Clay at the Attic, Feminine Narratives and more..

NEWS

Audio-visual by Jagannath Panda

(work by Jagannath Panda)

Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi, hosts an audio visual presentation by artist Jagannath Panda at the Government Museum & Art Gallery. 

The artist is known for creating images that are deceptively simple. Often, his works consist of light, linear drawings and melting of liquid shapes placed on the surface. At the same time, the works also reflect conflicts between ecology and development, nature and technology. Panda's works are often inspired by his immediate surroundings: Orissa, his native state, and his current home in chaotically urban New Delhi. Through his art, Panda brings together many binary opposites, nature and culture, the urban and the rural, tradition and innovation, and the figurative and the abstract. In his works he brings together these opposing scenarios to form a coherent whole through deft colour treatment and a personal aesthetic sensibility. Animal life also plays an important part in the artist's circle of motifs. Animals represent people, gods, or the cycle of life. 

The audio visual presentation will take place on 31st March 2014 at 5:30 pm.

Clay At the Attic - 3

The Attic art space, New Delhi is presenting a pottery exhibition that will be showcasing art works by nine contemporary artists. The artists whose works will be displayed at this exhibition are Akila Chungi, Nausheen Bari, Kaveri Bharth, Neha Pallarwar, Shayonti Salvi, Ranjita Bora, Sylvia Kerkar, Veena Chandran and Tejashree Segvekar. The show is curated by Ray Meeker, and this exhibition offers a wonderful experience for art lovers in the city.

The show is on view till 29th March 2014.

Ladakh—The Land of Mountain Passes

The Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata will be hosting an exhibition of paintings and photographs by Sasanka Ghosh and Kakoli Dey, respectively. Their works capture the landscape, people, culture, architecture and wildlife of Ladakh.

The show is on till 30th March 2014.

Feminine Narratives

( work on display)

Malaka Spice Art Gallery, Pune presents an exhibition of paintings by Chetana Chaudhari-Sudame. Chetana is an artist with her own style of figurative painting. Her mostly self-taught pursuit of excellence in art has added facets of learning under artists of repute in India and in UK at the Slade School of Art,(UCL), London. 

Her paintings explore the feminine subtleties inspired from folk painting styles of India and are a celebration of colors and enhance the finer moments of the feminine life. Using various media, from oil pastels to ink and acrylic to oil, is her forte.

The show is on view till 31st March 2014.

( News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

In search of the missing

Interview: At Art Dubai, Indian origin artist Hajra Waheed unveils the second chapter of her ongoing novel-like work based on the issue of migration.

( A work by Hajra Waheed)

Hajra Waheed was born to Indian parents in Canada. The artist grew up in Canada and in Saudi Arabia. Educational pursuits took her to the U.S. and then back to Canada. This diversity can perhaps explain how Hajra’s art eschews regional trappings so well.

The artist is exhibiting at the eighth edition of Art Dubai, a significant platform for the visual arts from the West Asia, North Africa and South Asia regions. Hajra is being presented by Kolkata’s Experimenter gallery.

“I think having been raised in different places has enabled me to look at various aspects of myself,” says Hajra, who had her first solo in India last year where she showed different pieces from the same body of work.

Because she finds it problematic to situate an art work in a particular region, her work ends up having a universal resonance. “I don’t look at myself coming from a particular region. If I did then the narrative would have been very channelled,” she says.

Describing the “Sea Change” series as a long novel which will unfold over the years, the young artist says the India show was an introduction of the narrative. The plot deals with people who disappear during their journeys, and at Art Dubai, Hajra’s series “Sea Change Character 1: In The Rough” becomes a little specific in introducing one out of nine characters who go missing.

Based on the real account of disappearance of a large group of people travelling by sea, Hajra does a take on migration and issues around it. Her vivid experiences of, particularly, living in the Saudi Arabian oil compound with many restrictions owing to gender and nationality, inform her art practice.

( A work by Hajra Waheed)

So, “Returned” is a set of 24 works on paper, which with collaged photographs of rocks, landscapes, accompanied by some text, qualify to be called minimalistic.

“Co-ordinates” is a set of steel slide viewers — handcrafted wooden boxes — inside which can be seen an image (found film, cut and reassembled) of a landscape.

