Prologue, Spandan - Jaipur and more..

NEWS

Prologue

(work on display)

Vinnyasa Premier Art Gallery, Chennai is hosting a solo art exhibition of the recent works by eminent artist Niladri Paul. This exhibition will be display paintings that create a wonderful bridge between abstract and figurative styles of painting.

Niladri Paul is one of the eminent contemporary artists of the country today. In his current series titled, ‘Prologue’ he tries to capture in abstractions the figures and eloquent movements of various dance forms and nuances of stage and cinema. Dancers in various mudras are brought to life in acrylic on canvases in vibrant colour and form, where the intensity of the intangibility of an art form is made tangible with skill and finesse.

The show is on view till 30th March 2014.

Spandan Jaipur

(work on display)

Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur presents ‘Spandan’, Jaipur’s premier National Art Fair platform for modern and contemporary artists and galleries to showcase their latest creations and collections. It is considered to be among world's most attended fairs as it attracts over thousands of visitors from all across India and the world.

On view are works of 25 groundbreaking artists, who, each in their own time and style, created a new movement in the history of arts. This year the fair aims at taking it a step ahead by delivering a truly enriching art experience to all the visitors.

The art fair is on from 11th April to 16th April 2014.

Anubhuti

Kamalnayan Bajaj Art gallery, Mumbai presents a solo show titled, ‘Anubhuti’ of artwork by artist Shakti Singh Ahlawat, from Haryana. The work displayed has a tendency to lean on the linearity of strokes. While dealing with female figures he gives the impression of going for delicate as well as bold strokes and chromatic harmony; but when he goes to paint rural folk, his approach and technique change.

Strong with line, Shakti Singh has also produced some fine paintings such as “Krishna”. His realistic approach of course speaks a lot for him and his art’s growth. He does wonderful portraits as well in which he excels.

The show is on view from 31st March to 5th April 2014.

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

The lost world

Bangalore-based illustrator/cartoonist Paul Fernandes says his exhibition is a gentle reminder of a vanished paradise

(A slice of Bangalore)

From a pensioner’s paradise where gentlemen in suits riding cycles doff their hats to women with parasols in front of pretty cottages and Colonial lamp-posts, the garden city where the retired man had the luxury of his own garden, to the pub city (with pubs for pensioners, the ‘upper crust’, black-out pub with a free drop home, under world pub and the under age pub), the boom town of real state (complete with parts of old houses up for sale), to the “SillyCon” city, Bangalore (Bungaleuru… Bengaluroo… Bangaluru) has undergone a transformation.

And Paul Fernandes, known for his colourful and detailed illustrations of the city as it was around the 70s, showcases this transformation in a series of black and white-sketches.

The work culminates in a poster, “SillyCon City- The Virtual Reality”, a contrast in many ways to his earlier classic, a poster of M.G.Road as it was then. Paul’s illustrations are currently on display at the Indian Cartoon Gallery in the exhibition ‘Bangalore- Swinging in the 70s’.

The exhibition features both the newer illustrations and his older sketches of old Bangalore, showcasing icons like the Dewar’s bar, the Airlines Hotel, the Victoria Hotel, or the 3 Aces (Cabaret), Everest Talkies or Kohinoor. He also captures the sights and sounds of old Bangalore, of the Bangalore club in 1863, horse carriages on South Parade(‘Traffic on South Parade’), a woman at the Museum Road Post Office in a sidecar, wheelies outside Mount Carmel College or of eggs delivered to the house.

According to Paul, his distinctly humourous cartoons/illustrations are a mixture of styles, of history, documentation and architecture.

“The series on the SillyCon city is a spoof of what happens in the city,” says Paul. “So little has been done preserve the heritage of the city so just looking at this old peaceful slice of life would remind people of the way the city was. The exhibition is a gentle reminder of a paradise that is lost.”

“Even though the old must make way for the new, I wonder if it is possible to give the new buildings some thought.”

‘Bangalore- Swinging in the 70s’ will be on view at the Indian Cartoon Gallery, No.1, Midford House, Midford Garden, off M.G. Road, near Big Kids Kemp, Trinity Circle. For details, contact 9980091428.

(Report by Harshini Vakkalanka for The Hindu)

Obituary - Jasu Bhai Naik - An Unsung Veteran passes away..

