Magic Pencil, Contradictions show, Thalam Art space and more..

NEWS

The Magic Pencil Show

(Work at the show)

British Council, New Delhi, presents an unique exhibition titled,‘Magic Pencil’. With a display of large number of drawings and works for children by Britain's 'starriest' illustrators, Quentin Blake and Emily, the exhibition will examine how and why they work. 

A popular author and illustrator, Quentin Blake, has made this selection from living, British artists. The collection chosen by him includes a mix of well known names and new stars on the block. The works on display will highlight how today's illustrators reflect modern concerns with originality and force establishing that this is the second golden age of British illustration.

A graduate of Brighton University, Emily is the winner of 2004 Macmillan Prize for Illustration. She has also authored and illustrated beautifully over 12 picture books including Wolves, Meerkat Mail, Monkey and Me, Dogs, The Rabbit and Matilda's Cat.
The exhibition features 60 high quality digital laser prints.

The show will be on view till 22nd September 2013.

Delhi - Its Own Way

( A photo work on display)

Delhi ‘O’ Delhi presents documentary street photography by Krishnendu Chatterjee titled, ‘ Delhi - Its own way’.

Krishnendu Chatterjee has through the lens captured the fractals of momentary stillness that thread the metropolitan. Pursuing his theme through the medium of documentary street photography he has sought to capture the smaller moments that mirror the larger picture. 

An exhibition that showcases a city that even as it is accepting of the more liberal, contemporary strains of living, can prove to be quite challenging in terms of a place to survive in.

The show is on view till the 31st of August 2013.

Miniature Wonders

( A work on display)

Kamalnayan Bajaj Art Gallery, Mumbai presents an exquisite show of miniature paintings by eminent artist Ajay Garg. The show titled, ‘Miniature Wonders’ displays works made on handmade paper and relate to the festivals of Gopasathani which symbolises the celebration of cows and the Gopas in praise of Lord Krishna.

The works are rendered in vegetable dyes and show intricate details explicit with narratives and vibrant in colour as miniatures are.

The show commences on the 26th of August 2013 and will be on view till the 31st August 2013.

Contradictions

( A work at the show)

Beyond Coffee art space, Hyderabad, presents a solo show of art works titled ‘Contradictions’ by the Canadian artist Karen Rempel.  Karen has been inspired by India for the past two years and her work reflects this.

Blending the urban landscape with the ancient remains of bygone eras, Karen portrays and captures in her paintings the very contrasts and odd co-existences apparent in a culturally and technologically rich country like India. Her works are rendered in acrylic on  canvas and the landscapes traverse over the ancient ruins of Hampi, and the boulder strewn landscapes of Hyderabad. The urban and the ancient hold hands and create an interesting forward, backward visual waltz.

The show is on view till the 31st of August 2013.

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Get Thalamed…

Thalam, a newly established art space by Dilip Param and Perumal Venkatesan, is considered among the city’s serious art spaces where artists, art enthusiasts and patrons gather for various activities, finds SRAVASTI DATTA

For the arts to be promoted, easy accessibility and a viable platform to showcase one’s works are important. Two enterprising individuals with a passion for photography and the arts have addressed these aspects and even more by establishing a unique art space. Dilip Param’s and Perumal Venkatesan’s recently-established space Thalam, has opened the doors of opportunity and creativity for artists from different fields. This beautifully-designed space in Domlur is accessible as well.

(Dilip and Perumal ensure there are always paintings displayed. Photo: Bhagya Prakash)

"Most art galleries are located in the central business area of the city. But art is for everybody and we want to reach out to art enthusiasts as well as provide a space for both upcoming and veteran artists,” says Perumal, fondly known as PeeVee.

Considering Thalam was established fairly recently, in February 2013, it has not only received an overwhelming response but has raised the bar for exhibitions, events and workshops held in the city. Each activity held in Thalam is unique. Their first exhibition was a handmade prints exhibition Gum Bichromate, held in association with Goa-CAP. Among the other exhibitions and workshops held at Thalam are Vimal Chandran’s stunning art work, an exhibition of art prints organised by PixMyWall, a Bangalore weekend of photobooks, a group exhibition of well-known photographers called Life In 5 Frames, a workshop on pinhole cameras, a workshop for photojournalists in association with Korkai… and more.

