The Calcutta Diaries, Glenfiddich Award Finalists, Balcao and more..

NEWS

Glenfiddich Award 2014 chooses five finalists

( Finalist artist Tauseef Khan with his work)

Glenfiddich announced their five finalists for the Glenfiddich, ‘Emerging Artist of the Year 2014  Award’. The Glenfiddich Emerging Artist of the Year award is the biggest art award in India and in its third edition this year has announced the names of five finalists. The five finalists for this year’s Emerging Artist of the year 2014 are, Tauseef Khan, New Delhi, Sirivella Pragathikumar - Baroda (Vadodra), Shrimanti Saha - Baroda (Vadodra), Ravishankar - Chennai, Chetnaa Verma- Noida.

The five shortlisted artists chosen from Baroda, Chennai and New Delhi will present a group show ‘Five for the Future’ at Gallery Nature Morte, The Oberoi, Gurgaon on April 4, 2014. Chosen by a distinguished jury, one of them will be declared the winner of the coveted award. 

The award has a total value of INR 10,00,000 – it includes INR 1,00,000 cash, three months residency in Scotland with a monthly stipend, materials allowance, travel, accommodation, and culminates with a solo show at Nature Morte in 2014. 

Nostalgia

Rabindranath Tagore Centre, ICCR, Kolkata hosts an exhibition of paintings, sculptures and photographs by artists from Bharat Kala Kendra by 29 artists. The show is titled, ‘Nostalgia’ and displays an eclectic mix of unique artworks.

The artists participating in the show include Tapan Ghosh, Bimal Kundu, Anindiya Paul, Badal Paul, Lakshmi Shaw, R.P. Halder, Ashoke Mullick, Pradip Rakshit and Sourav Nandy.

The show is on view till 28th March 2014.

Balcao

Dhoomimal Gallery, New Delhi presents an exhibition of artists from Goa titled, ‘Balcao’. The show displays works by legends from Goa and the contemporary artists of today’s generation. On display at the show are select works of FN Souza with an eclectic assortment of art works by today’s Goan artists.

The show is curated by artist Subodh Kerkar and he would be presenting a talk on the history of Goa at the show. The show also brings to light Goan folk music and cuisine to delight the viewers with a complete art and cultural experience.

The show previews at 6 :00pm on 2nd April and will be on view till 15th April 2014.

The Calcutta Diaries

( Work on display)

Sakshi Art Gallery, Mumbai presents a solo show of photographs by eminent photographer, Pablo Bartholomew. The exhibition titled, The Calcutta Diaries’ is a selection of photographs from the archives of the photographer of his years in the mid 1970s.

The suite includes his documentation of the Haka Chinese community of South Calutta, his interaction with Satyajit Ray, during the shooting of his cult film, Shatranj Ke Khiladi, and images of his aging grandmother and distinct narratives exclusive to the City of Joy.

Born in New Delhi, 1955, Pablo Bartholomew trained as a photographer from his father Richard Bartholomew, an art critic, photographer, poet, painter and curator.

The show is on from 5th April 2014.

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Vedanta in visuals

Jayadeva wanted to channelise his talent in painting to visually translate spiritual works

(Jayadeva has 41 visuals for each of the shlokas. Photo: Murali Kumar k.)

Legend has it that the Soundaryalahari was given to Adi Shankara by God Shiva and on the way it was snatched by Nandi and torn into two halves, one of which Nandi kept. When Adi Shankara went back to Shiva and told him what happened, God asked him to write the second half, which is what is today, known as the Soundaryalahari.

The first half, comprising 41 shlokas, is considered to be the Anandalahari. The whole poem is written in praise of the Devi or the feminine primordial cosmic energy.

Hunasagahalli Jayadeva, in a first, has brought these shlokas to life by creating 41 paintings to depict each shlokha. Jayadeva then collated his paintings into a book, which he has self-published, calling it the Sri Soundaryalahari-1 Anandalahari in Visuals. Jayadeva also accompanies each shloka with a trilingual translation.

Dr.Gururaj Karajagi, Chairman, Academy for Creative Teaching, shares the story of the Soundaryalahari in his foreword for the book.

