A foundation committed to promote the best of Indian art

The Devi Art Foundation, established specifically for facilitating the creative expression viewership base, also looks to promote unique artistic practice in India. The space encourages innovation that is unconstrained by any commercial limitations so as to afford talented artists from the thriving region producing cutting edge, experimental art. What are the goals and objectives of the platform?

While the captivating collection was initiated in the 1980’s by Lekha Poddar with works from the Bengal School, the Progressive Artists Group (PAG), and others active at the time, Anupam’s own interests lie in experimental and cutting edge art forms. His forays into the world of art started with pursuing of works by several artists of his generation including Subodh Gupta, Sudarshan Shetty, Bharti Kher, A. Balasubramaniam, Mithu Sen and Anita Dube – to whose practice he thought he could well relate.

By undermining perceived geo-political divides, its objective is to nurture a meaningful dialogue from within the Sub-continent amongst various art practitioners, to enhance the understanding of our shared history. Apart from acting as a hub for contemporary artists, it strives to interact with, and encourage emerging curators and critics, helping to vent their concerns.

A series of lectures and talks are held to accompany the exhibits in an effort to bridge the gap existing between art production and the masses. Supplementing this is a concerted education/outreach program aimed at encouraging a culture where art turns into a subject matter of discussion and debate. The focus is on select exhibitions each year, curated out of the Lekha and Anupam Poddar Collection on view for a substantial period for sustained engagement.

One among the most comprehensive compilations of contemporary India art, the collection is comprised of significant works in diverse media such as painting,  interactive installation, video, sculpture, and photography. It carries representations of the country’s rich folk and tribal traditions, with other countries in the Sub-continent also having a substantial voice.

Growing out of this private passion – with a much greater charge through its exhibitions, artists' interactions, and education and outreach program – the Devi Art Foundation, is committed to introducing contemporary art practice to public discourse.

Navin Thomas: An artist always keen to experiment

Working tirelessly and seamlessly over a prolonged period of time with different materials allow a thorough understanding, through the mind as well as the body. Navin Thomas’s processes reveal the intriguing aspects of a creative sojourn. Other than his preoccupation with voice culture, automation, and sleep cycles, the artist is known to keenly explore the mesmerizing sound worlds of different organisms.

Born in 1974 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, the artist has done a diploma in graphic design and holds a diploma in cinematography from Karnataka Film and Technical Training Centre, Bangalore. Among his recent solo exhibitions are 'sound asleep', Gallery SKE, Bangalore and Project88, Mumbai (2006); 'Auto In', and 'In Transit', Gallery SKE, Bangalore (2005, 2004).

His work forms part of group exhibitions like 'RE ASIA - Avatar, Asia's Narrators', Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, and 'Mechanisms of Motion', Anant Art Gallery, Delhi. Among the workshops and residencies he has attended are the Mattress Factory in 2007 and AFFA, winter artist residency program, Paris (2006).

In one of his earlier projects ‘Immersions - The White Cube Project’ at New Delhi-based Anant Art Gallery, he etched on black glass, and highlighted the pre-eminent role of computer and television screens in our day-to-day lives. In his work, the reflective black void of the sleeping screen held virtual world of possible interactions and resultant experiences.

On the other hand, for one of his recent creations, he made use of found twigs, steel sphere, salvaged electronics, furniture, used sheets, live crickets and mousetraps. His keenness to experiment was again visible in ‘Analytical Engine’, a series curated by Heidi Fichtner at Kolkata’s gallery Bose Pacia The participating artists included Rohini Devasher, Anita Dube, and Kiran Subbaiah among others, engaged into an experimental journey through neo art mediums, conceptually grounding his works based on sound component.

As is evident, Navin Thomas often thrives on the sudden element of surprise in order to arrive at something unexpected and keep the viewers hooked to his work.