In addition there was a workshop with Marc Prust on the art of photography marketing, the Bangalore Storytelling Network Meetup, a screening of Bangalore Lake Diaries, a film made by seven photographers, including Perumal.

Dilip recalls one of their memorable events so far: “We were a part of the startup festival. Start-up Crawl was held at Thalam, where we spoke about the sustainability of art start-ups to a gathering of more than 200 people. It was a great experience.”

Dilip and Perumal inform that Thalam was earlier a godown. Once it got vacant, Dilip came up with the ingenious plan of converting it into an art space. “This place needed a positive vibe. We decided to create a space with which people could easily bond. There have been people who once they became familiar with the place, make it a point to visit it often,” says Dilip.

Perumal and Dilip take me on a tour around Thalam. “Get Thalamed!” says the duo in unison. True to their word, one does get ‘thalamed’. The second floor is a sprawling space, where one can amble through and view the art work at leisure.

There is tranquillity to the place as it is located in a quiet corner of the locality. In keeping with one of Thalam’s principles of nature playing an important role in inspiring art, the third floor overlooks a vast expanse of greenery. “Thalam provides an exhibition, studio and training space, among other services,” Dilip says as we chat over special tea exclusive to Thalam.

The duo ensures that there is always an exhibition at Thalam so that people who would like to a tour of the place will always see paintings gracing the walls of Thalam.

The duo is passionate about what they do and have made a mark in their respective fields. “I am a graduate in chemical engineering and have done a MBA. I have been with the advertising industry for eight years,” says Perumal.

Perumal has an inborn talent for photography. He is, in fact, a self-taught photographer. “I was inspired by Sharad Haksar, from Chennai, a senior photographer. I believe advertising and photography always go hand in hand. I moved to Bangalore in 2005. I find the city photographer friendly.”

Perumal has not only had exhibitions of his work displayed across the country. He has also been a co-curator of exhibitions and photography workshops in Bangalore.

Dilip is an entrepreneur who has a passion for music and photography. “I did my masters in sound and acoustic engineering in Canada. I have learned Carnatic music.”

Dilip recalls his childhood when he used to enthusiastically photograph family events. “My father encouraged my interest in photography.” Dilip went onto learn photography from Konica Institute under Ponnuswamy.

Thalam has planned yet another interesting workshop this weekend. A workshop on the art of photogenic drawing, in association with Goa-CAP, will be held this weekend. Thalam is located at Level 2 and 3, 80, Krishna Reddy Colony, Domlur, Bangalore – 71.

For details call 9945243130 and 9945516333 or visit www.thalam.in

( Report by Sravasti Datta for The Hindu)

Featuring A film on Jamini Roy, Shutup Internet, and more..

NEWS

Shut Up, Internet!

Shrine Empire Gallery presents a solo show of works by artist Suchitra Gahlot. The show titled, ‘Shutup Internet!’ reflects the artist’s interest in human behaviour and relationships. As an artist, she is interested in exploring all that binds us and yet makes us different people. Her installations often ask the viewer to walk the line between voyeur and participant.

Her current work, ‘Shut Up, Internet!’ is an installation of suspended jars that contain forty thousand emails dating from 1995 that have been torn to pieces. Bits of paper fly to a controlled turbulence within each jar. These self-contained cells of chaos are reflective of artist's own struggles with digital living. 

The installation examines the cacophony of digital living and how we live in a permanent state of responsiveness to every beep or buzz. As we are alerted into submission, we are no different from the devices we own. They own us as much as we own them.

The show is on previews on 30th of August to the 4th of September 2013 at the Galerie Romain Roland, Alliance Francaise de Delhi, New Delhi and laterfrom the 9th September to the 5th October 2013 at the Shrine Empire gallery.

Open Studio Day

Space 118, Mumbai presents an “Open Studio Day’ with the works of a group of upcoming resident artists. The participating artists are Rajvi Dedhia, Juhee Matta, Anindita Chakraborty, Lynn Sivanand, Ranjit Kokate, Srikant Puranik, Shanthi Kasi and Olivier Roura. 

The works on display were made during the residency program offered by the gallery. Along with the works on display there will be a 30minute Performance act of selected excerpts from ‘Untold Stories’ by eminent artist Bharati Kapadia. this performance will be held at 6:00 pm on the 31st August 2013.