“My father was a philosopher and teacher and my childhood was filled with discussions on philosophy, from the life of Adi Shankara to the Upanishads. So when I realised I could paint, I though why not make visuals on these thoughts,” says Jayadeva, a retired art teacher. He has previously painted on sections of the Upanishads, recently exhibited at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath. “The Anandalahari talks about self-realisation through the yogic chakras, in order to realise universal parenthood,” says Jayadeva.

And the universal parenthood, as he shows in the painting of the first shloka, is the union of Shiva and Shakti, primordial cosmic energies that are responsible (according to Vedic scriptures) for the creation of the universe.

The painting depicts the Indian trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva who are considered responsible for the creation, preservation and destruction (transformation) of the universe. The painting shows Brahma and Vishnu bowing down to the image of another Shiva (seen here with his consort Shakti) pouring forth blessings, while a third Shiva established seated near the trinity is shown deep in meditation. “The three figures depict the trinity in this yuga (age). After the cosmic dissolution when this world cycle ends, there will be another trinity. But Shiva-Shakti, being universal consciousness are eternal, and will once again, recreate the world. That is the meaning of the first shloka,” explains Jayadeva, who began working on the sketches in 2006 finally completing his work in 2013.

“The book is a prayer rendered to the celestial parenthood for the protection of the universe. The book also shows how anybody can become self-realised. I have tried to incorporate the main ideas of the book through the visuals for everybody to understand,” he explains.

In one of the images, of the Devi (as Sri Devi Tripurasundari), she is shown carrying a bow, arrows, a noose and a goad, as a representation of the law of karma.

“The book also signifies the importance of inner peace. Just a thought of the divine, brings mental peace. Once we are peaceful, we can then go and bring peace to others. In this philosophy it is believed that we should be able to live in the world, at the same time realise our true nature. That is the message here.”

Jayadeva is now working on a book depicting the shlokas of the second part of the Soundaryalahari.

Sri Soundaryalahari-1 Anandalahari in Visuals is available for Rs. 375 at the Sapna Book House, Gandhinagar; Vedanta Book House, Chamarajpet and Ankita Pustaka, Gandhi Bazar. For details, contact 944879750.

( Report by Harshini  Vakkalanka for The Hindu)

A Celebration of Lines, Formative to Recent and more..

NEWS

A Celebration of Lines

(Work by artist Krishen Khanna)

Sakshi Art Gallery presents a solo show of renowned artist Krishen Khanna. The show titled, ‘A Celebration of Lines’ displays a range of the artists monochrome drawings and canvases. 

Krishen Khanna’s figurative and evocative works address the social, political and historical contexts through a strong portrayal of people and stories about them, for instance scenes of pre-partition India. Bringing out personal conenctions with the people portrayed, such as the Indian revolutionaries in his neighbourhood, Khanna  builds a picture not just as an illustration of a memory, but as a historical entity. The narratives are vast and deep, full of nuances, iconic and subtle all at once. The artist tries to evoke the emotive strength through his lines and pencil strokes effectively creating in the viewer and the work an interaction and an anchoring. The exhibition also will have a reproduction of the artist’s monumental mural, ‘Chola Migrations’. This mammoth work stands at 72.5 ft and depicts the rich life and cultural history of the Cholas of South and is regarded as one of the largest murals in pencil on paper.

The show previews on 6th March and is on view till 5th April 2014.

Daydreams

Five Forty Five Gallery, Bangalore presents a solo show of art works by artist Pradeep Kumar DM. The show is sponsored by the Department of Kannada and Culture. The show titled ‘Daydreams’ displays the vibrant and illustrative art works by the artist.

Pradeep is a Karnataka based artist and he graduated from the University College of Fine Arts, Davangere with a B.V.A Degree in painting. He also has an M.V.A Degree in Painting from Bangalore University.

The show is on view from 7th March to 4th April 2014.

Formative to Recent 

(Work by artist Jogen Chowdhury)

Cima Art Gallery, Kolkata is hosting the complete works of eminent artist Jogen Chowdhury. The exhibition is titled, ‘Formative to Recent’ and attempts to retrace the journey taken by the artist in his art practices and through different times and influences, which unfold in the range of art works.

