Demo-Cry, Landfill, Pathway to Abstractism and more..

NEWS

Demo-Cry

(Work by Kesav Rao)

Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi presents a solo exhibition by artist Kesav Rao. The exhibition depicts the common man as the ultimate sufferer. His ordeal in dealing with the 'Babus', the 'Netas', their scams and his own troubled life. 

The artist by the medium of oil on canvas and charcoal and dry pastels on paper, has created artworks that resonate with the apathy of the common man. The art works capture the muffled appeal for everything remotely rational or even humane.

The show is on view till 1st March 2014.

Landfill

(Work by Vivan Sundaram)

The Harrington Street Arts Centre, Kolkata presents a solo show of eminent artist Vivan Sundaram. The show is titled, ‘Landfill’ which is a display of installation of photographs and  video art. The works are a series of videos and large format photographs and photomontages of a city composed of waste and garbage created inside a studio which was photographed later. It was videoed and this was the raw material of the videos. 

The photographs are so clear that viewers will be able to distinguish each and every item of discarded material or junk with which the make-believe city was created. 

The show is on view till 4th March 2014.

Adiwashi Warli Art

Artists Centre, Mumbai is hosting a solo art exhibition of the paintings by artist Anil Chaitya Vangad. This exhibition will showcase the exquisite adiwashi Warli paintings created by this talented artist who is based in Minnesota, USA. 

A self-taught artist, his works have been displayed all across India through various art exhibitions. Using traditional tribal art techniques and fusing them with new interpretations and scenarios, the works stand out as narratives to today’s world as seen depicted in the art works.

The show is on view till 24th February 2014.

Pathway to Abstractism

(Work on display)

Third Eye art gallery, Bangalore presents an exhibition of art works by two artists. The show is titled, ‘Pathway to Abstractism’ and on show will be the works of artists AK Swapan Sarkar and Rajesh V Sheth. 

The show focuses on vibrancy, sensitivity, richness and the depth of Indian art. The paintings highlight the creative nuances of artists with their varied styles, mediums and imagination. In our fast paced world where life is full of stress and high on commercialism, a good piece of art can provide solace, peace and joy to the viewer. It rejuvenates the mind and body.

The show is on view till 28th February 2014.

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Ingredients of possibilities

Photographer Samar Singh Jodha explains how travelling around the world with simple eating habits helps

(Samar Singh Jodha at Diva Café in New Delhi’s Italian Embassy Cultural Centre. Photo: Monica Tiwari)

The day is headed towards the afternoon and the sun is at its shiniest in the diplomatic area of Chanakyapuri. But at Diva Café in the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre, where we sit with Samar Singh Jodha for an informal chat over lunch, nothing is in extreme with winter chill countering the warmth of the sun in the best possible manner. Samar, the nomad, is here from somewhere and will soon leave for somewhere — Nepal to be specific, where his parents live. Italian Embassy Cultural Centre at Chandragupta Marg is hosting his exhibition “Outpost”, which was first shown at the Venice Biennale in 2013, the year when India didn’t have a pavilion, nor many artists to boast of at the significant platform.

In terms of philosophy, it’s not a departure from Jodha’s previous works. In the past, he has documented an endangered tribe in Assam, made a project on India’s elderly, captured the lives of migrant workers that formed the Commonwealth Games work force, and how can one forget about his most seminal work on the Bhopal gas disaster, of which he plans to do a road show abroad and then bring it to Bhopal 30 years to the day after it was struck by the tragedy. “Outpost” was inspired by the habitat of migrant workers in India’s Northeast. “The discarded containers where the miners live in the Northeast become a metaphor for their struggle, pain and loss,” says Jodha, relishing salmon fillet cooked in a wood fired oven with orange and lemon reduction.

Stomach of steel

Travelling non-stop, how does he manage food? “Unlike what people think, I am not a great cook. I can’t cook much in fact. And since I prefer to eat home-cooked food, I just land at friends’ places. If you can’t avoid eating out then yes, restaurants is the only option, but I strictly avoid red meat, tea and cold drinks. And fortunately I have been blessed with a stomach of steel. This habit of oil pulling also does its bit so wherever I travel, I carry a small bottle of oil,” adds the lensman vouching for the freshness of the fish. Eating little helps too. Just one salmon dish and he is fine. He sticks to just plain water and even abstains from the flavourful ginger fizz.

Much before his gaze came to be fixed on the society with all its conflicts, Jodha was preoccupied with lifestyle photography. “Coming from New York, everybody thought I would be apt to do fashion. So I did a lot of work for designers and shot models like Sushmita Sen, Shyamoli Varma but while doing the work for Aman Nath and Ritu Kumar, I got a whiff of the other India,” recalls the photographer about changing tracks.

Ultimately, it’s upon the artist to make a choice, he says. “Whether to create beautiful work or say something and how you say that is also important. Specially in these times when everybody can take pictures from their phones and iPads, etc.; like I take so many pictures on my phone. I am glad that technology has enabled us to do this so I call whatever is happening around me as noise, in a good way.”

(Report by Shailaja Tripathi for The Hindu)