OBITUARY

Jasu Bhai Naik- An Unsung Veteran Passes Away

(Artist Jasu Bhai Naik)

Jasu Bhai Naik is no more. Like many art teachers who silently prepare many important artists of the future, in many remote corners of our country, Jasu Bhai Naik too was not known to the world. But in South Gujarat everyone knew him, not only as an artist but also a Gandhian and social reformer. He was the guiding spirit of the BA Mehta Kala Mahavidyalaya, Amalsad. Many young artists studied under him, a few of them went for further studies in big city art colleges and became successful. Many of them stayed back in South Gujarat itself which is rich in many industries. Surat and Vapi are the closest industrial towns in South Gujarat and diamond cutting is one of the important industries. So many young artists who get trained in the BA Mehta College join these industries as designers and craftsmen. But they all carry the legacy of Jasu Bhai Naik who even after retiring from service remained the hub of the South Gujarat art and cultural activities till his death on 17^th March 2014, on Holi day. He must have been nearly hundred years old as for a person like him after a certain stage, age becomes irrelevant. He had been suffering from throat cancer for quite some time. But with simple life and positive attitude, and above all his zest for social reforms, he continued to live a comparatively pain free life.

Though I do not belong to Gujarat, I have some emotional connections with South Gujarat as it was there I had first witnessed how art was taught and practiced in small town art colleges. The person who took me there was artist Somu Desai, an alumnus of BA Mehta Kala Mahavidyalaya. I met Somu in 2007 and the next year itself I visited him at Pardi, near Vapi, and he took me to his college. From there he took me to Jasu Bhai Naik’s house and Somu had insisted that it was imperative to meet the man who had given some status to the artists in South Gujarat who otherwise were considered to be just artisans and craftsmen. He received us with a grandfather’s enthusiasm and love. I could feel the Gandhian spirit in his demeanour and dress. His smile was benevolent. He spoke in Hindi and in broken English. And when he really wanted to express himself he spoke in Gujarati and Somu translated for me. 

Jasu Bhai Naik was an old school artist. He learnt his techniques in the British Academic style which was promoted by the J.J.School of Art in Mumbai. Most of the central western and central Indian art colleges followed the J.J.School syllabus and the accent was given on developing academic skill. Jasu Bhai Naik was trained in this school of thought but instead becoming a portrait artist or becoming a part of the growing industries in and around his town, Jasu Bhai decided to be a social activist. He promoted art and culture amongst people and was instrumental in establishing art programs in many schools in the Amalsad area. He was one of the founding fathers of the BA Mehta Kala Mahavidyalaya. He took the initiative to conduct art workshops and exhibitions of the local artists. Though, BA Mehta College was not a full-fledged graduate college, he inspired many of his students to go to other art institutions to get higher education. In a true Gandhian way, he inspired the young artists to develop sustainable models of living so that they could pursue their art with freedom and dignity.

Somu Desai remembers that Jasu Bhai Naik understood the value of art and he felt the necessity for small town artists establishing their independent career. When Somu Desai, after graduating from the BA Mehta College, decided to shift to Mumbai to earn as a designer, Jasu Bhai Naik’s advice was to get back to art once he found enough money to do so. Somu says that he always remembered his master’s words. After working in the field of textile designing for a few years, Somu shifted his base to Baroda and started learning things from the young graduates from the Fine Arts Faculty. He at once became a mentor to many and a learner from many. And like his master, he inspired many other young art graduates from BA Mehta College to go to Baroda or elsewhere to study and practice art. Somu says that his inspiration comes from Jasu Bhai Naik. Another artist, Akshay Naik, who heads the Applied Art Department of the BA Mehta College, also believes that Jasu Bhai Naik was a unique personality who inspired a lot of artists in South Gujarat. Jasu Bhai Naik lives on in the minds of the artists from South Gujarat. 

JohnyML

NEWS

Rhythm of Life

(Work by Vinay Bagde)

Gallery Pradarshak, Mumbai presents a solo show of artist Vinay Bagde. The show is titled, ‘Rhythm of Life’ and displays some of the acrylic on canvas works of the young artist from  Latur. The vibrantly coloured works display the influence the artist has felt by the rural surroundings and tribal life of the Lamani tribe. 

Rendered mostly in figuratives, the works displaymen and women of the tribe actively trying to be part fo an urban setting, be it as construction workers or as day labourers deviating from their original occupation of tending cattle.