On display are multi medium works, from paintings to film posters, drawings, etchings and lithographs, though having been displayed before in other venues, this show acts almost as a retrospective of the artists work.

The show is on till 29th March 2014.

Tangential Traverse

Aakriti Art Gallery, Kolkata presents a group show of artists, titled, ‘Tangential Traverse’. The show will display the paintings and sculptures of eminent contemporary artists along with yesteryear legendary artists works.

The participating artists are  Ajit Chakraborty, B.R.Panesar, Badhan Das, Bijon Chowdhury, Bikash Bhattacharjee, Dharamnarayan Dasgupta, Ganesh Pyne, Gobardhan Ash, Gopal Ghose, Indra Dugar, Jamini Roy, Meera Mukherjee, Nandalal Bose, Paritosh Sen, Sarbari Roychowdhury, Somnath Hore and Sudir Kastagir.

The show previews on 7th March 2014 and is n view till 31st March 2014.

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)


FEATURE

The Renaissance Man: CSMVS Director Sabyasachi Mukherjee

(Director of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Sabyasachi Mukherjee)

By now Sabyasachi Mukherjee is used to being asked if he’s the famous designer. After giving a talk at Sophia College some months ago, Mukherjee was accosted by two girls. “One girl asked, ‘You are the designer?’” Mukherjee says. “I said, ‘Do I look like a designer?’” Indeed Mukherjee, who is the director of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum), could not look less like a fashion icon. With his crumpled sky blue shirt, bristly moustache and nerdy enchantment of antiquities – he endearingly pointed out his favourite stone Shiva gana in the museum’s sculpture section – Mukherjee is more professor material.

Mukherjee, 49, is too self-effacing to admit it but the CSMVS entered a renaissance soon after he became its director in 2007. Suddenly there seemed to be regular activity at the CSMVS most notably in the form of a string of shows brought from museums abroad such as the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert. Over the years, it has shown exhibits of Chinese terracotta warriors, and the mummy of Egyptian temple priest Nesperennub; made room for the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation, a gallery of contemporary Indian art; and hosted displays of Persian antiques and Flemish paintings. Before 2007, Mumbaikars could not have imagined a Rubens coming to the museum, which was widely regarded as a fusty place that school kids paid a mandatory visit chiefly to see the stuffed animals and forget thereafter. As Mukherjee puts it, “Nowhere was the enjoyment element visible”.

This state of affairs was tragic as the museum has a spectacular collection of over 60,000 artefacts with gems like the Anvar-i-Suhayli, a 16th century Persian translation of the Panchatantra; Akbar’s personal armour; and some gorgeous miniature paintings. “There was no concept of the modern museum,” he says. “No concept of curated shows, interpretation, educational programmes, the museum as a space for social debate. American, European and some Asian museums were way ahead of us. In the 1990s they were talking about the global museum. We remained in the early 20th century.” Then the wave of globalisation, which dramatically altered our economy and popular culture, finally swept the shores of high culture. “Now foreign museum directors are visiting Indian museums,” Mukherjee says. “But we’ve lost many years.”

As a young adult, Mukherjee never imagined he’d end up spearheading a major Indian museum; he grew up in Bolpur, a small town in West Bengal that’s known for its proximity to Shantiniketan (it’s what Shirdi is to the Sai Baba temple, Mukherjee says). Thanks to Shantiniketan’s Vishwa Bharati, the university Tagore founded, the atmosphere there carries the charge of a deep artistic tradition. Mukherjee grew up in a family of teachers to be a lover of poetry. But it was chance and some youthful vacillation that led him to a career in the arts. He intended to do a Master’s in social work at MS University in Baroda, an institution renowned for turning out some of the best artists in the country. But when a cousin studying there urged him to get a degree in an artistic field, Mukherjee did an MA in ancient Indian history and archaeology and a second one in museology.

While studying museology, Mukherjee worked as an intern at the CSMVS in 1989 under Sadashiv Gorakhshkar, who was director from 1975 to 1996. Mukherjee described Gorakhshkar as his greatest mentor. “He had the spark to continue to work for the Prince of Wales museum,” Gorakhshkhar said in a phone interview from Vasind, where he now lives. “It was an outgoing museum – we had a lot of extracurricular activities and I thought he fitted into the brief. While leaving, I told him never to leave. I said no other museum offers what the Prince of Wales does.” Mukherjee took his mentor’s advice. He joined as a research associate in 1990 and has been at the museum since then.

