As part of its Downtown Arts initiative, Creative Greensboro has commissioned an original piece of art by local artist Raman Bhardwaj in the Melvin Municipal Office Building (MMOB), 300 W. Washington St. The artwork is installed on the outside wall of the Katie Dorsett Council Chamber, visible from the Government Plaza entrance to the building.
Entitled “Moving Forward with Hope, Joy, and Harmony,” the piece is a digital artwork that represents Bhardwaj’s artistic reflection on Greensboro in 2021. The work has been enlarged to 10-feet by 20-feet and will be on display through early 2023. A smaller version of the artwork will hang in the Creative Greensboro office suite in the Greensboro Cultural Center and become part of the City’s permanent artwork collection.
Downtown Arts features and supports the work of Greensboro-based artists and enhances the City’s built environment with original artwork. Bhardwaj was chosen from 17 applicants to create the Downtown Arts’ special commission by a selection committee comprised of Cultural Affairs Commission members and City of Greensboro Communications and Marketing staff.
About the Artist
Bhardwaj is an international painter, muralist, illustrator, and graphic designer. Born in Chandigarh, India, he is based in Greensboro. He works in both traditional and digital media and in a variety of styles ranging from photorealism to stylized illustrative art.
Bhardwaj has a Bachelor’s of Fine Art in Applied Art and an Master’s in Art History. He has been working as a professional artist since 2000 and has shown in group exhibitions in India and US and held solo exhibitions in India, Norway, and the US. Bhardwaj has painted more than 40 murals across the country, many of which can be seen here in Greensboro.
About the Artwork
Moving Forward with Hope, Joy, and Harmony
Artist Statement
“This digital artwork depicts my memories of Greensboro in the year 2021.
“All figures in this painting are depicted as floating – my way of creating a dreamlike world in the painting. The human figures floating in the sky share the same space, and no one is weighed down by the gravity of physical and social constraints. They all are moving forward beyond 2021 into a world of hope, joy, and harmony.
“I enjoy the diversity of Greensboro and see it as a melting pot of various cultures. Here, I not only see various cross-culture friendships and partnerships, but I also witness businesses, and city government creating growth and opportunity for people of differing identities. I have attempted to capture the love and peaceful co-existence of diversity in this artwork. The figure with a spray can in hand, a self-portrait, represents all mural artists who gave of their time and talent to beautify Greensboro in the year 2021. The figure with a guitar, commemorates the legendary singer Sting’s live performance at the Steven Tanger Center while another character in the work depicts my fiancée.
“The sun and moon are recurring themes in many of my paintings and represent timelessness. Also, after being transplanted here, I witnessed the sun and moon both visible together in the sky during the daylight. This for me represents the duality of this amazing city.”