The material she uses helps her in elaborating the narrative. Found objects, aged paper, gifted things often make it to her work (like the family photographs gifted to her by a friend that were used in “Entranik Anouchian Passport Drawing”, portraits of men and women, now in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York).

“I notice that the materials that have existing history have a much more mature way of working,” says the artist, who is also doing what she describes as a live installation at the venue. “It is like a floating lantern which comes alive. I collaborate with a shadow puppeteer and we interact with shadow and light,” explains Hajra, who will be performing on a boat floating in the water body at hotel Madinat Jumeirah, the venue of Art Dubai.

Indian presence at Art Dubai

Bangalore-based artist Anup Mathew Thomas has won the Abraaj Group Art Prize along with four other artists from different countries.

The commissioned work, “Nurses”, a set of photographs of nurses, is also on display at the venue.

Sunoj D, another Bangalore-based artist, and Mumbai-based art collective Clark House Initiative are part of Art Dubai Projects.

Then there are Indian galleries like GallerySKE, Experimenter, Chatterjee and Lal, Jhaveri Contemporary, etc, which have booths at the fair.

(Report by Shailaja Tripathi for The Hindu)

Forms of Activism, Fete de la photo- Holi, and more..

NEWS

Forms of Activism

SAHMAT celebrates its 25th year with a curated exhibition titled, ‘Forms of Activism’. The show explores the connections between art and activism. Aiming to address questions of constructed memory (Communal Violence – Gujarat); identity (Citizen Rights); conflict zones (Kashmir); direct improving environmental degradation (Ecology); provocative stances in relation to gender, nation and history (Mother/India/Tradition); and confrontational positions inherent within class/caste (Labour/Materiality). 

The show explores various media practices and the participating artists are, Anita Dube,  Arpana Caur, Arpita Singh, Arun Kumar H.G., Ayisha Abraham, Gauri Gill, Gigi Scaria, Gulammohammed Sheikh, Inder Salim, Jehangir Jani, Jitish Kallat,  Madhvi Parekh, Navjot Altaf, Parthiv Shah,  Prashant Panjiar, Pratul Dash,  Probir Gupta, Pushpamala N., Ram Rahman,  Ravi Agarwal, Reena Saini Kallat,  Riyas Komu, Saba Hasan, Samit Das,  Shamshad, Sharmila Samant,  Sheba Chhachhi,  Sonia Khurana, Subba Ghosh,  Sudhir Patwardhan, B.V. Suresh,  Tushar Joag,  Vasudevan Akkitham,  Vasudha Thozhur, Veer Munshi, Vibha Galhotra and  Walter D’Souza.

The show is on view till 1st March 2014 at Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.

Eclectic expressions

( work on display)

Lokayata Art gallery, New Delhi presents an eclectic mix of paintings. The show displays a range of art works by a group of artists from India and the rest of the world. 

The show displays works by artists Awtans, Jitender Murhadhya, John Luis Dias, Makhan Saha, Mukta Gupta, Ramesh Rana, RK Tatawat, Swatantra, Shikha Agnihotri, and Varsha Singh. The show commences on the 28th of February 2014.

The show is on view till 6th March 2014.

Indian landscapes

(work on display)

Malaka Spice, Pune presents an exhibition of paintings by Shamim Qureshi. 

Shamim Qureshi is a senior citizen with a strong passion for art. Influenced by European water colour artists, his Indian nature studies are depicted in English colours, an edge over the common and usual Indian colour scheme. He has to his credit a range of landscapes and cityscapes in water colour, which have received wonderful response from the fraternity and art lovers.

The show is on view till 28th February 2014.

Fete de la photo - Holi

(work on display)

Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad presents a show of photography by photographer Xavier Zimbardo. Today photography is practiced in many forms, as an artistic expression, a hobby, a social activity etc. We say that it has become the most popular Art form, at a time when all the mobile phones are equipped with cameras. Everybody can be a photographer and everyone can appreciate photography.Celebrating this the photographer has brought to the fore an exquisite collection of captures about the colourful festival of Holi.

The show is on from 7th March to 18th March  2014.

( News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Imagination on fire

‘Fire’, an exhibition of paintings by architect S. Gopakumar, is a tribute to the elements

(Work on display)

The antics of the birds that visit the Plumeria tree in S. Gopakumar’s garden provide a peaceful early morning ambience to complement his newspaper reading. And this scene of tranquillity was soon immortalised on canvas as ‘Morning Visitors’, one of the many works by him that are currently on display at the Durbar Hall Art Gallery as part of his exhibition, ‘Fire’.