The works will be on display for one day on the 31st between 4:00pm to 8:00 pm.

Jangarh Kalam Art

( A work on display)

The Viewing Room, Mumbai presents a show of art works by a group of artists who practice the ethnic art of ‘Jangarh Kalam’( Songs of the forest). The show is co-curated by Padmaja Shrivastava.

The show features the artists Jangarh Singh Shyam, Nakhusia Shyam, Durgabai Vyam, Subhash Vyam, Ram Singh Urveti and Rajendra Shyam. 

The show opens on 30th August 2013 and will be on view till 21st September 2013.

Diver-Cities Show

( A work at the show)

Latitude 28 art gallery, New Delhi presents a group show of art works titled, ‘Diver-Cities’ of artists from different geographical and cultural zones under one roof of the exhibition space making them interact with the urban spaces, on their own terms and understanding of the contemporary world around them. This brings out in their expression their social, cultural economic tempers, and conditionings displaying varied levels of grit and fortitude to adapt to the new.

The participating artists are Arun Kumar HG, Avantika Bawa, Baiju Parthan, Chittrovanu Majumdar, Gigi Scaria, Manjunath Kamath, Roshan Chhabria, Prajakta Palav, Praneet Soi, Sarnath Banerjee and Sudipta Das.

The show previews on the 27th of August 2013 at 7:00 pm and is on view till the 1st of October 2013.

( News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

A life in colours

In Debabrata Roy’s film on Jamini Roy, he lets his paintings do the talking. He also refrains from incorporating anecdotes and personal history of his grandfather, making it a re-evaluation of the modernist’s artistic practice

(Rooted in soil : Works of Jamini Roy)

Artists never become outdated for the subjects they engage with continue to be relevant in different time periods. Jamini Roy’s discourse on rural India created through his powerful rendering of the subject assumes significance in the wake of the flux that surrounds us. Last year was Roy’s 125th birth anniversary, an occasion which went off silently except a few exhibitions in Kolkata. But two months ago, the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) celebrated the modernist with a massive exhibition, “Jamini Roy (1887-1972) Journey to the Roots” curated by senior art historian Ella Dutta, who also released a monograph on the modernist.

(Rooted in soil : Works of Jamini Roy)

Now, filmmaker Debabrata Roy is ready with a film on his famed grandfather, which will be screened on August 30 at India International Centre. Called ‘The Art of Jamini Roy’, the 55-minute film, deals with the evolution of his art. “So 80 per cent of the film is his paintings, some of them very rare and unseen like his copies of Van Gogh, Picasso, Tibetan thangkas. Jamini Roy’s way of understanding world art was through these copies,” says Debabrata, who made another film on Jamini Roy years ago, which got damaged. “I have retrieved some rare archival footage of him painting from that film which shows him paint but not speak. I was 29 when he died and I had recorded him painting. He wasn’t a very dramatic personality. He was almost like a sage. From morning till night, he was painting. Painting was his life and that’s how it comes out in the film.”

(Rooted in soil : Works of Jamini Roy)

According to Debabrata, there are hardly any films made on the modernist, who rejected academic realism of the West, the style he excelled in, and went back to the roots. The film shows the process he went through to acquire a folk idiom. “I have shot extensively in Sushnia Hills, in his native place Bankura. He took direct influences from the terracotta temples of Bishnupur so there are lot of shots of these temples in the film.”

As for the absence of any interviews in the film, Debabrata says he feels it would have only hampered the flow, which is why he has done without them. “Why do I need to have interviews when I am showing so many of his paintings? It says it all. I have simply used a voiceover and Santhal music for the background score. ”

A book “Jamini Roy — His Life In Art”, by art historian and critic Sandip Sarkar, has also been written recently.

(The film, “The Art of Jamini Roy” will be screened at India International Centre, Lodi Estate at 6:30 p.m.)

(Report by Shailaja Tripathi for The Hindu)

Confronting Rape Culture show, Frames of Reference, Rustic hues and more..

NEWS

Confronting Rape Culture

(A photograph by Chandan Gomes)

Apne Aap, an NGO along with Press Club of India , New Delhi are organising a photography exhibition titled ‘Confronting Rape Culture’ by upcoming photographer Chandan Gomes. 