The works are on view from 18th March to 29th March 2014.

Gitanjali and Sea Inside

India International Centre, New Delhi presents a solo show titled, ‘Gitanjali and Sea Inside: Parallel Journeys’. The show will display art works by artist Nibedita Sen. The show is a reflective study presentation with an array of prose, verses, paintings and installations. 

The artist has tried to trace a parallel between the word images of Tagore and her own visual metaphors, which she feels are the reflections evolving from a similar amalgamation of inward and outward journeys.

The show is on view till 29th March 2014.

Portraits & Scenes de Vie

(Work by Pichaya Manet)

Alliance Francaise de Madras, is displaying some of the original paintings of artist Pichaya Manet. Reminiscent of the early 20th century Fauvists, his paintings are an intensity of colour and exaggeration of form. The show is titled, ‘ Portraits & Scenes de Vie’.

The artist is not afraid to interpret what he sees with a spontaneous freedom that stems from his passion for dance. A modern vision is juxtaposed with the traditional, while an innate sense for rhythm remains the key to each piece.

The show is on view till 19th March 2014.

Courtesan

( Work on display)

Apparao Galleries, Chennai presents a spectacular group show of art works by eminent contemporary and upcoming artists. The show is titled, ‘Courtesan’. The word courtesan evokes vision of sensual women who were aware of the effect of their sexuality and its power over people, unafraid and strong. In a time marked by hedonism, refinement, extravagance, intrigue and beauty. The courtesans used their weapons for survival in such a society.

The show aims to bring to life these forgotten women and their ways of life by celebrating beauty, wit, sex, refinement and elegance.

The show is on till 5th April 2014.

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

Terrafly, The Elephanta Festival, Stalked and more..

NEWS

Terrafly

( work by K S Radhakrishnan)

Art Musings gallery, Mumbai presents a solo show of sculptures by renowned sculptor, K S Radhakrishnan. The show is titled, ‘Terrafly’ and on display will be the exquisite small and large scale sculptures in various mediums. 

The show will be hosted at the Jehangir Art Gallery, Auditorium hall and will preview on 20th March 2014 and on view till 25th March 2014.

Terrafly will be on show later at Art Musings Gallery from 26th March to 15th April 2014.

Retrospective

( work on display)

DakshinaChitra, Chennai will be presenting the works of eminent painter, Alphonso Arul Doss, under the title, ‘Retrospective’. It will be a collection of his paintings and drawings since the 1950s until now. There are about 60 works on display that include realistic portraits, water colours, and signature paintings on Christ, Nataraja and time and space series.

The artist was a professor and the principal of a prestigious college of arts and crafts for many years and groomed many famous and talented artists of today. He painted in the period when India was still a young nation and artists were eagerly exploring new facets of freedom and how they could relate to it through their paintings.

He has been the recipient of numerous awards including the National award in 1988. His works are in galleries and collections all over the world. He has held several one man shows in India, Holland, USA, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Bangkok.

The show is on view till 25th March 2014.

The Elephanta Festival 2014

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) is organising the 25th edition of Elephanta Festival. The schedule of the event planned is as follows:

March 15, 2014 at Gateway of India 6:00 pm onwards - 

National and international artists like kathak dancer and actress, Prachee Shah; vocalist and tabla player, Pundit Raja Kale; Indian classical flute maestro, Pundit Hariprasad Chaurasia, saxophonist and composer, George Brooks and harpist, Gwyneth Wentick will enthrall audience with their performance.
 
March 16, 2014 at Gateway of India 6:00 pm onwards -

National and international artists like Indian classical dancer and Marathi actress, Tejaswini Lonari; sufi vocalist and Hindi playback singer, Kavita Seth; kathak dancer, Anu Sinha and sitar maestro, Nishat Khan will add charm to the serene evening.
 
March 15, 2014 – March 16, 2014 - Heritage Walk at Elephanta Caves 11:00 am onwards

Renowned academicians Dr Suraj Pandit and Mr Sandeep Dahisarkar will take the participants through a guided tour of the Elephanta Caves.

March 15, 2014 – March 16, 2014 – Sculpting and Painting Contest @ Elephanta Caves
08:30 am – 03:00 pm

The contest is open to all and the entry for the festival is free.

