EDITORIAL - Project Art and Rule Book Sex .. and more..

EDITORIAL

Project Art and Rule Book Sex

(A still from The Great Dictator - Charlie Chaplin)

A friend of mine, a Professor in one of the highly acclaimed educational institutions in India, while talking about the meticulousness of teachers and delaying tactics of students in submitting assignments and class works, related the story of a fellow professor, who has been meticulous in planning, precise in delivering lectures and highly organised in life. This friend of my friend is a google addict; not like the students who have set up their ready libraries there, thereby reducing the gravity of research into unbearable lightness. He is addicted to google calendars. Google calendars help one to organise dates and days. Though I have not tried this, what my friend told me about his friend gave me all the reasons to get impressed by this application. He has already planned his life till 2016; his lectures, tours, seminars, papers, publications and what not!

In this impressive feat (which I along with many others find a bit Quixotic) he dares time, emotions, instincts, time and god (if S/he is around) and he challenges all notions of accidents and coincidences. He even challenges fate and remains an ultimate optimist. Nothing can happen outside these planned programs, he believes. It may be working very well for him. Perhaps, he gets his high out of planning and executing. However, how mechanical and comical it is! As a nature lover he must be watching nature from 8.15 am to 8.24 am and one minute he makes his brisk walking to the car parking. You have seen such people; the professor in Three Idiots. And in the classic, The Great Dictator, Chaplin impersonates Hitler as Adenoid Hynkel who does everything so meticulously; he attends inventors and dismisses them duly after seeing their humungous failures, he models for his sculptor for a few seconds and he plays piano. He sees everything as a project to be attended, maintained and if need be executed. 

(For illustration purpose only)

When I look at some artists or should I say a majority of the artists, I remember my friend’s professor friend and Chaplin’s Hynkel. These days, artists speak of art projects; the projects that they have taken up or planning to take up. They use a different parlance to express their ideas and ambitions. My friend informs me how these days young art students, who have come to the scene during the boom time or the post-boom years, use an absolutely different language, which had been once considered quite crass in artistic circles, of money and market. For example, a young artist or art student takes a studio on rent and he/she speaks of it as an ‘investment’. When an artist buys a few books he speaks of ‘investing’ on books or he is on his way to a project of making a ‘personal library’. Everything is a project, like building a dam or implementing poverty alleviation programs, with a prescribed aim, chartered pathways, data based analysis and waiting for possible outcome. Everything is foreseen as in a ‘project’. 

My question is this: Do we live our lives as if it were a project; well planned, chartered and absolutely devoid of surprises? What a horrible life it could be! Today, most of the works of art that fail to surprise me or impress me (or many) mainly because they all look like a ‘project’, carefully planned and eminently executed. They are clinically sanitized pieces of art. They are the results of disinfected thoughts. They come from fumigated channels of dried up emotions. They are the results of silenced surprises. They are the results of an ending foretold with an ineffective narrative in the middle. They are like those bridges that start from somewhere and end up hanging in the air. They are like the alleys that take you nowhere. They are like an aquarium of artificial fish. They are like the archives of a cross word puzzle player who has played Cantonese crossword puzzles all his life without knowing a word in that language. They are like the collection of negatives with no images. But they are meticulously planned and executed.

(For illustration purpose only)

The curse of our time is this project based art. Art cannot be project based. Sex is not sex when it is done as a project. Eating is not eating when it is planned as a project. Dreams stop at that point where projects start. If you read the lives of great artists, scientists, social reformers, philosophers, poets, literary giants, musicians, dancers and so on, you could see how they have led a life of trial and error, revelations and dreams, aimless meanderings and accidental findings; none approached their lives and careers as a project. People go to Brazil or Switzerland or Island for three months on a residency program, take up a project, complete and come back. From then onwards they start speaking of projects, projects and projects. Today Indian art is not exciting because everything in art has become projects. Artists are engineers and program directors than dreamers and creators. 