The exhibition showcases photographs taken during the public protests post the December 16th, Delhi gang rape case. The photo exhibition serves as a grim reminder of the prevalent public resentment and anguish expressed by the citizens of Delhi against the backdrop of the barbaric rape. 

More than 30 powerful images capture the coming together of students, women activists and bystanders in large numbers united by a common cause- eradicating the evil of rape.

The show is on view from the 25th of August 2013 to the 31st of August 2013 at the Press Club of India.


Frames of Reference

( A work by Amrish Vaidya)

Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai brings an unusual perspective of the urban grunge, life of the city bred, marinated humanity. Opening this Friday, the 23rd August 2013, is a solo show of photographs by paediatric surgeon Amrish Vaidya. The show is titled, ‘Frames of Reference’.

The perspectives of the surgeon’s precise eyes are seen in the way he captures the seemingly harsh and primal side of the city he lives in. There is an obvious rawness to the facet of his works and in this is embedded an underlying quiet aesthetic of beauty. Bricks breaking loose from an old wall, dark spots on aging portions of the city, peeling paint and plaster on house facades, all echo in unison the multiple stories of time.

Amrish uncovers this beauty by aiming his camera at the urban and the rural cityscape which veils the ugly with oodles of gloss. Wiping the gloss, in true clinical sense, he urges the viewer to experience,  more than ‘see’ the beauty.

The show is on view till the 7th of September 2013.

A view of Abstraction

( A work on display)

The Promenade Lounge of the Taj Bengal, Kolkata presents a solo show of art works by the artist Gopinath Saha. The works on display are primarily rendered in oil and acrylic on canvas with vivid manifestations.

The works are colourful and vibrant with various styles of abstractions. The venue does ample justice to the display of the exquisite works of the artist.

The show is on view till the 25th of August 2013.

Rustic Hues Show

( A work at the show)

The Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre, New Delhi presents a solo show of art works by artist, Dr.Karunaa Paal Gupta. The show is titled ‘ Rustic Hues’ and the works on display traverse a style which can be seen as a new age Warli and ethnic Indian art.

The artist has explored and blended several styles of tribal art forms and techniques on canvas using acrylics, dyes, inks and other mixed media.

The show is curated by Vikram Sethi and will be inaugurated by Dr Tibor Kovacs on the 23rd of August 2013 between 6 - 8 pm.

The show is on view till the 30th of August 2013. 

( News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Call of Colours

Six artists portray varied themes in the exhibition at Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery

( Painting by M Mani)

One January, M. Babu went to Thirunangur in Nagapattinam to visit his periamma. Once there, he took in the sights of the village, known for its Garuda Seva. Pious looking men, old and young, and children walked towards the temple and Babu captured them all on camera. It took him just 10 days to create as many watercolour paintings — five in monotone and five in multi-colour.

Babu is among the six artists showcasing their works, figurative and abstract, in the seventh painting exhibition in the Silver Jubilee series of Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery.

( Painting by K Manoj)

M. Mani, who hails from Athoor near Salem, specialises in everyday scenes. In a village, a little girl sat on her hunches, drawing a kolam when Mani asked her to pose for a photograph. She turned her face, smiling widely, even as her hands got ready to draw the next line. She’s now the subject of a watercolour. His vibrant ‘Pallakku’ (palanquin) is thought provoking. “From the moment we are created, we are supported at every stage — the womb, the cradle, the earth, and finally the coffin. That’s the subject of this painting,” he explains.

(The acrlyic 'Pallakku' by M. Mani. )

P. Selvam loves abstracts. His acrylics on canvas attempt to capture ephemeral moments. In one work, a notepad is filled with scribbles. Above it is a drawing of a man afloat. “We think a lot, get confused and finally attain clarity. The drawing of a man is the clarity that follows the scribbles,” explains Selvam.

(Babu's painting in the Garuda Seva series)

In ‘Freedom’, a little butterfly flies in the big blue sky. Below it is a hand with the imprint of the butterfly on two fingers. Someone attempted to catch it, but freedom beckoned. In another canvas, which he describes as the transition from figurative to abstract art, a tiny figure floats in the midst of splashes of colour, the last link to figurative art.

( Artists with the works)

K. Panchanathan teaches in a village school. He has put together a collection of landscapes created from imagination and still life paintings. K. Manoj focusses on people — a lady wearing a blue sari and praying in a temple — and scenes from the beach. There’s the balloon stall on a windy beach, the sundal seller and more. V. Vimaleshwaran’s abstracts are on show too.

