Mumbai-Evergreen Landmarks, A forgotten carpentry lesson and a love song, and more..

NEWS

Mumbai - Evergreen Landmarks

(Gateway - Rainy Season, by Sidhaling Ankalkot)

Gallery Pradarshak, Mumbai, presents a solo show titled, "Mumbai - Evergreen Landmarks"  by artist Sidhaling Ankalkote. 

Sidhaling Ankalkot is an Applied Art graduate from Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya, Pune and has worked as an illustrator for the last two decades. His work with pen and ink on canvas as well as paper is delicate and evokes strong references of an era gone by.

The artist works in both sepia tones and monochromes and takes immense pride in his true-to-life depictions of old historic places, forts and monuments, etc. With an occasional use of brush, Sidhaling is most comfortable using pen and ink on canvas, which he feels brings out the best in him.  

The show is on view till the 14th of September 2013.

A forgotten carpentry lesson and a love song

( A work by Sunoj D)

Gallery Ske, Bangalore presents a solo show of installation and art works by artist, Sunoj D. The show titled, ‘A forgotten carpentry lesson and a love song’ traverses the fertile planes of memories, once forgotten and reclaimed by time, in this exquisite collection of works. 

With agrarian activities as a backdrop, these works speak of the artist’s childhood relationship with his land, and the interactions with society and land today. The show displays some classical metaphors in the form of installation works in different mediums, drawings on fabrics, murals and graphite on paper drawings. 

Encircling a connect between land, person and environment, this show addresses the politics and poetics of space in multi directional movements of the familiar and common occurrences in time, space and society.

The show is on view till 5th of October 2013.

Po10tial -IV

(A work at the show)

Kalakriti Art Gallery, Hyderabad, presents a show of art works by a group of artists titled, ‘Po10tial - IV’. There are ten upcoming artists participating in the fourth edition of the show and hence the unique title.

The works in display are rendered in a variety of mediums and an array of styles of depiction. The subjects of the works vary from fantastical and mystical worlds to social issues, urban and rural divide, spirituality among others.

From styles of figurative to abstraction, the show displays  a range which is very diverse.
The participating artists are, Ashutosh Bhardwaj, Bhagyanath C, Gipin Varghese, Om Soorya, Ravi Kashi, Reji Arackal, Siji R Krishnan, Sujith S N, Suneel Mamadapur, Sunil Lohar.

The show commences on 11th of September 2013 and will be on view till the 30th of September 2013.

Digital art and photography

Emami Chisel Art gallery,  Kolkata, presents a solo show of photography works by photographer, Shankar S. The show has on display his digital artworks and photography works and prints.

The artist has experimented with various themes and collage like works which vary from nature abstractions using digital art skills and combining with photography. the outcome presents an interesting collection of art works.

The show is on view till the 16th of September 2013.

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Imagination unleashed

Two exhibitions — one by M. R. Ramachandran, and another by students of Bhoomi art school — are on at the Durbar Art Gallery

( Works at the show)

M.R. Ramachandran finds beauty in the mundane. Inspiration, too. The retired technical officer from the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), Kochi, is a self-taught artist who is fascinated by everyday life. An exhibition of 50 of his works is on at the Gallery.

Time that presented itself with retirement rekindled Ramachandran’s interest in art. He began painting sights he saw around him, in acrylic and water colour. “I have always been interested in painting, but never found the time to learn it technically or practise it. Most of the works on display are those that I did this year.”

However, Ramachandran put his skill to good use on the job. He handled the design section of many of the projects for NPOL and one of them even won him a certificate of appreciation from former President APJ Abdul Kalam. It was awarded for the “design, development and induction to the service of the first indigenous submarine sonar” in 1999.

The show includes some of Ramachandran’s earliest works too such as the pencil sketches of former Chief Minister of Kerala R. Shankar and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, singer K. J. Yesudas, actor Bharath Gopi and a portrait of Rabindranath Tagore, which has been painted in enamel on X-Ray film. These works, he says, were done during 1970-80.

Ramachandran’s works do not follow the same formula. While one painting captures a peaceful seaside, another shows two women sitting on their verandah, peeling jackfruit. Yet another, shows a couple walking through a park. One of the largest paintings at the show is of the Kedarnath floods — an arresting visual of water eddying around a massive idol of Lord Shiva.

The show is untitled and is on till September 7 at the Durbar Hall Art Gallery.

Innocent colours

( Works at the show)

Green countrysides, brown hills and blue seas. People, animals and motor vehicles. Houses, sail boats and roads. When crayons and paintbrushes meet canvas, all the above mentioned appear in happy combinations. The painting exhibition put up by the students of Bhoomi art school back memories of childhood. Titled “Kuruthola”, the show has over 50 paintings and drawings by children under 12 years of age.

The show is not themed, giving a free reign to the young artists’ imaginations. “Children are extremely creative and sensitive, too. So, instead of imposing one’s own ideas on them, one has to find out what they are interested in and encourage that,” says V.K. Babu, the founder of Bhoomi, who has been teaching art for 30 years. He teaches art at MES Udyogamandal School.

He feels children are more into art these days, as the syllabus has incorporated art in a big way. “All you need to do as a teacher or a parent is identify the child’s interest in art and motive him/her to pursue it,” he adds.

Bhoomi art school has three centres — at Kakkanad, Udyogamandal and Edavanakkad. Babu hopes to conduct a large scale painting competition, camp and exhibition for children next year. “There would be paintings enough to fill up the halls of Durbar Hall,” he says.

The show is on till September 6.

(Report by Anasuya Menon, Photos by Thulasi Kakkat for The Hindu)