Architect and artist

An architect by profession, Gopakumar has been painting since his college days. He had already received a Kerala Lalithakala Akademi award for his efforts by the time he completed his architecture course from the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, in 1970. Despite focusing more on his career since his move to Kochi from Thiruvananthapuram in 1976, Gopakumar says his passion for painting has not lessened in the slightest. “The exhibition is called ‘Fire’ because it represents inspiration. A while ago I felt the urge to paint again and ended up creating 12 works in a span of about two-and-a-half months,” he says.

The titular element is not lacking in his works either, with large sections of canvas devoted to late evening skies; large bands of red in its many hues streaking across the scene. ‘Angry Crab’ depicts a crustacean on a pristine white beach before broad strokes of colour are unleashed upon the eyes. ‘Island’ is a vision of a few skeletal trees feebly extending their leafless branches skyward as another crimson streaked sunset soaks the waters around them.

“For me, more than the result, it is the action of painting that elates the soul. I come from a family of artists and designers, and a family exhibition we held at Thiruvananthapuram in 2012 got me painting again,” says Gopakumar, before telling the story of how a kite seller he met in Chandigarh became the basis for his work of the same name.

Dedicated to Nature

His latest works are a series of five paintings dedicated to the five elements of Nature—fire, water, earth, sky and air. The serene reflection of the moon on a body of water contrasts the angry flame that occupies the canvas beside it. A brownish hue permeates Gopakumar’s vision of the earth, with giant buildings anchored by strong roots, while the sky dwarfs the buildings and trees that stand beneath it, painted with subtle hues of the fiery motif. A few overlapping swirls in smoky grey suffice to depict air.

Though most of the works have the undertones of Nature and the elements, a few stand out by not conforming to the theme. The ‘Space Cube’ goes for a light blue shade while ‘Silence Of The Leaves’ is a tapestry of green, with a tiger and a rabbit being its sole inhabitants. The last of the works on display, ‘Black Hole’, is an example of art extending beyond the canvas, or in this case right through it, as it includes a physical hole right in the middle of the work.

The exhibition is on at the Durbar Hall Art Gallery till February 28.

(Report by Sooraj Rajmohan for The Hindu)

EDITORIAL - Holla-Mohalla -An Exhibition Made on Order.. and more..

EDITORIAL

Holla-Mohalla- An Exhibition Made on Order

( Work on display. Image for illustrative purposes only)

In fact I do not want to say anything negative about the art exhibitions that I see these days. But sometimes I cannot help saying what I really feel. ‘Holla Mohalla’, a two persons’ show at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi is a ‘made on order’ show. I know this comment would hurt both the artists; Cop Shiva, the photographer and Suresh Muthukulam, the painter. Their point of departure is the Nihang Sikhs, the followers of the ideals of an army founded by Guru Gobind Singh. Holla Mohalla is a celebration of the Sikhs that often heralds the beginning of the Sikh New Year. You will get more about it if you google; so there is no point in me telling it. What surprised me is the absolute naivety of the exhibition. First of all I do not find any logic in Cop Shiva, a Bangalore based policeman doubling up as a photography artist, and Suresh Muthukulam, an acclaimed mural artist from Kerala, taking a very serious interest in Holla Mohalla. Now the ‘curators’ of this show; Jaya Mani and Sumati Sondhi. Jaya Mani is a gallerist who sells anything from paintings to brass vessels. Sumati Sondhi is an interior decorator. If you have already googled, Holla Mohalla falls in the month of March. Something clicked? If not let me tell you, Sikhs revere their gurus and most of them are extremely affluent. In the month of March, every affluent Sikh cannot go to Punjab to celebrate Holla Mohalla. So what do they do? They buy a work of art that celebrates Holla Mohalla, period. It is a well timed show, especially when it is inaugurated by none other than the flying Sikh, Milka Singh. Of course not Farhan Akthar.

