Satish Gujral is a living legend, who continues to experiment, create and mesmerize viewers. Painter, sculptor, muralist, architect and graphic artist-all rolled in one.
His hearing was affected due to an accident at the age of eight. To withstand and overcome the pain, he spent hours reading poetry by Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz that became an integral part of his art and life. During this period, the artist came close to his brother (Mr I.K. Gujral) whom he had described ‘a part of my being’. Forced to endure a haunting silence for 65 long years, he had an (cochlear) implant to retrieve his hearing power.
Recounting the painful process, he had stated: "Silence can work both ways. It will make you doubt the depths. On the other hand, it will make you listen to yourself.” A medical expert he visited in Sydney for the implant was not convinced about the patient’s stamina and readiness to take it at this age, and cautioned him about facing a cacophonous world he wasn’t accustomed and used to, but he still wanted to have it!. Once the hearing came back, the artist was excited. For a brief while, he relished the experience. Soon he almost felt miserable…
Satish Gujral was immersed in a world of his for too long, searching alone for life around like a blind man that suddenly got disturbed. As he once explained only the way he could, “Every face, a blind man has an idea; he might think of an ugly woman as beautiful. Then if you bring him his sight back, it will uproot him from where he has lived.” Something similar happened to him, when his hearing came back so he finally decided to remove the implants. However, he did not regret the experience. It gave him no new vision for what he had lost. He realized it (the silence) was a true gift and not a handicap or a curse as he earlier had thought.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Prajjwal Choudhury’s artistic concerns
The artist’s socially sensitive oeuvre is primarily marked by its harking back to a particular concern. He touches upon the theme of a capitalist society driven by a consumerist attitude. It seems as if he is protesting the way we deploy and easily discard everyday objects. Ubiquitous items like bottles and matchboxes that form the core of his creative process carry little value in our eyes.
At another level, he is perhaps trying to underline our tendency of taking everyday objects for granted. Prajjwal Choudhury starts of his quest for the unusual from such ubiquitous objects like matchboxes to carve his captivating creations. His art moves beyond the confines of canvas or sculpture and rather attempts at framing within his aesthetic space, uncanny phrases and visual assortments of the byproducts of recycling.
Apart from ‘India Awakens’ in Klosterneuburg (2010); other significant shows he has featured in are at the 12th Harmony Art Show (2006); International Print Biennale, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal (2005);; 77th All India Art Exhibition (AIFACS) at New Delhi in 2004, apart from a group exhibition at M.S.U, Baroda, 69th All India Art Exhibition at Academy of Fine Arts (Kolkata), and 47th National Exhibition of Art in the same year. Among other shows are 18th All India Art Exhibition, Nagpur (2003); Two Men Show at Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata (2002), also having featured in a group show at the academy and the 3rd Eastern region Art Exhibition, Kolkata.
For instance, his series ‘Drift’ at Project 88 in Mumbai (2008) had works, which were a mockery of the beauty that a consumerist attitude aspires for, in actuality. On the other hand, his work that formed part of 'Re-claim, Re-cite, Re-cycle' (Bose Pacia, Kolkata 2009; curator: Bhavna Kakar) analyzed and documented artistic imaginations and representations of recycling. Its latent idea was to perceive the process as an all-pervasive phenomenon, encompassing nearly every aspect of modern life - right from our desktops to the writing pads and bottles.
At another level, he is perhaps trying to underline our tendency of taking everyday objects for granted. Prajjwal Choudhury starts of his quest for the unusual from such ubiquitous objects like matchboxes to carve his captivating creations. His art moves beyond the confines of canvas or sculpture and rather attempts at framing within his aesthetic space, uncanny phrases and visual assortments of the byproducts of recycling.
