Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Milli Pandey Vikamshi, Action Photography and More

NEWS



Secrets of Better Action Photography


 The Piramal Gallery at the National Center for Performing Arts(NCPA), Mumbai, presents a talk by Serbian photographer, Predrag Vuckovic. The event is hosted by Red Bull ‘ Under my wings’ along with Better Photography.

The talk by Predrag Vuckovic will take place on 22nd May 2013 between 6 pm - 9 pm.
The talk focuses on action photography and its nuances and aims to help the participants take better action and motion photographs.

In addition to this, a one-day workshop will be conducted by Predrag at Mandwa on 23rd of May 2013 only on an invite basis.

Perons intersted in the workshop are requested to send in their entries at contest@betterphotography.in with ONE of your best action photographs before Monday, 20 May by 12pm.  The chosen few will get a chance to learn from the master of action photography himself.

The contest is open only to Mumbai residents.



Freedom and Bonding - solo show of Devidas Dharmadhikari

(Work by Devidas Dharmadhikari)

The Hirji Gallery at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai presents a solo show of works by Pune based artist Devidas Dharmadhikari. The show is titled, ‘Freedom within the Bonding’ and displays primarily works made in acrylic on canvas.

The theme that Devidas chooses is an attempt at taking forward his earlier ‘Don’t Stamp Me’ series, which was shown at the Jehangir Art Gallery three years ago. Taking the stamp series further, Devidas explores the irony of the concept of Freedom. The artist believes that there is rarely any complete and absolute freedom, and that freedom comes with some basic amount of bondage or binding.

His figuration has realistic portraiture as its basic imagery and with this series he tries to bring forth the intricacies of human relationships and interactive associations. The protagonists in the paintings never look at the viewer, in an attempt to draw the viewer’s attention inwards rather than as a response. One is left thinking what the man or woman in the image is thinking about.

The show is on view from the 21st of May to the 27th of May 2013.


Bringing Life to life -  solo show of Yogesh Patil


Pradarshak Art Gallery, Mumbai, presents a solo show by Mumbai based artist Yogesh Patil. The show displays colourful and vibrant works depicting myriad festivities and the figures in the paintings appear to celebrate life. The Indian symbolisms dominate the pictorial surfaces and the figures mostly women protagonists, seem to be engrossed in their thoughts and sometimes gossip and conversations.

The works are semi-abstract figurative in style and are rendered in acrylics on canvas with a distinct appeal. The artist attempts to bring to life, Life through his innocent and attractive visuals.

The show is on view till the 30th of May 2013.

(News Reports by Sushma Sabnis)


REVIEW


Of women in trendy paper cut dresses - a solo show of Milli Pandey Vikamshi


Milli Pandey Vikamshi is a Nagpur based artist, with an uncanny ability of mixing fun, frolic and women’s lives intricately in a curious little web of colour, precision and grace. Her works are on display at the Hirji Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai in a solo show till the 21st of May 2013.

In the show Milli, a College of Art, Lucknow, MFA graduate, tries to capture women and their plethora of emotions in a most lively and unique way. Milli’s work cannot be type cast as painting only, it traverses a mix of techniques like decoupage, craft work, mixed media, and all of these techniques are rendered with the precision of a stable, confident hand.

(Work by Milli Pandey Vikamshi)

Mili’s protagonists in this show are all women, varying from well known and identifiable women for example, Hollywood heartthrob Marilyn Monroe, the Indian actors Nargis and Raj Kapoor, in their tender moment from an unforgettable film, to unknown little girls and teenagers.  Milli’s love for films and her experience in film making have contributed to the strong visuals in her works. In the works the women are seen either as onlookers, silently watching the world go by or curiously watching from a balcony at a procession go by, giggling amongst themselves. Then there are the young trendy women on their scooters, their own vehicles, which are conceptually a very strong statement about travel and Milli’s attempt at capturing perhaps her own penchant for travel. Milli hovers around the romance of the imagery either taken from scenes of films or photographs of her children or her own childhood and teenage, delicately weaving them into a narrative.

She has in her earlier paintings portrayed the scooter as a constant in her works, especially vintage scooters which are rarely visible today. For her perhaps the scooter is a childhood memory brought to the fore in the form of a mark which she uses as a mile stone in time. Milli’s work also captures the seriousness of these women in very sharp angular shapes of their clothes. One can see how part of the canvas is painted, intricately with patterns and symbols, while the rest of it is filled with colourful wrapping paper that Milli has collected over the years. The figures in the paintings are entirely made from these colourfully patterned papers and the overall visual effect is one of a striking contrast between the serene repetitive design painted on to the canvas, and the bits of carefully cut and layered papers. There is simultaneously a noise and a deep silence in these works. Perhaps an indication of the artist’s nature or of her specific art practice.

 (work by Milli Pandey Vikamshi)

The painted parts of the canvases mostly have similar designs in all of the works. At times they form a scooter, at times the ground a child walks on, at times a dog on a leash,  at times as the complete background of the whole canvas. The works exude immense patience and diligence on the part of the artist. The paper cut pieces are dealt with a deftness, sharpness and understanding of the form and shape of things. It reminds the viewer of Henri Matisse’s works with paper and the painted patterns and elements remind one of the Aboriginal or Mexican folk art designs.

Milli successfully blends folk art, craft and decoupage/ paper work, painting and several other styles of artistic expressions to present a buffet of delightful human emotions. Milli also expresses herself through her writing along with art and short film making. Milli could easily be the face of today’s practicing Indian woman artist, diligent, cheerful and confident .

Milli Pandey Vikamshi lives and works in Nagpur.

(Reviewed by Sushma Sabnis)







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