The exhibition is on till August 25. The works are priced from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 30,000. The show is open from 10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. For details, call 0422-2574110.

(Report by Subha J Rao, Photos by K Ananthan for The Hindu)

Xu Beihong's India, Way of the monks show, Tempe Inscriptions, and more

FEATURE

Xu Beihong's India

The recent diplomatic weather between two large Asian neighbors, India and China, are heated with the alleged Chinese army incursion issue. But very few people will remember that over a half a century ago, a humble Chinese virtuoso called Xu Beihong traveled to Tagore’s Santiniketan and created a different history of artistic diplomacy between two rival nations, observes Ritwij Bhowmik for TAD.

(Ritwij Bhowmick at Xu Beihong's residence)

It was a cloudy day in Beijing, when I finally arrived at the “Xu Beihong’s residence”, located in a quiet environment of the city. The residence, now transformed into a huge Museum exhibits all of Xu’s works, articles, with his own collected artifacts and open all through for art lovers. It was a moment of epiphany for me to visit and witness Xu’s Master pieces in his own residence. 

The untamed towering horse painting that disseminated Xu Beihong (徐悲鴻, 1895 - 1953) to his iconic fame, was not all that he stood for. After the birth of the “People’s Republic of China” in 1949, Xu with his connection and dominance over the Communist Party and Chinese Art scene respectively, was the one to shape the next few decades of newly formed China’s art practice. 

(Xu at his studio, Image - google)

Xu started his initial training in classical Chinese calligraphy and painting under his father Xu Dazhang, eventually he traveled to Shanghai and Tokyo to study far eastern techniques. In 1919 Xu went to Europe to study academic painting, and thus became one of the first Chinese to obtain western art education. During his 8 long years there, Xu achieved great skills from prestigious institutes like École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and Berlin Art Academy. 

(Tagore and Xu Beihong. Image -google)

 Xu, as a representative of Chinese Art, was personally cherished by Rabindranath Tagore. Motivated to rebuild a cultural relation with China, in 1939 Tagore invited Xu to spend a productive tenure at Kala-Bhavana (Santiniketan); the concept of this overture was to arrange exhibition and lectures. Overwhelmed by this, Xu arrived in Santiniketan in 1939 and later formulated his first exhibition at Visva-Bharati University in December.  It was the golden age of Visva-Bharati, when luminaries of Santiniketan school - Nandalal Bose, Ramkinkar Baij and Binod Behari Mukherjee were present along with the prodigious appearance of Tagore to observe and interact with this esteemed guest. Xu, immensely praised by Tagore for his fluid style, painted ten portraits of the poet, among them one was in oil and the others ink sketches. Eventually, during his stay, Xu also met Gandhi. This meeting left a considerable influence over Xu’s psyche. Later he wrote extensively about this meeting and also made a portrait of Gandhi. Along with the numerous portraits, Xu also made some landscape and tree studies to capture the tranquil charm of Santiniketan. After a brief stretch in Santiniketan, Xu organized his next exhibition in Calcutta in February 1940. From Calcutta, Xu went to the hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, and stayed there for almost a year. During his sojourn in the mountains, Xu fall in love with the nature and people of this area. Xu finished a number of paintings of the serene natural beauty in oil and ink wash. Here he first thought of his renowned work "Yugong Removing the Mountain" (also known “Foolish Old Man Who Removes the Mountains”) and painted two renderings of it, among them one was in oil and one an ink wash. For this detailed painting, Xu used numerous sketches of Indian individuals, which he created in Kolkata. Xu’s tenure in India ended in December 1940, when he finally returned to Singapore for the fifth annual exhibition of the “Society of Chinese Artists”. Xu’s selected paintings, including the portraits of Tagore and "Yugong Removing the Mountain" were exhibited there, thus invoking a pan Asian connectivity.  

Sixty years have passed since the premature death of Xu Beihong, and history has brought us to a turning point, when we should employ a supportive role to perceive Xu’s importance in the Sino-Indian cultural dialogue and act accordingly to preserve his remaining artifacts in Visva-Bharati.  