( Work on display. Images for illustrative purposes only)

Is there any problem if someone creates a custom made show? For me, absolutely  no problem. But I am concerned about these two artists who are my Facebook friends. When I say, I am concerned, I mean it. First of all Cop Shiva. He is Basavaraju, a cop by profession and artist by choice. Being a cop helps his identity of becoming an artist. Had there been no cop tag, I wonder whether we would have gone into superlatives with his first show? But the world is like that. When he presented his first show, ‘Face Two Face’, media hailed him as a new finding. In the show Cop Shiva had documented the life of two people, who impersonated Gandhi and legendary actor-politician late M.G.Ramachandran. The works had made a good show; at least the theme was curious. It was a quarter anthropologic, a quarter documentary, a quarter aesthetical and the fourth quarter was the place where Cop Shiva could have improved himself. But before that people came in to cash in on his popularity. I am surprised to see that noted alternative art promoter Suresh Jayaram also has endorsed it by ‘jointly’ writing the catalogue text with Jaya Mani. I can forgive Suresh because Cop Shiva is his cousin. In these days of a dried up market, it is always good to have cousins who could sell art, whether it is on Sikhs or Marwaris. 

(Work by Suresh Muthukulam. For illustrative purposes only)

Suresh Muthukulam is a mural artist. His works have been very faithfully following the mural tradition of Kerala. But what about a Sikh buyer who would like to flaunt Guru Gobind Singh or virile, athletic and warrior-like Nihangs in fluid lines and dreamy eyes? He would definitely not like it. So here goes Suresh, out and out ready to water down his style which is neither Kerala mural style nor anything to do with Punjab or India in general. If Cop Shiva is depending on his camera, Suresh is depending on the pictures that he might have clicked for himself during his visit to Punjab. But let me tell you Suresh, the paintings look funny and caricature-ish. I was appalled to see a portrait of Jaya Mani in one of these paintings. The painting is sold as the red bindi tells me so. But isn’t it so ‘made to/on order’?  I feel sad. Because both Cop Shiva and Suresh Muthukulam are not supposed to be working like this. There are occasions when even a writer like me writes for the ‘clients’. But even then the writer’s self or style is not compromised. If my name goes along with an article, irrespective of the greatness of the works that I endorse, I take all care to be sincere to the hilt and well meaning. But here, both Cop Shiva and Suresh seem to be indulging in something that they should not have even touched. 

(Work on display. Images for illustrative purposes only)

Cop Shiva’s entry into art has already become folklore by repetition. He came to the city with his ailing father and Suresh Jayaram accommodated him at his 1 Shanti Road, the hub of alternative art practices in Bangalore. Cop Shiva, like many other cops who do not have IPS rank (for IPS and IAS people know everything including painting and poetry), initially did not understand art. But slowly he took a fascination for clicked images. He got hooked soon to the camera. Rest is history. Such a history needs to be embellished with sincere works. Frankly speaking, the works on display could be taken even by me provided I have an inclination to take it or have a good camera with me. Why I say me, because I am an art critic who has complete disdain for most of the images. To evoke liking in me is a difficult task. Cop Shiva should be left alone. It is easy for him to become a travel photographer and let me tell you can make sure someone is a travel photographer if he has long hair and an Enfield bike; I hate my own stereotyping, but I can’t help it. In a nutshell, Cop Shiva has put a load of virus in his clear thinking. Clear them up as soon as possible. Suresh Muthukulam should think about better projects if he wants to become a good artist. Mural paintings had led revolutions in Mexico in modern times. In our own context, they have registered history for us. Degenerating into hagiography and work on order would actually demean the medium that you use. I do not have any problem if it is all about making some money. 

Hope the parties discussed here would not file a defamation suit against me. Also, Karnataka Police will not frame me in some drug case when I go to Bangalore next. Whatever said above is in good and right spirit. Rest is up to you, guys. 

JohnyML

NEWS

Neon Temples, Masala Maggie and Iphoned Monks

( work by Sana Javeri Kadri)

Gallery Beyond, Mumbai presents a solo show of photographs by Sana Javeri Kadri. The show is titled, ‘Neon Temples, Masala Maggie and Iphoned Monks’. The show has on display a range of photographs which try to capture the versatile concoction of what India as a country represents. 

Balancing its religious roots and traditions which go along with the influences of the modernity and the new age, the photographs present the ironical flux, the coexistence and the symbiotic relationships of multiple ideologies flourishing under one roof of a tolerant society and nation.

The show is on view till 28th February 2014.

Hamnashee

( Work by Nisar Ahmad)

Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi presents a solo show titled, ‘Hamnashee’ of art works by artist Nisar Ahmad. Nisar is an Indian modern Urdu calligrapher and abstract Sufi painter. He is inspired by Nakshbandi and Chishty Sufi orders. 

