Trees by Raghu Rai, Words and Images, Miniature painting show and more..

NEWS

Trees by a legend

(A photograph by Raghu Rai)

Photoink, New Delhi presents a show by photography legend, Raghu Rai, titled ‘Trees’. The tree has been one of those enduring subjects, which has been consistently photographed since the beginning of photography. It has been an object of reverence and awe for many photographers. 

An avid gardener and nature lover, Raghu Rai's photographs were not made in pursuit of a book or exhibition, which he has made many and had plenty of. Instead, we witness his unrelenting and private passion for a subject he had no option but to make photographs of. In his photographs, the tree is idealised for its beauty and mourned when it is destroyed. Through his lens, we experience the tree as a living monument - not only as a graphic symbol but we also observe human presence around it. The tree is not always a solitary figure to be revered. In contrast to the path breaking reportage and street photography Raghu Rai's name has become synonymous with, this exhibition of photographs is unusually still and silent.

The show is on till 30th November 2013.

Words and Images

( Work at the show)

Piramal Art Gallery, Mumbai presents a group show of eminent artists works, with The Fine Art Company in collaboration with Tata Literature Live! Titled 'Words And Images' the show is an art and photography exhibition about the relationship between literature and art by inviting artists to create art works inspired by Khushwant Singh's autobiography titled, 'Truth, Love and a little Malice'.

Illustrious artists, such as Anjolie Ela Menon, Amit Ambalal, Arunkumar HG, Arpana Caur, Desmond Lazaro, Clare Arni, Gargi Raina, G. R. Iranna, Indrapramit Roy and Jyoti Bhatt will be displaying their works. 

Gigi Scaria, Manu Parekh, Masooma Sayed, Meera Devidayal, Munir Kabani, Karam Puri, Raghu Rai, Ram Rahman, Rashid Rana, Manisha Gera Baswani, Manjunath Kamath, Shakti Burman, Samar Jodha, Sarnath Banerjee, T. S. Satyan, Sumedh Rajandran, Vivan Sundaram and Vidya Kamat will also be displaying their art works. At the exhibition, these artists will display their works through paintings and words.

The show is on view from 14th November to 17th November 2013.

Paradise regained

( Work by Alok Uniyal)

Gallerie Ganesha, New Delhi presents a solo painting exhibition 'Paradise Regained' by Alok Uniyal. The art exhibition is exclusive, unique and different as the artist has recreated the beauty of Kashmir on his canvas. On display are a collection of 20 paintings in acrylics on canvas each of which depicts the natural beauty, culture and eternal romance of state. 

The art works by the artist are not limited to the depiction of Kashmir's beauty. Rather, the works also throw light on various other aspects life in a vibrant and colourful way. Be it the floating market of the Dal Lake, a honeymooning couple in an charming embrace, women in their local dress (phirans), the musical instrument of Rubab or the omnipresent hukka, all this is perfectly depicted in Alok's art works. Apart from this, the works also reflect several other elements of Indian traditional art like miniature paintings and terracotta art as the artist basically belongs to Uttaranchal.

The show is on view till 14th November 2013.

Miniature Painting Show

( Work on display at the show)

The Art Loft in collaboration with Kala Cafe is presenting the traditional art forms of India through this ‘Miniature Painting Exhibition’. On display will be some of the never before seen works of artists Lalit Sharma and his father Chiranjeev Lal Sharma. The fine details and exactitude of the artworks are a true delight to glance at for any art enthusiast.

The artists painted for the ‘Maharajas of Mewar’ and are well known painters from Rajasthan. Lalit Sharma’s works are well known and he is a pro at creating miniatures and Pichwai paintings. His works are influenced from the Rajputana, Mughal, Kangra and Kishangarh Shailees of miniature paintings. Chiranjiv Lal Sharma is a master of Mewar Shailee, which is a unique traditional style. He was awarded with a national award in 1983 for his skills and contribution to the field of art.

The art lovers can also pick up an art piece of their choice from the collection that will be on display. The artworks have been crafted on mediums like vintage hand made papers and silk.

The show is on view till 18th November 2013.

( News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Of the human condition

Somji’s works are an expression of his thoughts about identity, time and space in the Indian society

( Drawing connections between questions of identity and gender)

Through the exhibition “Our concerns over time and space”, the artist Somji draws various parallels to the vastness of the idea of time and space.

First, he explores the idea of physical presence and the search for one’s own space, especially in the way on has to work for it in public spaces.

Then he explores the idea of intellectual space, which in his mind, raises the question of identity in a pluralistic society.

This he does through his series of abstracts, which are almost always filled with figurative elements, mostly human figures, sometimes simply parts of the body or sometimes indistinguishable faces, which he juxtaposes against an abstract backdrop.

Sometimes these backdrops are composed of criss-crossing lines forming boxes, at other times they are composed of flowing lines forming flowing shapes that appear like floral motifs.

( Work at the show)

Meanwhile, the artist draws parallels between his present ideas of time and space with the issues that plague society, such as terrorism and the way it was handled by the administration through his earlier series of works, on the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai.

The artist also draws connections between the questions of identity and gender in the context of and space.

In these paintings, the colours become darker and the figurative elements, more vigorous.

But Somji’s colour palette is “earthy”, comprising shades of burnt sienna, brown, orange and amber, perhaps in keeping with the tone of his subjects.

“I have been dealing with this subject for four years, and this time I have showcases different aspects of the concerns of our time and space. For instance, I have addressed the identity crisis in society which has a telling on the happenings today. I believe that man is failing to identify his counterpart. If he is able to do that, many tragedies can be avoided,” he said.

“I have chosen to keep my work abstract because I believe in spontaneity. It is my thought process which translates into the painting.”

( Report by Harshini Vakkalanka for The Hindu)