Apart from ‘India Awakens’ in Klosterneuburg (2010); other significant shows he has featured in are at the 12th Harmony Art Show (2006); International Print Biennale, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal (2005);; 77th All India Art Exhibition (AIFACS) at New Delhi in 2004, apart from a group exhibition at M.S.U, Baroda, 69th All India Art Exhibition at Academy of Fine Arts (Kolkata), and 47th National Exhibition of Art in the same year. Among other shows are 18th All India Art Exhibition, Nagpur (2003); Two Men Show at Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata (2002), also having featured in a group show at the academy and the 3rd Eastern region Art Exhibition, Kolkata.
For instance, his series ‘Drift’ at Project 88 in Mumbai (2008) had works, which were a mockery of the beauty that a consumerist attitude aspires for, in actuality. On the other hand, his work that formed part of 'Re-claim, Re-cite, Re-cycle' (Bose Pacia, Kolkata 2009; curator: Bhavna Kakar) analyzed and documented artistic imaginations and representations of recycling. Its latent idea was to perceive the process as an all-pervasive phenomenon, encompassing nearly every aspect of modern life - right from our desktops to the writing pads and bottles.
Jitish Kallat’s ‘Stations of a pause’ on view at Chemould
Economic growth and urbanization coupled with the increasing intervention of cutting-edge technologies have dramatically altered India’s socio-economic landscape over the last couple of decades. Socially sensitive contemporary artists from the country highlight this development through their works and practice in a larger global and personal context; their themes, intimately linked with the local ethos, expertly assess the impact of globalization, causing drastic change in a society still heavily reliant on tradition.
This element of dynamism is evident in a series of events and exhibitions. One of them is Jitish Kallat’s ‘Stations of a pause’ on view at Chemould Prescott Road, Mumbai. It showcases a wide range of his practice that addresses the themes of sustenance, survival and mortality in the urban environ.
Most noteworthy of the works on display is a 750-part photographic work ‘Epilogue’ narrates a very personal story, tracing his father's life through all the moons he saw. Measuring his lifespan with around 22,000 moons in 63 years; the image of a waxing or waning meal replaces every moon, denoting the life cycle as periodical rotations of fullness and emptiness.
It all started almost seven years ago, when the celebrated artist created a work ‘Conditions Apply’ that traced the seven phases of the moon with the image of a roti, mystically morphing the metaphors for themes of life, time and sustenance. Last year, he conceived ‘Conditions Apply 2’ that again referred a lunar cycle’s format. He quips in an interview, “It prompted me to think about life as cycles of both fullness and emptiness, and also ponder on my father’s life.”
On the other hand, a 7 part lenticular panoramic photo 'Aspect Ratio' includes all seven colors of the rainbow and the image of a ubiquitous Mumbai street that flicker, and flip, as a viewer walks past it or even moves in front of it. A new series of paintings ‘Untitled’ (Stations of a Pause) represents candid imagery of the ubiquitous Mumbaikar. Simultaneously, his ‘Traumanama’ (gouache, tea-wash, spray-paint) forms part of 'Watercolour' at Tate Britain.
This element of dynamism is evident in a series of events and exhibitions. One of them is Jitish Kallat’s ‘Stations of a pause’ on view at Chemould Prescott Road, Mumbai. It showcases a wide range of his practice that addresses the themes of sustenance, survival and mortality in the urban environ.
Most noteworthy of the works on display is a 750-part photographic work ‘Epilogue’ narrates a very personal story, tracing his father's life through all the moons he saw. Measuring his lifespan with around 22,000 moons in 63 years; the image of a waxing or waning meal replaces every moon, denoting the life cycle as periodical rotations of fullness and emptiness.
It all started almost seven years ago, when the celebrated artist created a work ‘Conditions Apply’ that traced the seven phases of the moon with the image of a roti, mystically morphing the metaphors for themes of life, time and sustenance. Last year, he conceived ‘Conditions Apply 2’ that again referred a lunar cycle’s format. He quips in an interview, “It prompted me to think about life as cycles of both fullness and emptiness, and also ponder on my father’s life.”