NEWS

The Palimpsest Show

( A work from the show)

Mumbai Art Room, Mumbai presents art works by a duo from Kolkata, artists, Madhuban Mitra and Manas Bhattacharya, in a show titled, ‘Palimpsest’ 

The show displays a new projected work and a series of wall pieces. The works are the artists’ experiments with the ways one perceives, processes, and thinks about photographic images. Madhuban and Manas had won the 2011 Skoda Breakthrough Artist Award for their debut solo exhibition, Through a Lens, Darkly, at Photoink in New Delhi.

This exhibition is one of a series of Inlaks Shivdasani Fine Arts Projects, supported by the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation. The artists will make introductory remarks at 7:00 pm on the 23rd of August 2013, during the opening of the show.

The show is on view through September 28, 2013.

Deciphering Temple Inscriptions

Apparao Galleries, Chennai presents a lecture by eminent art historian Dr Chitra Madhavan, as part of the Apparao Education platform. The topic of the lecture is ‘Written Inscriptions in Temple Architecture’. The lecture also forms a part of the ongoing contemporary art exhibition ‘The Written Word’ in the gallery premises.

The Lecture focuses on the inscriptions found in every nook and corner of India, as the greatest source of authentic information to know about the past. Tamilnadu has hundreds of such epigraphs etched on the walls of temples as well as numerous inscriptions inscribed on sheets of copper (copper-plate inscriptions). 

The stone inscriptions are in various Indian languages. The copper-plate epigraphs are usually bi-lingual - the first part being in Sanskrit and the second in Tamil. These inscriptions provide plenty of interesting data relating to the political, social, economic and the cultural life of eras bygone like the Pallava, Pandya, Chola, Vijayanagara, Nayak and Maratha times.

The lecture is to be held on the 27th of august 2013 at 6:30 pm.

Way of the Monks

( A work on display at the show)

The paintings of Bangalore based artist Bindhu PV are on display in a show titled “Way of the Monks” as part of the fourth edition of ‘Art Bengaluru - 2013’ on at Bangalore. 

Bindhu is a student of artist Shyamol Roy, Kolkata. The artist has travelled widely in India and her works are based on the experiences she has witnessed. Her works are dominated by a palette of warmer shades like yellows, ochres and browns. She has has solo exhibitions in Kerala Lalith Kala Akademi and other galleries.

Her triptychs like ‘Eyes to Aerodreams’ depict human wishes of flight and the philosophies of sristhi-sthithi-anthya. Her work titled ‘Palace of Gold’ portrays the human mind in a golden cage. Some of her works on display are “Path makers”, “Golden bird of resistance” among others.She works and also exhibits her work at her studio in Marathahalli, Bangalore. Some of her works deals with spiritual concepts like moksha, and freedom.

The exhibition will be on view until the 25th of August 2013 

For details, please contact +91 9740287208.

Landscapes and more

( A work on display at the show)

The Artist’s Centre, Mumbai presents a solo show of artist, Sikandar Mulla. The show titled ‘Landscapes’ displays the artists art works rendered in oil and acrylic on canvas. The topic  of landscapes has been explored by the artist in various styles from realism to abstraction.

Water colour wash techniques have been employed on the canvases and paper works for giving the fluidity and dream like essence to the landscapes making them vibrant in colour and forms.

The artist has explored urban and rural architecture in his landscapes and the play of light and shade on various structures therein. 

The show is on view till the 25th of August 2013.

( News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

Islamic Calligraphy in Art, Magic Moments in Photography, and more..

NEWS

Islamic Calligraphy in Art

Apparao Galleries, Chennai presents as part of their Apparao Education program, a lecture on ‘Islamic Calligraphy in Art’ by Dr Ashrafi Bhagat on the 28th of August 2013 at 6: 30 pm.

The lecture focuses on Islamic Calligraphy, the greatest arts of the Arabs. Because Islam forbade the making and worshiping of idols, there was no scope for arts like sculpture to develop and, therefore, Muslims directed their talents towards arts such as literature, architecture, arabesque and calligraphy. Another main reason for the development of calligraphy was the need to make copies of the Quran, which was considered a meritorious act. The art of writing has played, and still plays, a very special role in the entire Islamic culture, for by the Arabic letters- heritage of all Islamic societies- the Divine Word could be preserved. 