I am not a puritan when I say there should not be projects. I don’t even say that. What I say is this one has to dream, one has to wander, one has to err and one has to experiment before one arrives at a work of art. Proficiency, genius, talent and practice make it quite natural. It is like a singer sings, a flower blooms, a wind blows, a wave lashes and an eyelid winks. Artists could make use of social contacts, helps, mechanical support and everything after this stage of dreaming and aimlessly walking. Go back to the surprise of that child who accidentally finds a coin from the bushes and runs to the ice cream van and gets his cherished cone cream. And also become the vague sadness mingled with a strange happiness of that child who wakes up and finds that getting the coin and cone was just a dream. 

JohnyML

NEWS 

Swiss Positions

( A photography work on display)

Open Palm Court Gallery, New Delhi presents a show of photography by various photographers titled, ‘Swiss Positions’. The show displays a collection of photographs of 

33 Takes On Sustainable Architecture of key projects from the Swiss construction sector over the past twenty years. 

The show is curated by Nathalie Herschdorfer, produced and presented by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). This exhibition is being presented as part of the year long activities of the Embassy of Switzerland in India for the “Year of Swiss Architecture, Design and Engineering in India, 2013 – 14”

This show is on view from 24th October to 31st October 2013.

Creative Landscapes

( A work by Shantaram Belkar)

Artist’s Centre, Mumbai presents a solo show of recent works by eminent artist Shantaram Belkar. The show titled, 'Creative Visual Expressions’, incorporates his recent innovations of illustrating abstract paintings in enamel colours, acrylic colours using mix media on canvas, line landscapes in oil and acrylic colours on canvas and paper collage.

The show displays a variety of techniques the artist has explored and  will be on view till 13th October 2013.

Breaking the Chains of Stigma

Institute of Contemporary Art, (ICIA) Art Gallery, Mumbai presents for the first time in India by Dr. Guislain Museum in association with TISS, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, The Tata Trust, Visit Flanders and The Institute of Contemporary Indian Arts; an art exhibition on "Breaking the Chains of Stigma" on the occasion of World Mental Health Day. 

The art exhibition will give a global overview of the history of mental health and an outstanding selection of outsider art. The works of outsiders are not in keeping with any common artistic tradition - it is a history that traces the origins of stigma: stigma as a consequence of a disturbing otherness.

The show is on view till 17th October 2013.

Space for Art

( Work on display at the show)

Space Art gallery, Hyderabad presents a group show of eminent and established artists from the Indian contemporary scene.  The show aims to bring a variety of art works rendered differently from one artist to the other.

The participating artists are Seema Kohli, Bhairu Raghuram, Ramesh Gorjala, Srinivas Reddy, Srinivas Tailor, Anand Panchal and Vennimalai.

The works on display are primarily figurative, varying from realistic works to representative, spiritual and  fantastical. Also on display are masks and abstract works.

The show is on view till 15th October 2013.

( News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

Often I Miss You, Samsara, Folder Of Life and more..

NEWS

Often I Miss You

(work by Girjesh Kumar Singh)

Coomaraswamy Hall, of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai presents the works of the extremely talented sculptor, Girjesh Kumar Singh. This exhibition is titled 'Often I Miss You' and his artworks have a communicative quality. He holds the degree of B.F.A and believes there is a special understanding between him and the stone. 

This collection of artwork includes river pebbles, flowers, five granite plates from which he has created a galaxy and stars. Through this collection the artist wants to pay a tribute to nature and our mother land.

The show is on view till 12th October 2013.

Samsara Show

(Work by Radha Binod Sharma)

Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai presents a group show titled, ‘Samsara’. The show displays works by three upcoming artists with a variety of contemporary styles. 
The exhibition displays the paintings of Radha Binod Sharma, Jayesh Rathod and sculptures by Sumitabha Pal.

The artworks of the Radha Binod Sharma engage the viewer and compel them to observe  the paintings. Radha was born in Tripura and holds a diploma and post - diploma in painting. The artist has presented various solo exhibitions and also been a part of several group exhibitions. He has been awarded with 'Delfina Studio Trust' and the 'Charles Wallace India Trust Grant' for his skills.

Jayesh Rathod was born in Gujarat and holds a post - diploma from M. S. University Vadodara. He presents heart touching cityscapes through his paintings. The perfect outline and the use of warm acidic color tones make each artwork a priceless possession. He has been awarded with 'Elizabeth Greenshield' for his commendable artworks.