On the other hand, a 7 part lenticular panoramic photo 'Aspect Ratio' includes all seven colors of the rainbow and the image of a ubiquitous Mumbai street that flicker, and flip, as a viewer walks past it or even moves in front of it. A new series of paintings ‘Untitled’ (Stations of a Pause) represents candid imagery of the ubiquitous Mumbaikar. Simultaneously, his ‘Traumanama’ (gouache, tea-wash, spray-paint) forms part of 'Watercolour' at Tate Britain.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Anita Dube and Mithu Sen in ‘Conundrum’
Anita Dube and Mithu Sen are among the participating artists in ‘Conundrum’, a group show at Bose Pacia, Brooklyn, New York.
Anita Dube, born in Lucknow in 1958, received a degree in History at the University of Delhi. She then studied art criticism at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda. Also trained as an art historian, her work ranges from sculpture to photography. Her recent work makes use of a variety of found objects in order to explore critical ideas, which are visually compelling and at once, both political and personal.
She deftly combines imagery and references to Indian culture with specific contemporary concerns, to negotiate the slippery terrains of identity – both societal and individual. She also has employed the enamel eyes often found on idols of Hindu deities for her sculptures and installations. Elaborating on their context, she has stated in an interview: "I’ve realized that when a cluster of these eyes carry the charge and energy of crowds. The sense of being in crowded places, an attraction to the violent energy present in these situations - either revolutionary or fascist - is the reason I continue to explore this material."
Mithu Sen, born in West Bengal in 1971, received a BFA and MFA (painting) from Kala Bhavan at Santiniketan, and later, completed a postgraduate program at the Glasgow School of Art in the UK. In her video works, drawings, collages, paintings, installations and found objects, she explores the permutations of identity politics alongside the vagaries of self-perception.
Forms that are Anthropomorphic, anatomical and animist mingle with flora & fauna as well as other hybrid objects in order to create witty and provocative portraits. According to her, the humor in her works is meant to inviting viewers to play with the ideas and meanings of 'self'. They subconsciously apply ‘my caricatures to their own lives’, by engaging with the work she elaborates.
Anita Dube, born in Lucknow in 1958, received a degree in History at the University of Delhi. She then studied art criticism at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda. Also trained as an art historian, her work ranges from sculpture to photography. Her recent work makes use of a variety of found objects in order to explore critical ideas, which are visually compelling and at once, both political and personal.
She deftly combines imagery and references to Indian culture with specific contemporary concerns, to negotiate the slippery terrains of identity – both societal and individual. She also has employed the enamel eyes often found on idols of Hindu deities for her sculptures and installations. Elaborating on their context, she has stated in an interview: "I’ve realized that when a cluster of these eyes carry the charge and energy of crowds. The sense of being in crowded places, an attraction to the violent energy present in these situations - either revolutionary or fascist - is the reason I continue to explore this material."
Mithu Sen, born in West Bengal in 1971, received a BFA and MFA (painting) from Kala Bhavan at Santiniketan, and later, completed a postgraduate program at the Glasgow School of Art in the UK. In her video works, drawings, collages, paintings, installations and found objects, she explores the permutations of identity politics alongside the vagaries of self-perception.
Forms that are Anthropomorphic, anatomical and animist mingle with flora & fauna as well as other hybrid objects in order to create witty and provocative portraits. According to her, the humor in her works is meant to inviting viewers to play with the ideas and meanings of 'self'. They subconsciously apply ‘my caricatures to their own lives’, by engaging with the work she elaborates.
A group show at Bose Pacia, New York
‘Conundrum’, a significant group show, takes place at Bose Pacia, Brooklyn, New York. It features paintings, drawings, sculptures, apart from mixed media works that incorporate fabric wrapped tree roots and hybrid human/animal & animal/plant forms, apart from technically modified figures.
