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New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS) The Lalit Kala Akademi and the University of Fine Art, Vienna, has opened a bilateral exchange in art with a showcase "Artists in Multifunctions" by 22 contemporary Austrian artists at the Akademi's Rabindra Bhawan gallery here. The exhibition was inaugurated by Raimund Magis, charge d'affiares of the Austrian embassy in the capital and Gerald Bast, rector of the University of Fine Arts, Vienna, in the presence of K.R. Subanna, acting chairman of the Akademi and Sudharkar Sharma, secretary of the Akademi, late Saturday. The Austrian exhibition in India will be followed by an exhibition by Indian master painters, sculptors and printmakers in Austria in July. The travelling Indian show is currently being exhibited in Berlin, from where it will go to Vienna. K.R. Subanna, acting chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi, said the "exhibition was an introduction to a bilateral agreement entered into by the two organisations". He said the "prime movers of the exhibition were the Embassy of Austria in the capital and Institute of Fine Arts and Media at the University of Fine Arts in Vienna". Sudhakar Sharma, secretary of the Lalit Kala Akademi, said that "the Akademi had opened a dialogue with the University of Fine Arts to carry the exchange further into conservation know-how". "The University of Fine Arts in Vienna has an agreement with the National Museum institute (a deemed university). The Lalit Kala Akademi owes the art exchange to the National Museum's cooperation with Vienna University. The University of Fine Arts has a strong conservation department and we want to send our professionals from Lalit Kala Akademi to Vienna to learn restoration," Sharma told IANS. Sharma said "he mad met the rector of the university, Gerald Bast, at the National Museum in 2009 and had requested a similar exchange with Lalit Kala Akademi". The 22 works on display by artists from 10 departments of the university covers a spread of mediums like sculptures, painting, archival work, digital photography, new media, video and graphics. Some of the artists whose works are on display include Martin Arnold, Virgil Widrich, Judith Esler, Margarethe Jahrmann, Martin Kusch, Max Mowitzer, Romana Scheffknecht and Herwig Steiner.
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