Sumitabha Pal is an outstanding sculptor and holds the degree of M.F.A and B.F.A. He has presented projects like 'Pointing Method of Stone Carving' and 'Ceramic Shell Casting'. He has been a part of various group exhibitions and has organised several solo exhibitions as well. He has been awarded with many accolades for his works.

The show is on view till 15th October 2013.

Folder of Life

(Work by Ranjit Kurmi)

Artland Gallery, Mumbai presents a solo show of art works by the immensely talented artist, Ranjit Kurmi. The artist has presented his thoughts and imagination through his creativity and colours.

Ranjeet was born in Mumbai and holds a Diploma in Fine Art. He loves paintings subjects that belong to our day to day lives. His works range from decorative art works  to realistic figures and non figurative works. Intense urban landscapes dominate his collection and he brings to life nuances of living in a metro through his works.

The show is on view till 30th October 2013.

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

To Make a Difference

C.D. Jain’s works underline the need to make the world a better place for children

(Artist CD Jain with his works)

On a large white canvas stands a young girl, her back to us. At her feet lie paddy to be harvested and around her head are numerous tiny figures of children with spades and sticks. The creation is one among artist C.D. Jain’s series on child labour. Since 1997, Jain has made children the subject of his work. Of the 400-odd pieces he has created since then, 32 are now at an exhibition titled ‘Mixed Realities of Forsaken Children’.

His lifework was spurred by an incident he witnessed in 1997 in Madurai, where a child sex worker sold flowers by day beside a hotel Jain was staying in. Thus disturbed, he spent the year after that speaking with children across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to build a casebook of interviews with child labourers. His first exhibition of paintings on the theme of children was held in Madurai in 1997 itself and was well appreciated. Jain says, he is by preference an oil painter but created his first works on paper. “The psychological aspect of doing so was to reflect the little strength children have against atrocities,” he says.

Jain’s current show features works from several series in various media. The first few are stark black and white works in charcoal and are smaller in comparison. The more expansive pieces span out in acrylic and have been selected from his “Homeless child”, “Bonded labour”, “Child marriage” and “Destitute child” series. The last depicts a solitary child beneath what appears to be a heavy cross, but could also be interpreted as standing at the crossroads. Jain says his Christian upbringing and its associated symbols do invariably find their way into his art. Most of Jain’s children are also seen in agrarian backgrounds, against trees and in fields. For instance, his “Benign Forest” series has a deep blue canvas chock-full of trees which surround a mother and her child. “That’s probably because I was raised in Kerala, and those images of rural life have stayed with me,” says Jain. He is now settled in Mumbai.

Jain is also a child educator who works to provide children a holistic education which prioritises art. His efforts have been primarily with street children. “We begin by just giving kids plain paper and crayons to express themselves however they choose. The change we see in them in just weeks is remarkable,” he says. These experiences of happiness among children are reflected in several of his pieces on display here. Bright block colours background playing kids—evidence enough of the simple joys of childhood. The exhibition is on at Durbar Hall Art Gallery from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. till October 14th 2013.

(Report by Esther Elias, Photo by Thulasi Kakkat)

Devi Devi, Beyond Borders, Harkat and more..

NEWS

Devi Devi

(Work at the show)

Art Indus Gallery, New Delhi presents an exhibition by ten women artists during the Navdurga festival in a contemporary context to raise awareness amongst people, and influence their attitudes and mindsets. The show is titled, ‘Devi Devi’.

The objective of the exhibition is to celebrate the power, beauty and glory of nine Goddesses from Indian Mythology. The nine participant artists are Arpana Caur, Seema Kohli, Shipra Bhattacharya, Jayasri Barman, Gogi Saroj Pal, Kanchan Chander, Bulbul Sharma, Kristine Michael, Rini Dhumal, and Vasundhara Tewari Broota.

The show is on till 26th October 2013.

Beyond Borders

(Work by T Vaikuntam)

Experimental Ar Gallery, New Delhi presents a unique group show titled, ‘Beyond Borders’ of a number of artists, from different countries. The works on display are rendered in oil on canvas and water colours by artists from India, Pakistan, Bhutan and more, presented by Drawing Room Art Gallery, Sanam Taseer & Swastika Art Gallery. 