Hamnashee portrays an expression of a lover, who is highly inflammable and consuming his self in love. At the exhibition, patrons can see the feelings expressed in colours, which reveals the powerful feelings recollected in tranquility. Metaphorically it is expressed as the anarchic expression of a true lover's heart and mind. The sublimity of Greek goddess trances in calligraphy, like a dimple cheeked celestial dame of a rosy hue transmuting the inner felt. The beloved, who is posing like an iris of genial desires, coming out in senses with gentle whispers. Hamnashee is not a guest, but a search within.

The show is on view till 1st March 2014.

Vibrant Hues

Jehangir Terrace Art Gallery, Mumbai presents a group show of art works by six upcoming contemporary artists. The show is titled, ‘Vibrant Hues’ and features the paintings and ceramic sculptures.

The participating artists are Ruchi Chadha, Sameer Sarkar, Subrata Das, Drishti Vohra, Mahhima Bhayanna, Shashikant Charbe. The works on displaya re vibrantly hued and portray figuratives and some abstract art styles. A few works have a spiritual bent in depictions. The show commences on 27th February 2014. 

The show is on view till 5th March 2014.

Nature Scapes

( Work on display)

The latest exhibition at Magnitude Art Gallery, Bangalore presents works of art which are original and exquisite in rendition. Following a new theme based on nature and its many bounties, the thoughtful paintings, would be best suited for anyone with a taste for good art or a keen art collector or buyer. 

The new theme titled, ‘Nature Scapes’ gives the city’s art lovers a beautiful respite from the mundane and morbid concrete jungle. The wide ranged subject has been dealt with very thoughtfully and many glimpses of nature have been captured in these original paintings.

The show is on view till 28th February 2014.

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

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)

A Journey Through Asia, Momentia and more..

NEWS

A Journey Through Asia

( work on display)

Tasveer and Artt’dinox, Mumbai present a show titled ‘A Journey Through Asia’, displaying photographs by Michael Kenna at the Artt’dinox. 

One of the world’s foremost landscape photographers, Michael Kenna has earned international recognition for his timeless, minimalist imagery. In his 40 year career, he has published over fifty books and monographs and exhibited in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. His photographs are included in over 100 permanent collections, including the National Gallery of Art, Washington, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and MoMA San Francisco.

This will be Michael Kenna’s first set of solo exhibitions in India, the exhibition is organised by Tasveer and Arttd’inox. in partnership with Vacheron Constantin.

The show is on view till 21st February 2014.

Palette 2014

(work on display)

Fountainhead Leadership Centre in Alibaug and EdelGive Foundation (Edelweiss Group) present a day of art at the show ‘Palette 2014- Art under Palms’. This third edition of Palette 2014 is an Art for Cause event exhibiting an array of 400 canvases, sculptures and photographs from over 100 eminent artists across the country. The festival will see the works of Ajay De, Devyani Parikh, Jagannath Paul, Jehangir Jani, Laxman Aelay, Samir Mondal, Shanthkumar Hattarki, Shyamal Mukherji, Sujata Achrekar and Yusuf Arakkal among other renowned artists coming together for a noble cause. 

Palette 2014 will also exhibit winning photographs by renowned photographer Prashant Godbole along with award winning pieces from the Mumbai Press Club’s photography awards - Mumbai Moments 2014 and the national award winning photographs from the Media Foundation of India (MFI). The proceeds from the veritable feast of art, food and music will benefit ten nonprofit organizations furthering the cause of education that are supported by the EdelGive Foundation.

The show is on view till 16th February 2014.

Tarang

Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi presents a group show of paintings and sculptures by contemporary artists of today. The show is titled, ‘ Tarang’ and is hosted by The Shrishti -Contemporary Art of India, Baroda.

The show is coordinated by Rupak Chaki and will be inaugurated by eminent poet and art critic, Keshav Malik. The participating artists are, Anirban Dhar, Arpita Das Purkayastha, Arjun Chaudhuri, Ajoy Dey, Biswajit Datta, Easha Dutta, Goutam Ghosh, Jagatjyoti Paul, Joydeep Bhattacharjee, Jnanendra Barkakati, Jhimli Nath, Mariom Akther, Monika Paul, Nandita Paul, Parmendra Gajjar, Rajashree Dutta Choudhury, Rashida Akther, Radhika Surana, Sohan Lal Sharma, Shabnam Mehra, Sumit Roy, Suresh K Nair, Sagar Roy, Satyendra Singh Banoi and Tinku Deb.