Stalked

Offroad Films presents a solo exhibition of photographs by artist and filmmaker Aishwarya Arumbakkam. The exhibition opens up with an introductory talk by the artist followed by the launch of a limited edition zine. Images and words dodge and find each other in this zine that acquires the voice of a victim enduring stalking. Urgent and in the present tense, the zine battles with several complex emotions like fear, violation, guilt, withdrawal, frustration and resistance.The artists in collaboration are Kabini Amin and Bhavana Vyas Vipparthi.

Opening at Atta Galatta this photography exhibition “Stalked” is an essay of photographs that gives voice to the alarmingly unspoken, ignored and misrepresented trauma of stalking in an attempt to trigger understanding and dialogue. Through the medium of black  and white film photography, the artist portrays a vicarious experience of trauma by expressing the victim’s battle with the intangible encounter and the scars it leaves behind on them. All the people featured in the photographs are victims of stalking.

The show is on view at 7:00 pm onwards on 20th March 2014.

( News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Life in the spiritual lane

The paintings display myriad inspirations that form diverse styles

( work on display)

Every once in a while all of us need a little inspiration. It could be from anywhere – nature, spirituality, an incident or an individual. It is exactly this which is reflected in the collection of paintings on display at Alankritha Art Gallery. Titled ‘Life Inspired’, this collection of paintings by three artists; M.S. Vasu, Nirmal Karmakar and Avinash Deshmukh, showcases little things that they draw inspiration from.

( work on display)

Nirmal Karmakar for instance draws his inspiration from Krishna. His series of paintings all showcase Krishna in various moods and situations – in one place he is lost in his music and in others he shares tender moments with Radha. Even as Nirmal celebrates Krishna as the true Indian hero, the focus in most of his paintings seems to be on the face and its myriad expressions with an intelligent use of colour and brush strokes.

( work on display)

M.S. Vasu on the other hand depicts a series of sermons being delivered by a monk to all the living beings in nature. From an elephant to a bird, the monk delivers sermons to every living being, with each creature signifying a Brahma Rishi. The message he wants to pass on is that everybody listens keenly when a monk preaches. All the while his works celebrate the various elements of nature and have an air of serenity about them. He uses immense detailing in the backdrop of his paintings with religious symbology and scriptures.

( work on display)

Avinash Deshmukh’s works on the other hand stand apart; he celebrates the innocence of childhood while breaking away from the spiritual line of thought. His series of art works using acrylic on canvas all explore the various moods of two children – a girl and a boy as they go about their lives. From the amazement and wonder of discovering something new to the calm innocence in their sleeping faces, he explores every mood that a child undergoes.

( work on display)

This exhibition of paintings is on view till March 15 at Alankritha Art Gallery.

(Report by Ranjani Rajendra for The Hindu)

A Tree in my backyard, The Nanyang Spirit, India Song and more..

NEWS

A Time to Dream

Apparao Galleries, presents a show titled, ‘A Time to Dream’ at the Sandy’s, Chennai. the show focuses on the works of two artists,  Farhan Mujib and Pradeep Nerurkar, inviting the viewer to ponder on the concept and power of dreams. 

Dreams have been the precursors and answers to many a problems, also as inspirations to artists, writers, philosophers and thinkers for centuries. The show encourages the viewer to delve deep within themselves and find out what their dreams have presented to them individually.

The show is on view from 13th March to 14th May 2014.

India Song

( Work byKaren Knorr)

Piramal Gallery of National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai presents British photographer Karen Knorr’s four-year-long Deutsche Börse Photography Prize nominated ‘India Song’ at the new Tasveer show. It features images from Rajput traditions, taking inspiration from the cultural and wildlife heritage of India besides fables from Panchatantra, and references to orientalist appropriations of Indian culture, as well as the personification of animals seen in folklore. 

Most images are a collage of stunning architecture across Rajasthan, Delhi and Hampi, photographed, which is scanned and digitally combined with photographs of animals. Knorr transfixes the viewer with her surreal views, peppering her work with considerations of caste, femininity and how they relate to the animal world.

The show is on view till 19th March 2014.

The Nanyang Spirit

( Work on display)

Art Spice Gallery, at the Metropolitan Hotel, New Delhi presents a show titled, ‘The Nanyang Spirit’. The twenty two Singaporean artists, each with a unique style of painting, are all representatives of the ‘Nanyang’ spirit. 