One of Mukherjee’s obvious talents is fund raising. The museum functions autonomously and while it does get some money from the central government, it’s largely supported by individual patrons and corporate companies. Their largesse has paid for the classy plaza near the entrance designed by Rahul Mehrotra, for restoration projects and foreign shows and new galleries. Mumbaikars can look forward to two new galleries this year – one showcasing the city’s textile history and the other a gallery of prints and drawings that gallerist Pheroza Godrej and writer Pauline Rohatgi are giving the museum on a long-term loan. “Money comes with great ideas,” Mukherjee says.

Perhaps the real beneficiaries of Mukherjee’s vision and that of his splendid colleagues are the city’s kids. It’s common to see groups of school children being shepherded around a show and briefed by the museum’s education officer Bilwa Kulkarni. Some of these kids are exposed to art for the first time – they include the offspring of sex workers, construction labourers and BMC sweepers and are taken to the museum on field trips organised by CSMVS and various NGOs. “Our approach is to enlighten those who are not enlightened,” Mukherjee says. “A museum brings changes to human life. You come to interact with your past to understand the present and the future.”

(Report by Pronoti Datta for Mumbai Boss)

In-Between, Two Worlds, Ageless Art and more..

NEWS

Graceful Ageless Art

( work by Dr Nalini Bhagwat)

Jehangir Auditorium Art Gallery, Mumbai presents a group show of senior artists from different parts of Maharashtra. The show displays the art works of six painters. The works range from landscapes to portraitures and figuratives. The figurative works delve into mythological and historical narratives. On display also are abstracts rendered in water colour on paper. 

The participating artists are, Sukhasil Narayan Chavan, Dr Nalini Bhagwat, Jaysing Dalvi, Sudha Madan Uplekar, Shyamkant Jadhav and D V Wadangekar.

The works are a reminder of the rich art culture of India and present a definitive learning experience for the younger generation of artists today, in terms of techniques and variety of art practices. 

The show is on view till 18th February 2014.

9 X 9 Show

Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat, Bangalore presents a unique show titled, ‘9X9’. The exhibition has on display paintings and sculptures. The show displays works of contemporary artists in the country.

The participating artists are, Asurvedh, Braj Mohan Arya, Isha B.Bawiskar, Ramesh Thorat, Karthik Poojappa, Suresh Kumar, Vimal Chand, Vijaya Ved and Dr. Sneha Lata.

The show was inaugurated by Dr HV Madhusudhan, and Dr Preethi Kale. A catalogue was released on the occasion by Vani Manohar of ALEY on the 14th February 2014.

The show is on view till 20th February 2014.

In-Between

( work on display)

Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai presents a group show titled, ‘In-Between’. The show displays works by eminent artists from India and abroad. The participating artists are, Chuck Close, Dhurva Mistry, Gigi Scaria, Noriko Yamaguchi, Pablo Bartholomew, Ravinder Reddy, Rekha Rodwittiya, Shirin Neshat, Sunil Gawde, Surendran Nair and Vasudha Thozhur.

The show is on view till 3rd March 2014.

Two Worlds

Shridharani Art Gallery, at Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delh presents a two person show titled, ‘Two Worlds’. The two participating artists are Neha Talwar and Satish Sharma. 
The show displays the acrylic on canvas paintings of the two artists.

Employing different styles and techniques, the artists display a series which are exclusively their own. While Neha’s works have a dream like lyrical quality to them, the works of Satish border on figurative abstractions. Vibrantly coloured and replete with narratives the works are representations of the inner workings of the variations of artists’ minds and art practices.

The show previews on 24th February 2014 and is on view till 5th March 2014.

(News Reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

For the people

Of late, many art practitioners have been feeling the need to engage with people who are beyond the white cube.

(The art wall at T2 terminal in Mumbai airport)

The optimists will tell you that something is better than nothing but the unforgiving few continue to lament the absence of public art in this country. So where do we stand? Despite several years of debate, the government has done little to address the issue; whatever has happened is largely due to private initiatives.