The show is on view till 21st February 2014.

Momentia

(work on display)

The Art Loft, Mumbai presents a solo show of artist Gaurav Bose. The show titled, ‘Momentia’ is based on varied themes such as the invisible relationship between art and science, faith and test,  joys and questions of life. 

The show commences on 15th February and is on view till 20th February 2014.

( News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Art for the soul

Werner Dornik’s Bindu Art School uses art to change the lives of people affected by leprosy

(Some of the works done by students of Bindu Art School)

At age 17, Werner Dornik was excited about his trip to India; the Austrian had heard fascinating tales about the land’s rich culture and heritage. And while he did get a taste of both, it was the sight of lepers begging for alms at Varanasi that left an impact on him. “It was only after some research that I realised they were suffering from leprosy,” says Werner, a multimedia artist and curator.

His research on leprosy, apart from enlightening him on the disease and the stigma attached to it also brought out the fact that medication for this illness was expensive. Determined to help those with this illness with treatment, the artist held photo exhibitions to raise funds for the cause. However, once the government declared free treatment for such patients, he decided to help them in some other way.

In 2004, Werner approached social activist Padma Venkataraman with the idea of starting an art school for lepers. “Padma identified Bharatapuram, south of Chennai. Out of a colony of 1000 people at Bharatpuram, 700 were suffering from leprosy.”

Werner’s idea was to teach art to lepers so that they can be self sufficient and thus, Bindu Art School was opened in 2005 to those 25 and above. Their oldest student, right now, is 87. As for the name Bindu, Werner says: “Bindu in Sanskrit means a point or a dot. It is the unfolded universe; the start of creation.”

He adds: “When we first began class, there were just two, the following week there were four, by the end of the month there was a queue and we had to stop at 21 students.”

The students are given a monthly stipend as initiative for them to stop seeking alms for a living. While 60 per cent from the sale of their works is given to them, the rest is used to purchase art materials. “Thirty per cent out of the 60 per cent is used to fund the next batch of students.”

(Werner Dornik and Dagmar Vogl Photo: Liza George)

For most, it was the first time they were holding a pencil. The excitement and sense of pride they felt when they completed their first work had to be seen to be believed, says Dagmar Vogl, Werner’s wife, an art teacher. “The students are given a certificate upon their completion of five years at the school. This gives them a sense of achievement and pride. These students go on to teach the fresh batch of students at our school,” she says.

The students are given a free reign of the brush. “I don’t go into any technical detail in art and the students are free to paint what they want,” says Dagmar.

The paintings by the students were first exhibited in Chennai and have since travelled across India and gone abroad too.

The works are competitively priced. “When amateur artists can earn a tidy sum from their work, why not our students? I feel their works have more depth as they paint from their heart. Next month four of our school students will partake in an exhibition in Delhi,” says Werner.

Although he says he has no definite goal for the school, Werner hopes to tie up with companies to create calendars, postcards and the like carrying images of the students’ work. “Through this, we hope to promote their work and gather more income for them.”

Road Trip

The students of Bindu Art School will be arriving in the city on February 15 for an exhibition of their works at Alliance Francaise de Trivandrum. “They are all excited. For most it is their first time to Kerala. We have hired a bus and will be taking them to places in and around the city and will also be going to Kanyakumari,” says Werner.

Harmony of Expressions

Nature is a recurring theme at Pain to Paint, an exhibition of paintings from the Bindu Art School. Like D. Kaliteerthal’s frame, for instance, which shows thatched huts co-exiting with Nature’s green or K. Godavari which takes viewers to a forest where bees gather nectar from flowers. These frames however, come as a stark contrast to B. Ravichandran’s picture which has a black circle in the middle of the frame and abstract images of buildings, vehicles and the like around it. One wonders, if Ravichandran’s work is a dig at globalisation. N. Udayakumar’s painting in shades of grey feels like a tongue-in-cheek look at the Darwin theory as apes are shown in various human poses. The exhibition by 16 students of the school carries each of their names and photos under their work. The exhibition is on February 15th 2014.

(Report by Liza George for The Hindu)