition expressed a positive curiosity towards the work of the invited artists. They also, in this case, want to be inspired by India’s art, culture and tradition, and the Indian everyday life. In this way, they achieve creative and artistic collaboration with the hosted Indian artists.”

Salvaro has also organised international art events like the Zagreb Full Colour to mark the International Colour Day (March 21) in 2019 and 2020, with the paintings, on appropriate material, displayed out in the open for a wide viewership. During Salvaro’s visit to India in 2019, he visited, besides New Delhi, the cities of Pune, Chandigarh and Hyderabad, and held two art workshops, and also interacted with potters and ceramic artists.

India Fest 21 included the works of Indian and Croatian visual artists and poets. The well-known Indian artists whose works were part of the exhibition were Basudeb Pal Majumdar, Kiran Soni Gupta and Mousumi Pal Majumdar. On the Croatian side, besides the art works of Salvaro, there were works of Vilko Ziljak, Jana Ziljak Grsic, Nada Ziljak, and poet Goran Gatalica on display.

Says Salvaro of his artwork in India Fest 21, “I will present digital pictures using different places of the Indian geographical map. I have prepared digital images of 15 Indian cities. And likewise 15 Croatian cities. Each of the 15 digital paintings of Indian cities and places will have an attached haiku poem. The Indian cities/places included are Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kanha Shanti Vanam, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pondicherry, Srinagar and Surat.”

New models of expression

About the future scope of India Fest 21, Salvaro remarks, “India Fest 2021 will be the beginning of permanent communication between Indian and Croatian artists. We may do other events in future and motivate artists in engaging in creative dialogues between India and Croatia.”

And what are his views on having the exhibition in these pandemic times? “In this Covid pandemic situation, we need to find new ways and models of visual expression. As also creative communication. And an exchange of ideas and dialogues in contemporary times and in the future.” Croatia was hit by an earthquake at the end of 2020, and Salvaro says, “The situation arising out of the earthquake and its fallout in Croatia is difficult and depressing. With the India Fest exhibition, we are promoting a little optimistic and creative thinking.”

The Croatian ceramicist, who trained to be a civil engineer, but went on to pursue his passion for art, has about six decades of artistic work to his credit and has been awarded many an international award. Of his future work vis-à-vis Indian art, Salvaro says, “I hope to come again to India sometime soon and to live and work as an artist for 100 days, and engage in art creativity and organise exhibitions. I am aiming to publish a book ‘100 days of the Artistic Life of Hanibal Salvaro in India.’”