Somnath Hore Retrospective, Recouping Poise, Beyond Sight and more..

NEWS

Somnath Hore Retrospective

( work by Somnath Hore)

Art Heritage Gallery presents a solo exhibition displaying drawings, watercolors and lithographs of late Somnath Hore. Bangladesh born Somnath Hore was an eminent Indian sculptor and printmaker. His sketches, sculptures and prints display the major historical crises and events of the 20th century Bengal. In his works, you can encounter with the Bengal Famine of 1943 and the Tebhaga movement.

Also, Hore started doing bronze sculptures. Mother with Child was one of the largest sculptures that paid homage to the people's struggle in Vietnam. In his works, viewers can see the visual appeal of his work on the rough surfaces, slits, holes and exposed channels.

The show is on view till 20th December 2013.

Recouping Poise

( work by Sanjib Singha)

Recouping Poise is an exclusive solo exhibition of art works by one of the well-known name in the world of art - Sanjib Singha. On display are an eye-catching collection of acrylics on canvas that have been prepared around a music-based theme. 

Born in Midnapure Bengal, 1975, the art works by Sanjib are not a collection of calculated paintings that lay claim to plasticity. Rather, the works are a depiction of the world of sensations that are actually experienced. The works by the artist are a kind of music to the eyes.

The show is on view till 5th December 2013.

Beyond Sight

Alliance Francaise de Bangalore presents another one of the Srishti Interim projects ‘Beyond Sight: Touch the World of Narratives’ which explores the possibility of creating site-specific installations and interactive spaces for the visually impaired. 

It looks at how one creates a narrative or an experiential space which is fun and can be appreciated by visually impaired audience as well as an audience with vision. It involves multimodal-learning approach on experiences that involve sound, touch, movement, drama and olfactory in the installation.

The show is on view till 10th December 2013.

Abstractions of simplicity

( Work by Nagesh Ghodke)

Attic Studio, Mumbai presents the abstract art works of young artist, Nagesh Ghodke. 

His painting represents the textural qualities of earthy tones and the simple subjects of life. Prior to this, the artist work has been displayed at city’s popular art gallery, Jehangir art gallery. Nagesh dwells in abstractions, imparting the experiences of his inner workings on to the canvases. 

The show is on till 17th December 2013.

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Life’s stories in stone

V. Satheesan’s works reflect a creative struggle for freedom from the shackles of society

(Acrobats, one of V Satheesan's works)

Stone takes many shapes and forms in the hands of V. Satheesan, with rough textures and chiselled lines flowing into smooth, weathered planes. The 45-year-old art teacher at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Pattom, in Thiruvananthapuram, is an accomplished sculptor who has been working with stone for over 20 years. In the city for an exhibition of his works at the Durbar Hall Art Gallery, he expresses his love for artistic expression in no uncertain terms, “I love to travel and have had many sparks of inspiration during my journeys, which I promptly sketch on the back of a ticket or a sketchbook. Initially I used to work with clay, and then moved on to wood, plaster of Paris and fibreglass before settling on stone. I feel that an artist needs to keep experimenting, and if something becomes too easy to do, we need to move on to other mediums.”

Born in the village of Kappil, near Thiruvananthapuram, Satheesan’s main artistic influences are his early days in the fields and his time spent in Delhi where he pursued his MFA at the Delhi College of Art. Indicating a sandstone and bronze work depicting a young boy riding a bull, he remembers his childhood. He reveals that his earliest ‘works of art’ were attempts to recreate the toys other children in his neighbourhood had using mud from the fields near his home.

(Sculptor V Satheesan)

Most of Satheesan’s works reflect a creative struggle for artistic freedom from the shackles of society. ‘Silent Yell’ shows a man cupping his hands to his mouth and yelling in desperation as the boat he is seated in fills with water. In a bid to bring some life to the work, the boat is actually filled with water with some fishes swimming inside. ‘Flood’ depicts a man carrying his belongings in a trunk and struggling through chest-high water. “These works are outpourings of my sentiments from when I was in Delhi, when I realised that there is no place for an artist in our society. But there are other things I learnt during those periods of struggle, the kindness of random strangers, the comfort provided by the company of a bird that sits on your windowsill... All these emotions I express through my art. If I do not, I feel like a pressure cooker in need of release,” he says. These lighter emotions are displayed in ‘Together’, which shows many different types of birds riding together on the horns of a yak and ‘Rest’, which is a moment of stillness where a stone worker takes a break with his tools in a rocky enclave.

Despite its tedious nature, Satheesan says his work invigorates him. “It takes a lot of effort, but it is fulfilling. I work from 6 to 10 every morning, part of which involves rubbing the stone with my hands to give it a weathered polish, like the texture seen on the hump of idols of Nandi in temples. I have even taken to building pedestals to display my work on, just to ensure they are strong enough to support the weight and preserve them,” he says. Despite the many trials and tribulations he has faced, his inherent optimism is reflected in his work ‘Lost Territory’ (inspired by O. Henry’s short story, ‘The Last Leaf’) which includes a dried and weathered tree with a solitary bright green leaf standing proud at the top.

Satheesan’s exhibition, ‘Speaking Stones’, is on at the Durbar Hall Art Gallery till December 7, 2013.

(Report by Sooraj Rajmohan, photos by Thulasi Kakkat for The Hindu)