Factors that drive a socially sensitive artist’s oeuvre

Born in 1945 in Kerala, Yusuf Arakkal had to go through several ups and downs. He chose art as a career against his family’s wishes and ran away from his home to Bangalore. He spent life on the city streets for more than a year, and worked at construction sites and hotels during this tough period. But his resolve to become an artist remained intact.

The socially sensitive practitioner depicts the everyday miseries of the dispossessed, their helplessness and even their utter stoicism in the face of tragedy through his art. His work is largely about prevailing urban predicament and pervading sense of loneliness, exuding lingering ‘melancholic’ element.

Yusuf Arakkal is in constant touch with an anguished being, invariably disturbed, somewhere deep inside him. It’s the human presence – agony and aspirations - that arouses his attention and urges his creative inner space. He is a keen observer of the life and faces around that he imbibes and processes in his artistic realm, often depicting a solitary human in different poses, at times.

A reflection of Yusuf and Sara Arakkal’s love for art was in a gallery that they together formed. She recounts: “He was the passionate artist, engrossed for hours in his paintings. When the visuals emerged I was amazed and proud. More than his words I understood his silences. I grew up seeing, inhaling and breathing art under the wings of an artist for almost four decades. I knew some day I would follow his footsteps into the art world.”

In moving from one socially relevant theme to another, Yusuf Arakkal demonstrates that his job as an artist is to find a clear, simple way to communicate through a language not exclusive to one set of rigid individuals bound by ideology, religion, or community, but by a broader philosophy of life that can cut through all such barriers.

Facets and stages of Zarina's art journey

Artist Zarina Hashmi’s deep-rooted attachment to Sufism as well as Buddhism is often reflected in her profuse usage of gold leaf in her works. Conversely, creations like ‘Shadow House’ (2006), cut out of paper from Nepal, are reminiscent of rich Islamic architecture’s sculpted stone friezes and screens (Jali) that let women just peep outside sans they themselves being visible; an interplay of light & shade effectively evoking a house’s ephemeral nature. Here are other facets and stages of her art journey:

• Her multi-faceted practice embraces and amalgamates architecture, sculpture, woodcuts etc; tactile in the diverse materials used, minimal in its expression, and packed with meaning. Her preferred media are wood that she carves, (the wooden printing blocks), and paper that she manipulates with dexterity (including papier mâché forms).
  
• Her wood-block prints, paper casts pieces, or her wall installations connect the places and pieces of memories she gathers from them - Bangkok (1958-61); New Delhi (1961-63, 1968-74); Paris (1963-67); Bonn (1971-72); Tokyo in 1974; Los Angeles (1975-76) and finally New York, the city she has residing in since 1976 with a break in Santa Cruz (1992-97).
  
• In the course of her illustrious career, she has received several awards and honors including Montalvo Residency, Saratoga, California (2006); the Residency award at the Art-Omi, Omi, NY (1994); Residency Award courtesy the Women’s Studio Workshop, Rosendale, New York (1991), the N.Y.F.A. Fellowship in Printmaking/Drawing/Artists Books (1985, 1990); Japan Foundation Fellowship (1974); and the President’s Award for Printmaking (1969). She has been associated with institutes like Bennington College, Vermont; Cornell University, the New York Feminist Art Institute, and New York University as a teacher.
  
• Redolent of sound, smell and color along with the equilibrium and symmetry of Mughal architecture’s superb structural forms, the calligraphy of Urdu marks many of her works. In them, the poetic scope far surpasses the contemporary socio-politico-cultural context.
  
• Far from being a mere staid archaeology of the still past, the artist brings forth places, atmospheres and shaped by desire and imagination, sculpted in the light of everlasting hopes rooted in the paper she expertly cuts out, breathing and ageing, amplifying its fragility and its resilience to weather ravages of time.

A chance to acquire masterpieces

Followed by the significant Amaya Collection sale, its first ever Indian art’s Evening Auction, Sotheby’s has now sourced a very impressive line-up of works - many of them fresh to the art market and also with great provenances - for its upcoming Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art auction in London.