The participating artists are T. Vaikuntam, Suhas Roy, Salman Farooqui, Sanjay Bhattacharya, Imrana Tanveer, Karma, Tahir Ali Sadiq, Ramzan Jafri  and Imran Chanana.

The show is on from 18th October to 21st October 2013.

Prarambh

( Work by Radhika Bawa)

Ravindra Natya Mandir, Mumbai presents a show of three women artists, titled ‘ Prarambh’. A passion for art and a longing to spread their wings as artists led Karishma Wadhwa, Radhika Bawa, Shalu Agarwal to showcase their work.

 The most interesting thing about the exhibition is that each artist has their own muse, an inspiration and a subject that defines them as artists. Karishma for whom spirituality has been a way of life has ‘Buddha’ as her subject. Radhika on the other hand showcases a series of ‘Horses (Ashva)’ as for her the horse is the perfect example of a dichotomy in a nature. As for Shalu, she brings to life a collection of ‘Lotuses’ which represent sensitivity and emotion.

The show is on view till 13th October 2013.

Harkat 

(Performance Artist Inder Salim)

Space 118, Mumbai presents a performance art show by eminent performance artist Inder Salim. The show is titled, ‘Harkat’ and involves the artist learning and unlearning the processes of art formation, which become integral to the work. 

Bending the predictable aesthetics, dismantling them and re forming them is newer perspectives are the forces driving his performance art.

The show is on at 5:00 pm at Space 118, Mumbai on the 15th October 2013.

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Strokes of Divinity

For mural painter Prince Thonnakkal, who is in Chennai to conduct a workshop, the art is his passion.

(Anantha sayana by mural artist Prince Thonnakkal.)

The sun is at its zenith and the stream of pick-up vehicles servicing the noon shift at the IT parks, make a constant drone. But inside ‘Craft Nest’ in Chennai, there is calm. Figures in languid postures, with tranquil eyes lean against startlingly detailed backdrops on sheets of white canvas stretched over the tiled floor. They are being brought alive in colour by eight students bending over their work. A soft spoken man is demonstrating the painting of waves with a brevity of brush work that speaks volumes about his experience. He is Prince Thonnakkal, who teaches the fine art of traditional Kerala mural painting.

In Chennai to conduct the Kerala Mural Workshop, Prince takes time off to speak about his life-long passion. “The speciality of Kerala murals is the profusion of line drawings in the paintings and their distinctive colouring,” he says. Originally found as cave paintings in the ancient Thirunandikkara Cave Temple, murals adorned the walls of more than 150 prominent temples all the way from Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in the south to Thodeekkalam Siva Temple, Kannur, in the north.

“There were stylistic differences in the way murals were painted in the north and south,” points out Prince. “Primarily because of the depth of involvement in a project, an artist may well spend roughly half his lifetime at a single temple. Since travel was limited, his style was seen only in temples around where he lived and worked.”

Dhyana slokams

( Muralist Prince Thonnakkal)

Notwithstanding stylistic differences, all murals strictly adhere to the Dhyana Slokams of each deity that they represent. These Dhyana Slokams were codified by the famous Namboodiri family of Kanippayyur Mana. These are strictly followed by idol makers and mural painters alike. Within the framework, which would decide the deity’s posture, colour, ornaments and so on, the artists could express their individual styles.

When fire ravaged the Guruvayoor temple in 1970 that destroyed a large part of the temple’s murals, the authorities started looking for an artist to repaint them. Their choice was the famous Mammiyoor Krishnankutty Nair, who is Prince’s teacher. The Guruvayoor Devaswom went on to set up the Institute of Mural Painting and thus was born the first school for murals outside the guru-shishya parampara.

Prince attributes the renewal of this art to the Institute. It brought mural art out of temples and into public places, hotels, corporates and homes.

“Today, more and more people are exposed to the beauty of murals than they were in the past,” says Prince. “There is now a huge private demand for murals, which is a big boost to both the art and the artist. Also leading artists of today frequently network and share ideas about projects they are working on.”

The techniques

(Prince Thonnakkal and his team work on a temple)

“The technique of correctly mixing the paints and gums can only come with experience,” says Prince.