The participating artists work within an aesthetic paradigm, to explore different modifications and derivations of various organic forms and constructs. Anita Dube explores critical ideas, visually compelling and at once, personal and political in nature.
Traversing across a lexicon of gestures, inscriptions and images, Raqs Media Collective invents novel visual concepts, which question artistic norms, systems of representation and multiplicity of space. Raqs Media Collective, formed in 1992 in Delhi by three new media practitioners Monica Narula, Shuddhabrata Sengupta and Jeebesh Bagchi, creates compelling contemporary works. The three studied at the Mass Communications Research Centre at New Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University. They formed SARAI, a research center, at the CSDS, in 2001.
Aditya Pande, born in Lucknow in 1974, graduated from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. The artist's mixed media work expertly combines computer graphics with drawing, painting and collage. Computer generated drawings engage with mythical beings and cartoon-like characters to create hyper-imaginative paintings, which subvert traditional processes.
Arunkumar HG, born in Karnataka in 1968, did his BA and MA in Sculpture from Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Baroda. He prefers to work in sculptures that are composed of various found materials, adding some photographic work as well as wall reliefs. They look explore the concept of Land and all that it might entail and elaborate upon: metaphors for both human and social bodies; questions related to ownership and usage; the rural populations migrating to urban centers.
Suhasini Kejriwal, born in Kolkata in 1973, received her BFA at the Parsons School of Design, New York and an MFA at Goldsmiths College, London. She is known for her fabulous and elaborate paintings that depict natural vegetation as well as anatomical forms. Upon closer examination, lush and dense landscapes deftly reveal tropical flora fauna, human organs, insects and other anatomical forms.
The participating artists work within an aesthetic paradigm, to explore different modifications and derivations of various organic forms and constructs. Anita Dube explores critical ideas, visually compelling and at once, personal and political in nature.
Traversing across a lexicon of gestures, inscriptions and images, Raqs Media Collective invents novel visual concepts, which question artistic norms, systems of representation and multiplicity of space. Raqs Media Collective, formed in 1992 in Delhi by three new media practitioners Monica Narula, Shuddhabrata Sengupta and Jeebesh Bagchi, creates compelling contemporary works. The three studied at the Mass Communications Research Centre at New Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University. They formed SARAI, a research center, at the CSDS, in 2001.
Aditya Pande, born in Lucknow in 1974, graduated from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. The artist's mixed media work expertly combines computer graphics with drawing, painting and collage. Computer generated drawings engage with mythical beings and cartoon-like characters to create hyper-imaginative paintings, which subvert traditional processes.
Arunkumar HG, born in Karnataka in 1968, did his BA and MA in Sculpture from Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Baroda. He prefers to work in sculptures that are composed of various found materials, adding some photographic work as well as wall reliefs. They look explore the concept of Land and all that it might entail and elaborate upon: metaphors for both human and social bodies; questions related to ownership and usage; the rural populations migrating to urban centers.
Suhasini Kejriwal, born in Kolkata in 1973, received her BFA at the Parsons School of Design, New York and an MFA at Goldsmiths College, London. She is known for her fabulous and elaborate paintings that depict natural vegetation as well as anatomical forms. Upon closer examination, lush and dense landscapes deftly reveal tropical flora fauna, human organs, insects and other anatomical forms.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
A foreign view of Indian ethos
A new group exhibition curated by Georgina Maddox at New Delhi based Gallery Threshold features works by Carrie Fonder, Jenny Mullins, Rebecca Layton and Lily Stockman.
India is vast: 1.2 billion people; 24 languages; 1,600 dialects; 28 states; myriad cuisines; 330,000 gods and goddesses; 300 ways to cook a potato; the Ganges attracting millions to its banks; home also of Mahatma Gandhi—a moral force; and one of the richest and most ancient cultures on the planet.