Having grown up in Singapore during the developmental period, some of these artists have experienced the tensions between tradition and modernity, enabling them to incorporate these elements into their painting styles. Such is the essence of the ‘Nanyang’ spirit. In these ‘Nanyang’ artists express their personal unique painting styles in their artworks, often through a blend of multiple stylistic techniques of the East and West, resulting in a varied body of works unified by their focus on Southeast Asian subjects.

The show is on view from 12th March to 21st March 2014.

A Tree from my backyard

( Work by Arunanshu Chowdhury)

Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai presents a solo show of art works by artist Arunanshu Chowdhury.

The show titled, ‘A Tree from my backyard’ features the works by the artist which focus on the amalgamation of cultures, people and where the idea of origin is lost in this give and take.
Depicting the intersection of diversity from a global scenario, the artist blends and presents small scale works and large scale ones as well. this incessant influencing, tends to dilute the original and there is a shift in the equilibrium. 
Trying to visualise the lost traditional with the popular and the so called new, the artist bridges the gap with his works and thoughts of time and movement.

The show previews on 14th March and is on view till 27th March 2014.

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Krishen Khanna On Painting At Night, Drawing With His Eyes Closed And The Modern Cannibal

(Artist Krishen Khanna)

“To this day it makes me wonder how a small lead point peeping out of a pencil can yield so much,” writes Krishen Khanna in his handwritten concept note accompanying his ongoing solo show A Celebration of Lines at Sakshi Gallery. In Khanna’s case, the yield is a body of drawings and canvases dating back over 40 years, encompassing his minimalist experiments with Japanese woodcuts and his gory vignettes of ghoulish cannibals, and harking back to a childhood spent in Lahore and being witness to the violence of Partition. The 88-year-old Khanna, who quit a career in banking and joined the Progressive Artists’ Group at the behest of M. F. Husain, his friend and fellow painter, spoke to us from Gurgaon about painting at night, drawing with his eyes closed and sleeping at the early hour of 11pm. Edited excerpts:

In your concept note you say, “Sometimes I even close my eyes and let the point roam”. Is there a work in the show that started from that point?
No, I don’t think so. I’ve used this methodology many times in the past as well. It doesn’t become evident though, it gets scrubbed out, I go over it and use what I need. It’s a combination of the unconscious and the conscious mind.

You have a lovely work of an old lady called “Bye Bye Miss Amery”. Who was she?
She was an old Brit who lived in Lahore. She used to teach English and was employed by my father to teach my mother English. My mother was very young, my father was considerably older and more educated. She was a regular in the house, and used to come three times a week to teach English. She (Miss Amery) was a big, fat, old lady, she melded into the sofa she was sitting in, so you couldn’t very well distinguish where her clothes ended and the sofa began. She was an amusing woman and very proper.

There are a series of drawings of ghoulish cannibals, one shown plucking the eyeball of another. What inspired these works?
Well, current situations, where people are eating people, that was about three years ago. Periodically I venture into this kind of horrific drawing which nobody is going to buy, but that doesn’t matter. These are metaphorical drawings of what is going on today in many ways. There’s a depletion of love, and increase in the variety of hate.

( Selection of a Target)

Could you tell us a little more about the work of the man peeping out from a tree (see image, at left)?

This was apropos of the assassination of Saunders, who everyone said was shot by Bhagat Singh. Of course it was a whole lot of people who did it. [In this work] there’s this chap in the tree, he’s photographing the cavalcade which used to past underneath my window. I saw this fellow, and I asked the chap looking after me, who is this fellow and he said he’s just bird watching. Later on it dawned on me, he wasn’t watching birds, he was looking for a target. This was in Lahore.

How do you spend your day?
I do get up early to start painting, the evenings I spend doing drawings. I go to bed relatively early, around 11pm. I used to go to bed much later than I do now. All these drawings were done more or less in the evenings. I used to read a lot. The thing is I read a lot of poetry. I still remember a lot of poetry, and the poetry I remember I don’t need to read, I verbalise it to myself. The various images from the poems, things I’ve seen, they all meld and work together in an image, which I then might be interested in painting and drawing.

Do you still paint at night as you used to do with M. F. Husain?
We used to have night sessions in a little studio. I’d be painting, he’d break off and say, ‘You carry on painting, I have to say my prayers’. I was painting, and he was saying his prayers in this tiny little studio. Those were very happy times. Night is a wonderful time to work, no disturbance, no telephones. Of course I was much younger then.

