Delhi Collage of Arts, Desire 2013, Chandana Kankaria, and more

NEWS

Like Heaven on Earth

(A painting from the show)

Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai, presents a group show of eminent painters, titled ‘Heaven on Earth’. On display are an eclectic mix of paintings, sculptures, Murals and Photography.

The show displays works of upcoming artists works alongside renowned artists of our country. The participating artists are Vinod Sharma, Mamta Mali, Gautam Mukherjee, Safdar Shamee, Ananya Banerjee, Amita Sheth, Kajal Paul, Shyamal Paul, Kailas Malkhede, Romesh Mestry, Madhulika Johri, Parul Shah, Umakant Kanade, Ratan Saha, Bharti Singh, Tirthankar Biswas, P,Kashyap, Sandeep Chhatraband, Neha Poddar, Marskanna Rangaraju, Shyamal Paul, Dimple Vasa, Amrita Pental, Shashikant Charbe, Deeksha Bhardwaj, Mohan Jadhav, Debolin Bhattacharya, Aparna Banerjee, Ankita Garg,  Chaitali Mukherjee, Neenu Vij, Amit Patil, Preksha Lal, Bembade Dnyaneshwar, Saugata Banerjee among others.

Bringing a vast variety of art works on a platform such as this, the gallery aims to encourage the creative engagement of the artists with their art lovers and art collectors.

The show is on view till the 22nd of June 2013.

A Sea of Abstractions

(A painting by Chandana Kankaria)

Ayya Art Galleries, Chennai presents a solo show of art works by Chandana Kankaria. The show displays an array of earlier and recent works of the artist. The works on display are in the genre of nature abstracts, and abstractions. 

The artist uses a palette which brings in hues of warm and cool colours which come together forming harmonious visuals. Some of the works display city and seascapes gently blending into the canvas.

There is a freshness to her works and they appeal to every keen sense of the viewer's palette. Most of the works are rendered in acrylic on canvas and oil on canvas.

The show is on view till the 25th of June 2013.

The Desire for Art

(The Desire 2013 show)

The Greenmark Art Gallery, New Delhi, presents a group show of art works by artists, titled ‘Desire 2013’. On display are a mix of unique sculptures and paintings by the artists. 

The show inaugurated on the 17th of June and will be on view till the 24th of June 2013. The works on display comprise of works rendered in acrylic and oils on canvas, and bronze sculptures. Some works are in mixed media and collage art.

The participating artists are Nawal Kishore, Dilip Bhattacharya, Arijit Bhattacharya, Abhijit Kashyap, Rita Arora, Rajni Kiran Jha and Soumen Kar. The show is an eclectic mix of upcoming and established artists’ works, rendered in the Figurative contemporary styles with some decorative elements.

Strokes from the East

(A painting from Strokes from the East Show)

The Convention Foyer of the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi presents the unique works of three contemporary artists, in a show titled, ‘Strokes from the East’.

The three artists are part of the Kolorbox art initiative dedicated towards helping artists from all over the country to create and display art works and to work together as a community. Kolorbox also engages with the art connoisseurs and art buying community and introduces fresh new talent to them.

Kolorbox presents the show, Strokes from the East’ as an attempt to bring together the works of artists, Dilip Oinam, Sandeep Jigdung and Deenabandhu Marndi together creating a display of works by like minded creative people.

The show is on view from the 28th June to the 30th of June 2013.


(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)


FEATURE

Colours for All

An institute of fine arts in Delhi is open to students from all walks of life and any age.

(Visitors at the show)

Over 100 artists, of all age groups, from pre-teen to those who have witnessed 80 summers, watched their labour of love mounted on the walls of All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society while their mentor, a 40-year-old Ashwini Kumar Prithviwasi, heaved a sigh of relief. No media glare, no interviews and no ‘celebrity’ to inaugurate this annual grand show of 300-400 artworks spread in four galleries at the prestigious, albeit quiet venue in Central Delhi, yet the participants’ glee reflected through their non-stop chit chat.

They are the students of Delhi’s only private institute of fine arts which does not stop giving admission to students on the basis of their qualification, financial status, age, gender, religion or nationality. Welcome to Delhi Collage of Arts which celebrated its 10th anniversary with students from all walks of life aging from 8 to 86, and of various nationalities.

The institute gets approximately 200 students every year – from the disadvantaged sections to those who don’t want to devote four years to art colleges, from school/college dropouts to home makers, from school teachers to prosperous men and women who could never enroll for lack of required qualification in government institutes, time or any other circumstances.

According to the students’ skill, passion and time constraints, the course, too gives them ample opportunities to pick and choose from eight different timings of the day, at six different campuses across Delhi and Dehra Dun, and period from one month to two years. The course duration from four hours daily to twice a week to once a week, further helps seekers enrol themselves. The course comprises two wings, junior wing from the age 8 to 13, and senior wing from 14 to any age. The course content includes painting , sketching, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, design, craft, photography and calligraphy, apart from applied art (industrial, graphic design, etc.), “in microscopic details”, as Ashwini insists.

A trained fine arts student from College of Art, Delhi University, and a passionate photographer, Ashwini had sentimental reasons for starting this institute. “I come from a financially feeble background. As a student I used to get only 25 paisa as my pocket money; that, too, in 1988. Even this pocket money used to make a hole in my father’s pocket and once he said it meekly too. I returned that pocket money to him and decided to make my own living. I started white-washing and while studying in the College of Art, I realised how much it required to get admission in a government college and how non-creative the courses were. Hence, with my own money I started this institute with one student for a fee of only Rs. 100.”

Delhi Collage of Arts now has state-of-the art facilities for its students – from fully air-conditioned interiors to wifi and camera surveillance campuses. This year he has introduced video conferencing classes through which he can teach in all six campuses at one time sitting at his main Uttam Nagar branch. He has also initiated online admissions in which with thumb machines, attendance is marked.

Though the institute fee is Rs. 1.6 lakh for a year, physically challenged and senior citizens are taught for free. “Each of my campus has five students who study for free, that makes it 30 every year. This is a part of my CSR activity,” Ashwini says who runs Collage of Art with his “own money”, and even buys his students’ few works every year when they hold their shows.

How does such institute which is not recognised hold any value? “My students get jobs easily as they are highly skilled though they may not be decorated with degrees. Have you ever asked any chef his qualification when you go for good food in a restaurant?” he retorts.

A drummer, guitarist, a music aficionado and traveller, Ashwini doesn’t stop here. His institute bestows ten B.C. Sanyal (Late legendary painter) and nine Life Time Achievement Awards to distinguished artists every year.

(Report by Rana Siddiqui Zaman for The Hindu)