Traditionally, only four colours were used. Not counting white, which was the unpainted area, the other colours were yellow, red, black and green. All colours are derived from organic sources. The preparation of the surface itself took several weeks of plastering and drying (upto 28 times) using a mix of lime and tender coconut water with the final layer being “only as thick as a tamarind leaf!”

One hears tales from bygone ages of mural subjects exerting subtle influences on the artist doing the painting. Prince shares an unforgettable experience: as his personal offering, he painted murals at the Siva Temple near his home, depicting the story of Markandeya, covering over 300 sq.feet. Even on a tight budget, the expenses did put a strain on his finances. The day Prince did the ritualistic “eye opening” ceremony for the painting, someone placed an order for just emailing images of five paintings. By end of the day, the buyer had deposited in his account, roughly the same amount that Prince had spent on the project. “I felt as if Lord Siva Himself was compensating me,” he says with a catch in his voice.

Prince Thonnakkal will be teaching the next Kerala Mural Workshop at Craft Nest, Thuraipakkam between October 26 and 29. For registrations contact 9840544420, 9789971116, 9444191538.

( Report by Jayalakshmi Gopalakrishnan for The Hindu)

Deep Time, The Reflection Show, Genesis of Memorabilia and more..

NEWS

Deep Time

Khoj Studios, Delhi, brings a new and exclusive art exhibition by Rohini Devasher  titled, ‘Deep Time’. This one is Rohini’s third solo show and the first to preview at the Khoj Studios. The show is a part of an ongoing project that looks to map common points between astronomy and art practice through the lens of metaphor. The works in the show that includes monographed geographies, parts unknown, surface tracking and reading into the stars are explorations of strange landscapes where myth and fiction blur the boundaries of what is real and imagined.

Rohini lives and works in New Delhi. She obtained her MA in Printmaking from the Winchester School of Art in the UK and her BFA in Painting from the College of Art in New Delhi. The artist works in a variety of media including large site specific drawings, video, digital prints, and sound.

The show is on view till 13th October 2013.

The Reflection Show

(Works byShruti Mahajan and Alke Reeh)

Galerie Max Mueller, Mumbai presents unique exhibition titled 'Reflection'. The exhibition will showcase the works of Shruti Mahajan and Alke Reeh. Both the artists have been exchanging the conceptual, visual and contextual elements of their works since a long time. On display will be patterns of a conversation reflecting the ideas linked to architecture, forms, usage of emptiness of lived spaces, whites and working with structure and line.

At this exhibition, attendants will be delighted to watch the 'Reflection' of both the artists' works. Shruti Mahajan and Alke Reeh, both the artists are known for taking part in many national and international exhibitions.

The show is on till 19th October 2013.

Idiosyncratic Expression

(Work by Warsha Lath)

Bangalore located Third Eye Art Gallery’s latest exhibition titled 'Idiosyncratic Expression' features the exquisite works of artists Warsha Lath and Kumar Singha.

Warsha Lath is an artist from Shegaon, who spent her childhood in the coal mining regions of Eastern India. Her creativity was majorly influenced and inspired by the wilderness of these early years. She studied at Sir J.J. School of Arts, Mumbai and worked as a visualiser in advertising agencies in Kolkata and later moved to Bangalore where she finally pursued her love for painting. Since then, she has held many solo and group exhibitions in cities like Bangalore and New Delhi. In her latest exhibition Idiosyncratic Expression, she presents her creative and colourful artworks along with spectacular paintings by the Mumbai based young artist and painter Kumar Singha. 

The show is on view till 31st October 2013.

Genesis of Memorabilia

( Works displayed at the show)

Ailamma Art Gallery, Hyderabad, presents an amazing painting exhibition curated by Koeli Mukherjee Ghose 'Genesis of Memorabilia'. 

The exhibition is showcasing works of 25 artists:  A. Kiran Kumar, Anand Gadapa, Anand Shastri, Bala Bhakta Raju, Bhaskar Rao, Bharath Bhushan, G.Abhinav Bharath, Jagdeesh, Kalidindi Vysali, Karen Rempel, Masuram Ravikanth,M.Shivakumar, Murali, Nirmala Biluka, P. Farzona khanoon, Piu Mahapatra, Priyanka Aelay, Saraswati, Shambhu Prasad Reddy, Shravanthi Juluri, Sridhar, Sukka Karuna, Sukka Sundar, Syeda Ali and Syed Sheikh.