(Report sourced from Mumbai Boss)

OBITUARY - Prafulla Dahanukar (1934 - 2014) Of Immortality through Art..

OBITUARY 

Prafulla Dahanukar (1934-2014) - Of Immortality through Art

When one tries to retrace the footsteps of a senior artist who has passed away, one is left facing the hollow transition from the world of the ‘is’ substituted rapidly with the world of the ‘was’. Veteran artist, Prafulla Dahanukar was claimed by history on 1st of March 2014. The void she left behind in the art scene, is comparable only to the irreconcilable chasm felt between the ‘is’ and the ‘was’, observes Sushma Sabnis.

( Artist Prafulla Dahanukar)

‘Prafulla Tai’, as she was lovingly addressed by many who knew her, was renowned for her intense, meditative and soulful abstract paintings. Naturally beginning with the figurative language she moved towards portrayals of landscapes, eventually breaking away from all classifying agencies, to paint ‘Freedom’ in her works. Her attempt was to paint peace through her art works. Her works acted as windows which opened up to vast expanses of an internal ‘space’; a womb of the Universe, where everything co-existed in harmony. She believed this space and freedom reflected the quintessential human mind. Blending the microcosmic and the macrocosmic in a singular thread of her artistic journeys, exploring line, form, colour and texture in her works, Prafulla Tai unlocked windows within the viewer’s mind. Embedded in the paintings were depths of a tranquillity, an energy and a complex interplay between finite and the infinite, reflecting the indomitable spirit of the artist. 

Her keen interest in theatre and classical music also contributed to the essence of her works. The flow and ebb, the crescendo and the tiny flecks of distinct notes reflected in her art works. Her painting series titled, Ragas (1962) are examples of the union of the moods of music with her artistic expression. Her exploration of abstractions in nature had been an influence at an early age and this manifested in her large scale works. She is also well known for her murals in ceramic, wood, fiberglass and glass mediums, which adorn some of the prominent buildings in Mumbai, Kolkata and several other cities. She had a great interest in public art and would often be seen as a keen visitor of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival held at Mumbai. Many of her paintings are in private and public collections in India and all over the world and have been part of several auctions conducted by auction houses like Sotheby’s and Osean.

(Work by Prafulla Dahanukar)

Her friendly nature and charm helped her build an easy rapport with people of all ages, and the support she offered to the younger generations of artists is well known. One cannot forget her reminisce and narrate anecdotes and interactions with renowned artist  MF Hussain who she admired and who she dedicated her poem to during his memorial service held at Jehangir Art Gallery in 2011. Prafulla Tai was also known for being a part of the art movement in India along with several well known founder members of the movement.  She set up her studio in Lonavala where her humanitarian side came into focus when she was involved as the main trustee of an orphanage called Bal Anandgram for thirty years.

Born in Goa, Prafulla Tai was a J J School of Art, Mumbai (1955) graduate. She was later granted a year long scholarship to pursue her studies at the Echole de Beaux Arts and Atelier 17, Paris(1961). She had been having shows of her works since 1956, and won a silver medal at the Bombay Art Society Portrait Exhibition, later on becoming the President of the Society from 1993-1998. Apart from this she had been on the committee of Jehangir Art Gallery, Lalit Kala Akademi, Goa, and also was the President of The Art Society of India and the Chairperson of the Artists' Centre, Mumbai.

(Prafulla Dahanukar at the Neerja Modi Art Camp in 2009)

When one visits the web site of this impactful artist who dedicated her life to art, one is overwhelmed by her accomplishments in the eighty years of her fruitful life. She was someone whose art career spanned over 50 years, not just as a prolific artist but also as a patron of the arts, a guide to upcoming artists and an inspiring human being. One would often find her in the galleries visiting the art shows, interacting with the artists and students, sharing valuable experiences of her art practices with them.

There is a certain unavoidable grief felt at the loss of an individual who has touched and influenced so many lives in a good way, but it would be pessimistic to say that an artist is dead. Artists can never die, because they live on through their works, their art becomes a living entity for all to become part of. In that sense each time a viewer connects with her art, Prafulla Dahanukar would come alive in the minds and hearts of the viewers, making her immortal.

Prafulla Dahanukar lives on in the memories of her husband, Dilip Dahanukar, and daughters, Gopika and Gauri and the entire art fraternity.


