Khoj -Tate's collaboration, Ram Kumar Film, Ecology of Art and more

NEWS

Film on artist Ram Kumar

(Artist Ram Kumar)

Lalit Kala Akademi, Chandigarh, will be screening a film based on the life of eminent artist and writer Ram Kumar, titled, ‘Nostalgic Longing’. The film has been directed by leading film director, Laurent Bregeat.

Ram Kumar’s art, portrays a kind of balanced polarity between joy and brooding resilience. a balance of contrasting elements like the spiritual and the materialistic and the participation of human hand in all these sensual instances.

Moving gradually from contrasting elements, like freedom and binding, Ram Kumar captures this duality and coexistence in life with precision and perfection over the years in his art.

The film is to be screened on the 30th of June 2013 at 11 30 am at the Auditorium, Government Museum & Art Gallery, Chandigarh.

The Art of Ecology

(My Plastic Halo - Show)

1Shanthi Road, Bangalore, presents a show titled, ‘My Plastic Halo’ which is a collection of installations and conceptual art works by artist Arasan Anandam on the theme of ecology that both make a commentary and positively respond to the current state of the environment owing to the impact of human activities in the post industrial world.The works employ digital fabrication for the conception of forms; using locally sourced environmentally friendly materials.The artist has a degree in Architecture with a background in Theory and History of Visual Arts.

Along with the display, there will be a talk by the two resident artists at 1Shanthi Road, along with their book release from 5 30pm to 6 30pm.

Christine Rogers is an artist from Nashville, Tennessee. She received her MFA in Studio Art from Tufts University in 2008. This is her first show in India.

Hanna Hollmann is an artist from Vienna, Austria. She focuses on drawing, printmaking and  works as a costume designer in theater. She has been working on projects, exhibitions, theater performances and animation films in different parts of Europe. 

The show previews on 28th of June 2013 at 6: 30 pm and is on view till the 3rd of July 2013.

The Confluence - 3 show

(Work by Jayanta Khan)

Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata presents a group show titled, ‘Confluence - 3’.

The show revolves around artistic expressions from different parts of the country, by artists , photographers and sculptors. On display in the show are an exquisite collection of artworks by leading artists in the country today along with upcoming artists.

The show sees participation from eminent artists like Prasanta Acharjee, Jayanta Khan and many from various other states in the country. The works on display are paintings in figurative style, oils on canvas, along with photography art. Also on show are sculptures in various mediums and installation works.

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

Mughal Art Revisited

(Art work by Vijit Pillai)

The Raddison Blu, Hyderabad presents, a unique one of it s kind exhibition of art works by artist Vijit Pillai. The artist aims to bring back the essence of mughal art in a contemporary way in his new collection of art works, titled  ‘Mughal Garden’.

Moving away from the stereotype, Vijit aims to capture the essence and elegance of traditional Mughal art, but rendered in a more contemporary style. Taking inspiration from the miniature paintings and architecture of the mughal art, the artists juxtaposes photography and art to create a blend of two different mediums, paintings and photography. 

The result is unique and exquisite art works steeped in innovative techniques.

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

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)


FEATURE

Khoj-Tate in landmark collaboration

(Word. Sound. Power Project)

Khoj, the New Delhi-based experimental art studio, is going places. Come July 12 and the Tate Modern in London, Britain’s and perhaps the world’s foremost art gallery, will open a group exhibition that has been conceptualised as a “curatorial collaboration” with Khoj. ‘Word. Sound. Power.’ was put together jointly by Khoj’s resident curator Asmita Rangari, aka Andi, and the Tate’s Loren Hansi Momudu. The exhibition will be on show at the Project Space gallery until November, and then travel to Delhi in January 2014. 

The exhibition is a landmark in many ways. For, while the “east is east and west is west” mindset is largely a thing of the past, creative collaborations, at least at the level of organisations and not individual artists, are few and far between. More so since Khoj is not a government body like the NGMA, but a private art organisation that is non-commercial and led by artists .    

‘Word. Sound. Power.’ will feature eight artists, some emerging and some established, and four of them from India. The latter include Mithu Sen, winner of the Skoda Prize for Contemporary Indian Art in 2010; Amar Kanwar, documentary filmmaker and video artist whose works are at the Guggenheim; and Pallavi Paul, a young JNU student who has contributed two videos.

“The idea was to focus on the poetics and politics of language, and its relations with power,” explains Andi whose interactions with her curator-partner was limited to two weeks in September last when she visited London, another two weeks when Momudu was in Delhi, and “endless Skype chats”. Much of the interacting with artists and commissioning, too, was done over video chat. 

In keeping with the avant garde vein of the show, most works will be videos and performances. For instance, Mithu Sen will be reading out a new work called ‘I am a Poet 2013’ on the first five days of the show. 

In a similar vein is Jordanian artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan’s ‘The Whole Truth’, which deals with the politics of voice and speech, specifically the software used to identify and deny asylum to Somalian refugees in some European countries. 

Clearly, politically most of the art-works at the Tate will be edgy, with Amar Kanwar showing ‘A Night of Prophecy 2002’ — recordings of songs of activists from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland, and Kashmir. In a similar vein is Saccha, a 2001 film featuring Padmashri awardee Dalit poet Narayan Surve.

(Report by Gargi Gupta, courtesy DNA)