The exhibition features art works in media making it worth a visit.

The show is on view till 25th October 2013.

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

An Inspired Collective

Panthirukulam presents different styles in an exhibition at Orthic Centre

(Works at the show)

Panthirukulam, a group of 12 artists, which is conducting its ninth exhibition in the city, is back with a collection of classy works. This year they are not bound by a theme. So, each artist has given a free reign to his imagination, much to the delight of the viewer.

Mural artist Sasi K. Warrier has digressed from the strictness of the mural to experiment freely with style. He has painted a Ganesha playing the flute in mixed media in textured acrylic background of orange and green. “The Ganesha is often considered a God of the senses. So why can’t he play the flute?” he asks.

Seemon Joseph, whose watercolour has created a name for itself, this time has produced two works in acrylic. One is a steed done in black fluid outline on a coffee-coloured background and the other is just black lines and curves on coffee canvas.

Manoj Mathasseril, too, has brought out a “different” painting this time—an extremely intricate work done in watercolour, coloured inks and poster colour on hand-made paper. It represents the solar system with the sun in the centre and all of life’s beings at the bottom of the canvas. This is his original style, insists Manoj, whose second work is a depiction of Krishna done in languid strokes.

Sunil Moothedath’s love for Nature remains unchanged in his ‘Mazhanoolkanavukal’, an acrylic work done with knife, which takes on the many colours of rain and the night.

Balakrishnan Kadirur's ‘Sleeping Babies’ is an arresting blue and black work in oil and acrylic. While A.A. Ajithkumar paints the common water hyacinth in mysterious shades of purple and black, James P.J. paints a realistic portrait of Mattancherry and the Chinese fishing nets.

Other artists whose works are on display are T.N. Subodh Kumar, Rajan Kadalundi, T.N. Raju, Shyju R., and Joby Ravindran. “The success of Panthirukulam is its unity and the like-mindedness of the artists,” says artist T. Kaladharan, owner of Nanappa Art Gallery. The show is on till October 12 at the Nanappa gallery and is organised by Orthic Creative Centre and Indian School of Arts.

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

Thinking Big Auction, Of Masters and Heroes and more..

NEWS


Of Master and Heroes

(Work on display at the show)

Art Spice art gallery, New Delhi presents an exhibition of selected paintings by modern artists and distinguished masters of South India.The modern masters belong to a generation of progressive artists of the late 1950s and the early 1960s in Madras, the artistic centre of South India.

The participating artists are P Gnana, Pon Raghunathan, C Dakshinamoorthy, A Viswam, P Perumal, N Manoharan.

The style vary from realistic figuration to absolute abstraction. The show is on view till 31st October 2013.


Thinking Big Auction

( Public Notice 2 by Jitish Kallat)

Christie’s and Saatchi Gallery, present a week long show and an evening auction of monumental sculpture and installations during the Frieze week. The special feature of this auction titled; ‘Thinking Big’ is that it features the work of 50 artists who have been shown at the Saatchi Gallery, such as Tracey Emin and the Chapman brothers, as well as newer talents Toby Ziegler, Kader Attia, Conrad Shawcross, Kris Martin and Sterling Ruby. Among the many leading contemporary artists included are Berlinde de Bruyckere, Gert and Uwe Tobias, who had a solo show at London’s Whitechapel Gallery earlier this year; and David Altmejd, Karla Black and Liu Wei, all of whom were selected for Art Basel’s Art Unlimited show of large-scale sculpture this year. Amongst the 50 works is ‘Public Notice 2’ by Mumbai born artist Jitish Kallat. The work was made in 2007 and consists out of four thousand four hundred and seventy-nine painted fiberglass parts and its dimensions are variable.

Thinking Big auction will support the Saatchi Gallery’s ongoing policy of free admission to all exhibitions and its free education program with over 2000 school visits each year.

The exhibition is on from 12th October to 20th October 2013 at London and the Auction is t obe held at 5:00 pm on 17th October 2013.