(All images have been acquired from the internet for illustrative purposes only)

NEWS

Chasing Mirrors

( Work on display)

Apparao Galleries, Delhi presents a group show of artists titled, ‘Chasing Mirrors -  A reflection and exploration of urban geographies’. With a focus singularly on the cities that we live in today, which are in a state of change constantly. The show addresses the coexistence of chaos and tranquillity, modernity and tradition, the materialistic and the spiritual, all popping up at every twist and turn in a city street. This colourful deterministic and indeterministic chaos is reflected in the cityscape, defining and redefining the geography of the urban space in an ever changing dynamic state of existence. This has acted as an inspirational elixir for the artists who have tried to portray it in their art works.

The participating artists are, Alexis Kersey, Dhasan, Kumar Ranjan, Mainaz Bano, Mukta Wadhwa, R M Palaniappan, Rajeev Kumar, N Ramachandran, Rohini Singh, Suchit Saini, Vidhan Kumar and Vinita Dasgupta.

The show is on view till 30th April 2014 at The Lodhi, New Delhi.

Mood

( Work by Ribaka Nikam)

Gallery Pradarshak, Mumbai presents a solo show of art works by artist Ribaka Nikam. The show is titled, ‘ Mood’ and on display are works by the artist rendered in acrylic on canvas. 

Ribaka is a painter, sculptor and a ceramist who uses all the elements to aptly portray her thoughts in art.The works are primarily figurative with narrative quality distinct to her style. Using bright hues and vibrant colours she anoints the works with a certain amount of positivity and movement. Using the child Buddha as a muse, she depicts the visages of her the muse in multiple representations. Introducing at times decorative elements and layering the visages with a narrative element, the works are replete with textural nuances made with calligraphy and other skills, uplifting the paintings.

The show is on view till 14th March 2014.

Women With Substance

Prakrit Art Gallery, Chennai is celebrating International Women’s day by commemorating Women artists from all over India and showcasing their works. A unique show will be held at the gallery, which will feature works of these women artists who have faced struggle and challenges in life to get to a respectable stage in life.

The participating artists are, Asma Menon, Arpana Kaur, Bandana Kumari, Gita, Hemlatha, Kamla Ravikumar, Mariam Castelli, Razia Tony, Rini Dhumal, Seema Kohli, Seema Ghurayya, Shipra Bhattacharya, Thejo Maye Menon.

A percentage from the sale of paintings will be donated to CanKids by these women artists and Prakrit Arts who wants to sensitize people about working for noble causes through their art.

The show commences on 10th March and is on view till 15th March 2014.

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

Video Art at BDL Museum, Cultural Colours, Chitramela 2014 and more..

NEWS

Video Art at BDL Museum

( work by Baiju Parthan)

Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai launches its new program, ‘Video Art’ at the Education centre. Curated by Gayatri Sinha, the program titled,’ Critical Collective’ showcases a series of compilations of the works of artists whose practice involves video and multi-media.

Feature addresses urbanism, societal change and the metaphors of scientific development to interrogate the impact of globalism. While the work ‘The Panic City’ by Gigi Scaria induces vertigo, the interrogation of colonial processes in Raqs Media’s 'Surface' mark the dislocations of progress. Baiju Parthan, Gigi Scaria and Sheba Chhachhi create evocations around the passage of time and the changes it effects.The viewing will run over a 12 month period in monthly editions. The first edition examines 6 artists/groups whose works explore the conflicted issue of change and urbanism. 

Starting on 1st of March 2014, from 4:30 to 5:30 pm, these editions will be screened every Saturday at the same time.

Cultural Colours

(work on display)

Vinnyasa Premier Art gallery, Chennai presents the works of artist Mohan S Jadhav, from Maharashtra. The show titled, ‘Cultural Colours’ has on display his work which includes colourful paintings of  Kathakali dancers, festivals exclusively celebrated for bullocks, and camels.

Mohan works as a freelance artist. He paints in watercolours, oils and acrylic. His paintings are basically based on rural imagery, farmers, bullock carts, fishermen, boats, pet animals, riverscapes, flowers and heritage monuments.

The show is on view from 1st March to 10th March 2014.

Chitramela 2014

Achalam Art Gallery, Chennai is having an International Art Exhibition, ‘Chitramela 2014’ at its venue for a duration of two weeks. Paintings, drawings, sculptures and photographs from artists all around the world will be displayed in this exhibition. 