Of late, many art practitioners feel the need to engage with people who are beyond the white cube. “How many people go to the galleries? The same set of 500-600 people go for different kinds of cultural events. What about the others? We want to reach out to people irrespective of class, age, group,” says Aruna Adiceam, Cultural Attaché of the French Embassy in India, which organised the Fete de la Photo 2014, a huge photo-festival in public spaces in Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa, Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram. In Delhi, different activities like astrophotography, mobile photo-booth, exhibitions will take up public spaces in and around Connaught Place. “I think photography needs to be outdoors. Art is for everybody,” adds Aruna.

A statement that Rajeev Sethi, the brain behind “Jaya He” at the T2 terminal of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, would agree with. The Delhi-based curator and scenographer created a massive piece of public art that brings together artists, craftsmen, designers, architects in a merger of traditional and modern India. A three-kilometre art wall split into six themes displays thousands of artefacts and art works by the likes of Vivan Sundaram, Nilima Sheikh, Jogen Chowdhury, Riyas Komu, Manu Parekh, G.R. Iranna and Chittrovanu Majumdar.

“Art can’t be confined to godowns. It has to be shared with people. It’s not easy for a common man to just walk into an art gallery. So, yes we have more and more examples of public art, but there is a danger of it all being mediocre. How to select an art work and choosing a site are important issues. Different mechanisms have to be put into place,” says Sethi.  

Art has been taken to the streets literally in Delhi with the first edition of St.ART Delhi. Besides talks, workshops and discussions, an important element is the painting of around 80 walls in the city. One is the life-size mural of Mahatma Gandhi on the Delhi Police headquarters, a joint effort by Indian artist Anpu Varkey and German street artist Hendrik Beikrich. “It took six years for us to feel confident enough to put together a festival like this. People have become more responsive and tolerant of not just the street art but also the street artist. While there was some resistance to our Mahatma Gandhi work, Delhi Police really stood by us,” says Hanif Kureshi, the Delhi-based typographer behind the festival.

Public art could be a propagator for issues affecting the public as demonstrated at the just-concluded India Art Fair where Kolkata-based photographer Leena Kejriwal launched her public art campaign “M.I.S.S.I.N.G”. The eight-foot female figures will soon be taken to various public spaces in different cities to sensitise the public to the problem of disappearing girls. 

For sculptor K.S. Radhakrishnan, it is imperative that people are able to engage with the piece installed in a public space. His guru, the iconic sculptor Ramkinkar Baij, had given the country its most significant public art work: the two monumental figures of Yaksha and Yakshini, who flank the entrance of the Reserve Bank of India in New Delhi.

Even though Radhakrishnan recently created two huge public art works in Goa and Kerala — both were commissioned by the State — he isn’t particularly thrilled with the scene. “The sun-dial at a round-about park in Delhi or the steel mushrooms near AIIMS are not particularly great examples of public art. There was a lot of hope before and after the Commonwealth Games but nothing happened. In the name of public art, we still have statues of political figures and a few murals done long ago.” A few noteworthy additions in the last couple of years are Subodh Gupta’s “Line ofControl”, a giant steel installation at South Court Mall in Saket and Anjolie Ela Menon’s mural in an already arty Terminal 3 at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

While the ambitious “48 degree Celsius: public.art.ecology”, the country’s first public art festival, was supposed to push the case of public art, not much happened. Pooja Sood, who curated the festival, was also part of an advisory panel constituted by the Delhi Urban Arts Commission to advise public bodies on commissioning public art pieces. “But nothing came of it. These bodies have no problems spending on art but they need guidance on how to go about it,”says Sood, who heads Khoj, an alternative space for art in the city. 

In a country where corporate support to art is minimal, the Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art’s (FICA) public art grant is crucial. All seven projects that it has supported so far had strong societal dimensions. “We want to encourage projects that explore ideas of working with communities, building societies and developing a healthy dialogue with the public on how they imagine shared spaces. Our aim is to engage with projects that have a strong social angle and allow interaction and engagement with the public,” says Roshini Vadehra, head of fundraising at FICA. 

( Report by Shailaja Tripathi for The Hindu)