Poetics of explosion and the drifter

( Work of  Ramesh Pithiya)

Chatterjee & Lal, art gallery, Mumbai, presents the works of CONA resident artist Ramesh Pithiya, ‘The poetics of explosion and the drifter’.  The residency program at Chatterjee & Lal, lasted for 240 hours in collaboration with Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation and CONA.

The artist Ramesh Pithiya, creates interventions into the white–cube space of Chatterjee & Lal; trying to address the issues of the grammar that lie beneath hybridized contemporary art language. 

The show is on view till 17th October 2013.

Blue & Red

( Work by Ravi Mandlik)

Tao Art gallery, Mumbai presents a solo show of recent art works by eminent artist Ravi Mandlik. The show titled ‘The Autumnal Cadences in Blue & Red’ displays a collection of recent abstracts by the artist.

Ravi Mandlik is a J J School graduate in G D. Art in Painting, and was a teaching faculty at L S Raheja School fo art, Mumbai. He has had many solo and group shows to his credit. 

Ravi’s works are primarily abstractions of nature and his interpretations of the world around him

The show is being hosted at the Auditorium of Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, and on view till 14th October 2013.

( News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Art The Way Forward

Young girls from troubled backgrounds in Delhi find a home to empower themselves through art and movie-making

(Expressing through art: at the centre)

A year ago, Meena (name changed), then aged 10 years, was sexually and physically abused by her step father, for the mere reason that the mother was not around to satisfy the man. Today, she has buried the ghost of her past and can expertly solve complex mathematical equations on the abacus. Suman, a deaf and mute girl, does not let her physical disabilities get in the way while expressing herself through art.

Meena and Suman are among the many girls who have found a shot at a dignified life, which in some cases, even their parents can’t provide, at Protsahan India Foundation, in west Delhi. Protsahan has about 250 children enrolled in its two centres at Vikaspuri and Uttam Nagar. The Vikaspuri centre is a drug abuse rescue centre for children and the Uttam Nagar centre caters to girls coming from the red light areas, families involved in the flesh trade, or children who are sexually and physically abused, mostly by their own kin. It works on empowering the children through creative arts, information technology, education, craft work and enables them to support themselves for a sustainable livelihood.

Protsahan boasts of many in-house movies and short films on issues of social relevance, all of which are written, directed and acted in by the students. The children have been trained through a movie-making module and their films show expert handling of camera and cinematography.

Started by Sonal Kapoor in 2010, a former ad film maker, whose encounter with a sex worker in a red light area, during one of her shoots, became the deciding factor in starting Protsahan. Fraught with extreme poverty, the woman was forced to send the eldest of her six children, an eight-year-old, to a red-light area. Meanwhile, pregnant with her seventh child, she admitted to Ms. Kapoor that if it was a girl again this time, she would strangle her just as soon as she would be born. Within an hour of the encounter, Sonal decided to open a creative arts school for sexually abused girls.

The centre at Uttam Nagar has a regular attendance now and has become a popular after-school centre for girls from around the neighbourhood. The children in both centres are taught many styles of art including Warli, Madhubani and Decoupage and are encouraged on experimenting with art. Most sketches and art works are often tales surrounding their personal and community lives. They have also launched a 10-month bridge course where children who have never been to school before and are directly admitted to classes IV or V, after the course.

Ms. Kapoor with her team presented Protsahan at ‘Project Inspire- 5 Minutes to Change the World’— a joint initiative of Singapore Committee for UN Women and MasterCard to help young change makers around the world working for welfare of women and girls around Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and won the top prize of US $25,000 among 577 participants from 60 countries.

“Currently we are in the process of launching the Australian chapter of Protsahan,” said Ms. Kapoor.

( Report by Hansika Chopra for The Hindu)

Allegory and Object, Call for Artists- Confluence 2014 and more..

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Allegory and Object

India Fine Art, Mumbai presents a solo show of works by artist Anjaneyulu G. The show is titled, ‘Allegory and Object’ and displays some exquisite art works which border on intense still lifes. 

The works are rendered in the realistic style and portray everyday objects, stainless steel vessels and containers which the artist paints to capture their ordinariness and their beauty. This ignored beauty of an object is celebrated in his large canvases, elevating them from a utilitarian object to something of relevance to be reckoned with.