At one time, there were about thirty styles of calligraphy. Today there are just six main standard styles. Examples from miniature tradition, decorative vases, textiles and architectural monuments will be sighted for different types of calligraphy as it evolved regionally from Spain in the west to India in the east.

The lecture is also to celebrate the ongoing contemporary art exhibition, The Written Word’.

Magic Moments of Photography

Dr. Mukesh Batra has been a well known homeopath for the past forty years in India. But that has not deterred the scientific mind to follow his passion for photography.

What began as a hobby through encouragement from friends and family, took a serious turn eight years ago, when he held his first annual photography exhibition-and-sale. 

This is the ninth year of Dr. Batra’s photo exhibition. It will showcase the diverse landscape of Santorini, Mykonos and Istanbul. This exhibition will present its scenic natural wonders and the breathtaking views of the volcanic cones.

The show titled, ‘Magic Moments’ is on view at the Piramal Art Gallery of the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, from the 21st of August to the 31st of August 2013.

Company School Paintings

The India International Centre presents an exhibition of glass paintings from the collection of Jaya Appasamy, in a show titled, ‘ Company School paintings of the 19th century’
Jaya Appasamy was one of the founder members of Shilpi Chakra and secretary of the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.

Her interest in artifacts, especially of the company period, made her  accumulate a sizable collection, comprising mainly paintings and early Indian prints. The collection of her glass works was generally based on religious and occasionally secular or decorative. Her glass paintings are a depiction of Indian art scenario.

The show is on view from the 22nd of August to the 1st of September 2013.

Creative Landscapes

( A work  by Shobha Patki)

Bliss Art Gallery, Pune, presents a solo show of works by artist Shobha Patki. The show titled, ‘Creative Landscapes’ displays landscapes rendered in various styles, like impressionistic, nature abstracts. The works are mostly painted in oil and acrylic on canvas , while a few are in mixed media on canvas.

The show also displays some unique ink and acrylic works blended on vibrant canvases. The works have an ethereal feel to them and the portrayals of rain drenched distant urban and rural landscapes, harbour scenes dominate the compositions.

The show is on view till the 24th of August 2013.

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Frozen in time

Photo exhibitions in the Capital document fragile lives

“In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality,” photographer Alfred Stieglitz has said. When photography becomes a passion images are produced from the deepest of forests, coldest of places, deserts and of events and incidents captured by the lens by people with great risk to their lives.

(FROM THE ARCTIC: Polar bear. Photo: Kenan Ward)

‘Accessible Arctic’, the title of a photo exhibition currently on in the Capital, could not have been more apt. as one moves from one exotic photograph to the other, one feels surrounded by the vast expanse of glacial ice, feeling the chill in the very bones. The snow white polar bear, arctic fox, snow geese; all in their frozen habitats or women racing on the snow, Inuit sitting near a hole in the ice to catch fish or icy sheets floating on blue waters in the back drop of a sunrise and a sunset are some of the images brought alive by the exhibition.

In the light of climate change and global warming fast affecting and changing the fragile ecosystem of the Arctic and life of the Inuits and Eskimos, these photographs are an invaluable treasure for future generations.

As an American photographer Dorothea Lange has said, “Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.”

The photographs are from the archives of the Canadian National Geographic featuring the Canadian Arctic. The exhibition marks Canada taking over the chair of the Arctic Council and India’s newly granted observer status at the Arctic Council.

From the overwhelming beauty of the Arctic’s icy landscapes to the life on Delhi’s streets, another exhibition ‘Delhi – its own way’ captures life in the back drop of monuments or ruins. There is a sharp contrast in the two exhibitions but they both portray ‘life’.

(STREET LIFE: A portrayal. Photo: Krishnendu Chatterjee)

Krishnendu Chatterjee through his lens has sought to chronicle what he calls ‘the smaller moments that mirror the larger picture’ as he photographs life on the streets of Delhi. Whether it is pollution in Jamuna, a woman wearing chappals trying to walk through water logged streets or a man sleeping on the cart in a busy market or a child quenching his thirst from a tap, the photographer has tried to capture the essence of life of those who understand and accept Delhi as home.

Photographs are ‘history in making’ with power to ‘move’ and ‘change’ the world, whether they portray the ‘beauty’ of nature or horrors of manmade or natural disasters.

(Report by Sarita Brara for The Hindu)