Every few miles, India presents itself differently; each region distinct. It's modern, yet traditional, where a cow shares space with a rickshaw and an SUV. It speaks many languages. It savors many cuisines. It colors life in more hues than there are in a rainbow. It's contemporary, yet classic, where skyscrapers jostle shanties for space, where yoga and hip hop are neighbors. India is diverse in every aspect, yet united as one country. India is home to a million art forms, both traditional and modern.
Is India the new destination for international art interest? Posing this larger question collaboration between four American, artists living in India, explores the notion of the ‘Super Power’ with its tongue firmly in cheek. It's an attempt to go beyond long held stereotypes of India and to touch on the personal readings of four Artists on Fulbright Scholarships from the US, who have spent months interacting with India through the lens of culture.
Carrie Fonder from Detroit, Rebecca Layton from Austin, Jenny Mullins from Washington and Lily Stockman from Los Angeles, each have a unique approach to the subject. They critically examine their position as American artists, visiting India at a time of its economic rising. Each artist has employed multiple mediums to engage with the subject of India. From painting and sculpture to drawing and installation, they have essayed their concerns through a bandwidth of responses.
Carrier Fonder, Rebecca Layton, Jenny Mullins and Lily Stockman bridge sculpture, painting, drawing and installation, in an exhibition that attempts a dialogue with India's rising economic autonomy and its flourishing middle-class.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Commenting on the war and the New Media’s role in it
Nature Morte Berlin presents ‘The Land’, the first solo show of works by T V Santhosh in the city of Berlin. It takes place in collaboration with The Guild Gallery, Mumbai.
Today, the media, to quite a large extent, defines and drives the pattern of our relationship with the world. News updates serve as our extended visions, which ultimately become part of our daily experiences. The News Media’s role and relation to the nature of war and conflict has been dramatically shifting especially in the context of the current Middle East turmoil.
The conflict is unique in many different ways. It’s an internally generated event largely independent of those usual tools of hate, war and the politics of fear. Instead and it’s driven by a democratic choice the people of these regions in the world have found for themselves within and despite the oppressive systems that govern them. This changes the nature of this conflict considerably to an internal from an external enemy and to an economic & individually driven motivation from a political motivation.
Also, the international media is struggling to get a cohesive perspective of these events, in a way muddled with official versions of the foreign policies. The role of alternative media and social network sites has emerged as tools to mobilize the pent-up energies of those who are oppressed. Anthony Shadid, wrote in the New York Times: “No one really seems to know as what to call this conflict - a revolution, a civil war or - in a translation of what some call it in Arabic - ‘the events’, a shorthand for confusing violence."
The new series of new works by artist T V Santhosh is an intense outcome of preoccupation with the of war images – its on-going and changing nature, memory and perception. These are powerful works that set us thinking about the global scenario and our perception of it.
Today, the media, to quite a large extent, defines and drives the pattern of our relationship with the world. News updates serve as our extended visions, which ultimately become part of our daily experiences. The News Media’s role and relation to the nature of war and conflict has been dramatically shifting especially in the context of the current Middle East turmoil.
The conflict is unique in many different ways. It’s an internally generated event largely independent of those usual tools of hate, war and the politics of fear. Instead and it’s driven by a democratic choice the people of these regions in the world have found for themselves within and despite the oppressive systems that govern them. This changes the nature of this conflict considerably to an internal from an external enemy and to an economic & individually driven motivation from a political motivation.
Also, the international media is struggling to get a cohesive perspective of these events, in a way muddled with official versions of the foreign policies. The role of alternative media and social network sites has emerged as tools to mobilize the pent-up energies of those who are oppressed. Anthony Shadid, wrote in the New York Times: “No one really seems to know as what to call this conflict - a revolution, a civil war or - in a translation of what some call it in Arabic - ‘the events’, a shorthand for confusing violence."
The new series of new works by artist T V Santhosh is an intense outcome of preoccupation with the of war images – its on-going and changing nature, memory and perception. These are powerful works that set us thinking about the global scenario and our perception of it.
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