The show is on view from  9th October to 23rd October 2013.

Confluence 2014 Call for artists

Galerie ArtEterne, New Delhi calls for artists for its competition and exhibition Confluence 2014 - 2nd edition. The show aims to showcase the Art and Artists through the contest and to get talent recognised by Art patrons. An independent panel of experts will be assessing art which includes noted senior eminent artists, art critics, editors of a leading art publication and a professionals. 

Galerie Art Eterne is working endlessly for the benefaction of the upcoming artists and established artists. Confluence '14 is an absolute place for emerging as well as established artists to participate in the focused, engaged and informed art sector.

 In this art exhibition, artists will have an interaction with eminent artists, media, art buyers which would develop a better and long term relationship to benefit all. On this event an annual art catalogue having art images of the works of participating artists will be released.

Confluence '14 have multifaceted marketing campaign that includes the strategic advertising mix of print & social marketing initiatives.

Artists have the chance to win cash prizes as well as participation in an Art Festival, chosen both by public vote and professional jurors.

Artists can submit paintings, photographs, graphic prints,drawings and sculptures. The last date for submission is 15th November 2013 and the show will be held in January/ February 2014 at Lalit Kala Akademi.

Gennext VII

(A work at the show)

Aakriti art gallery Kolkata presents a group show of artworks by eminent artists titled, ‘Gennext VII’. The show originally started with the intent to promote young and unknown artists, and in its seventh edition, the show presented by Bacchawat Foundation, is for promoting art and culture of youngsters,

Gen Next VII is an all-inclusive exposition of artworks with traditional art forms rubbing shoulders with experimental, conceptual art along with new age art mediums.

The chosen participants for this year are, Jayeti Bhattacharya, Jayeeta Mukherjee, Supriya Polley, Leah-Nicole, Soma Das, Joydeep Bhattacharjee and Subhamay Datta in Painting, Surajit Sarkar in Sculpture and Prashanta Ghosh in New Media. 

The show is on view till 22nd October 2013.

Heritage ‘n’ Colours

Azad Bhavan, New Delhi presents a solo exhibition of artist Archna Gupta. The show titled, ‘Heritage ‘n’ Colours’ are mesmerising works of modern art with the paintings by immensely talented and renowned artist. On display are some of the paintings featuring figurative artworks. 

Delhi based- Archna Gupta is a professional artist and generally paints figurative artworks. She has participated in several group shows and has also organised a solo show at Delhi Airport. Also, her paintings are in the collection of different venues, such as Lalit Kala Academy, Indian Army and various other organizations.

The show will be on from 11th October to 22nd October 2013.

( News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Buddha in colour

IFS officer and painter M. Lokeswara Rao depicts all that Buddha stands for

(Lokeshwara Rao's collection was recently showcased at the Tea Lounge in Taj Palace.)

For a long time M. Lokeswara Rao chose to depict the environs of forests on his canvases he clearly knew on account of being an Indian Forest Service Officer. Moving on to fresher subjects, the IFS officer-cum-painter has based his latest set of works on Buddha. This collection was recently showcased at the Tea Lounge in Taj Palace.

“The first thing that Buddha does to one is bring peace of mind. To quote Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, ‘We live in an age of conflict and war, of hatred and violence, all over the world. Never before has the need been greater for all of us to remember the immortal message of Lord Buddha’,” says Rao explaining his theme. For Rao, Buddhism is an institution and not just a religion. On display were 30 works in acrylic, each inspired by different symbols of Buddhism like conch, lotus, unending knot, dharma chakra etc.

Buddha Abhishekam, one of Rao’s favourites, had Buddha with kesar and chandan water, falling on his head, with some leaves of peepal tree in the background. One of the works was just done in dots sans any lines for which the artist had used acrylic glitters. For another favourite work of his ‘Buddha Pada’, he says, “Buddha did not visit some of the countries where Buddhism was preached so they took Buddha’s feet with them, and it signified the unending knot.” Lotus was a recurring motif in many of the works. The painting with four lotuses was inspired from Tibetan Buddhism which signifies the change in our state of minds from stressful to peaceful ones.

(Report by Garima Arora for The Hindu)