The exhibition aims to act as a platform for young upcoming talent and renowned masters’ works to be displayed for the benefit of art lovers and buyers and collectors alike.

The show will be on view till 9th March 2014.

The young and restless

( work on display)

La Galerie D’Expression, Chennai presents the works of artist S J Jaya Goutham.  The artist is from Chennai and at a young age of 20 has already displayed his work in most of the major galleries in the city. He is currently in his second year pursuing his Bachelor of Visual Arts at the Chitrakala College of Fine Arts at Bangalore. He has completed his technical examinations in free hand outline and model drawing.

He started his journey of art and painting in the year 2008 and has explored the heights of his imaginations. He has received awards from many notable people, couple of them being Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and Mr Surjit Singh Barnala.

On display at the show are a selection if his exquisite figurative and emotional works. 

The show is on view till 28th February 2014.

( News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Aam in Art

As politics gets messier, the common man finds a voice on the canvases of Siva Kesav Rao.

(Some of the works from Rao’s exhibition based on the issues of jal satyagraha, riots in Muzaffarnagar and blasts in Sivakasi, etc.)

All isn’t well and it clearly reflects in Siva Kesav Rao’s works on display at Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA). At times faceless, in grief, struggling to survive, in conflict with those in power, they surround the viewer in the top hall of the gallery space. The monochrome in charcoal brings out the pathos even more strongly with the density of black absorbing the onlooker totally. All 40 pieces of Rao, mostly in charcoal barring a few in dry pastels and oils, are rooted in our daily lives, and they go on to include the latest growing phenomenon of protest and agitation. Ask the Hyderabad-based artist if the movements of Arvind Kejriwal and Anna Hazare ignited this body of work, and Rao reveals that he has remained preoccupied with socio-political subjects for a while, before street agitations became the norm.

(work from Rao’s exhibition based on the issues of jal satyagraha, riots in Muzaffarnagar and blasts in Sivakasi, etc.)

A particularly interesting work is a 30-year-old painting depicting a muscled man occupying a seat of authority. This canvas flanks a work which has Mahatma Gandhi on it, whereas on the other side of the painting of Gandhi is one depicting the current Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, wearing dark black glasses and a wristwatch with no hands. The artist recollects the past through Gandhi who went on to become Father of the Nation, then casts a gaze at the present through the portrayal of the current Prime Minister, considered reticent, and then hints at the future of Indian polity through an unlikely person wielding control. “The painting became relevant today so I included it,” says Rao who also incorporated a few Gandhi works from his last year’s series on him. Rao who studied at Hyderabad College of Fine Arts and M.S. University Baroda has also mastered the craft of natural dyeing and hand block printing.

(Some of the works from Rao’s exhibition based on the issues of jal satyagraha, riots in Muzaffarnagar and blasts in Sivakasi, etc.)

“Something dreadful happens today, we talk about it and then forget it the next minute. At least these works will create a record of the happenings around us if nothing else. In any case I am not interested in drawing room art. Art should be socially provocative,” says Rao pointing at his dense works on unmanned railway tracks, child labour, corruption and communalism, etc.

(Some of the works from Rao’s exhibition based on the issues of jal satyagraha, riots in Muzaffarnagar and blasts in Sivakasi, etc.)

And nothing else except the medium of charcoal, which is difficult and not that popular, would have done justice to the subject enabling the artist to employ the chiaroscuro technique successfully, which then brings out the poignant mood portrayed. Two women crying, holding each other, mourning the loss of their beloved ones in a fireworks unit blast at Sivakasi, is one such example.

(Some of the works from Rao’s exhibition based on the issues of jal satyagraha, riots in Muzaffarnagar and blasts in Sivakasi, etc.)

But even where he leaves the company of charcoal to take to oil, Rao remains as effective. In a work on the Muzaffarnagar riots, which is from his future series, Rao says, he is trying to express more with colour and form. A sparsely populated canvas with three figures, out of which two are injured kids lying down while the third one looks away with clenched jaws, has the red on the faces and hands of the sufferers, communicating their angst. His division of canvases into triangles also adds novelty to the work. There is another set of works, again from Rao’s future series, in which he is experimenting with colour and form. These are to do with agitators and their psychology.

At Gallery 8, Lalit Kala Akademi, till March 1st, 2014.

( Report by Shailaja Tripathi for The Hindu)