The event to be held on 11th June will include two magnificent artworks by late Maqbool Fida Husain (1913-2011), offered at any auction for the first time in the centenary year of his birth – one of them from a former Indian Ambassador’s collection. His 1961 oil on canvas work ‘Jhoola’ (price estimate: £220,000-250,000), acquired directly from the legendary artist during the 1960s, is a perfect example of his unique blend of post-Impressionist and post-Independence painting.

The auction includes exciting works by the likes of late Bhupen Khakhar, Jehangir Sabavala and senior master Krishen Khanna apart from significant works by top contemporary artists like Jitish Kallat - a lightbox installation (piece estimate: £80,000-120,000). It comprises a series of images of rotis, eaten away to imitate the different phases of the moon. This alludes to both the earning of daily bread and the fast of Ramadan, the conclusion of which relies upon the sighting of the new moon.

The contemporary section includes an exceptional diptych by Thukral and Tagra among others. Further highlighting the works on offer, a press release reveals, “Indian Sculpture in the modern era is honored through the iconic works of Chintamoni Kar, Prodosh Das Gupta and Sarbari Roy Choudhury. These artists explored the ideals of ‘Modernism’ in their works by experimenting with unconventional material and using the rural landscape and the tribal regions as inspiration.

“Highlights from the modern section include a stunning work by Vasudeo S. Gaitonde, titled ‘Painting No.1’, and an Untitled canvas by SH Raza, painted just before his venture into Bindu series. In addition, there is an outstanding work by Francis Newton Souza (Christ on Palm Sunday), a moving and emotional Pieta by Krishen Khanna from 1978.”

Important milestones of Yusuf Arakkal’s career

• Apart from acquiring specialization in Graphic Print Making from The National Academy Community Studios in Garhi, New Delhi (1980), Yusuf Arakkal also did a Diploma in Painting from Chitrakala Parishat College of Art, Bangalore (1973).

• Among his selected solo shows are 'An Inner Fire', Art Alive Gallery, Delhi (2011); ‘The Street’ courtesy Art Alive and Gallery Sanskriti, Kolkata (2008); ‘The Age of Innocence’ courtesy S. A. Fine Arts, London and Galerie Sara Arakkal, Bangalore; ‘The Street’, Art Alive and Aicon Gallery, Palo Alto; ‘In a Figurative Identity’, Easel Gallery, Singapore (all in 2007); and exhibitions at Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai (2004); The Nehru Centre, London (2002); the Emirate Towers, Dubai (2001).

• The internationally acclaimed artist’s works have been featured at several group exhibitions, such as '10 x 10', Gallery Threshold, Delhi (2010); 'Black is Beautiful', India Fine Art, Mumbai (2010); 'The Open Cage', Galerie Sara Arakkal, Bangalore (2009); 'Indian Harvest' at SG Private Banking, Singapore (2009); ‘Tatva’, The Elements at Victoria and Albert Museum, London (2006).

• His select participations include 'Art Celebrates 2010: Sports and the City', to coincide with the Commonwealth Games in Delhi; 'Master’s Corner' at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai (2010 ); 5th Florence International Biennale of Contemporary Art, Italy; Biennale Internazionale Dell' Arte Contemporanea; Arad International Biennale, Romania. (all in 2005); 4th Florence International Biennale of Contemporary Art, Italy (2003); 4th Egyptian International Print Triennial (2003), and  Cairo International Biennale in 2001.

• Among the prestigious honors and awards he has won are Lorenso-De-Medici Gold medal at 5th Florence International Biennale, Italy (2005); Varnashilpi Venkatappa Award from the Government of Karnataka for art (2005);. Arad International Biennale award (2005); Lorenso-De-Medici silver medal at the 4th Florence Biennale (2003); Shikhar Sanman, Department of Culture, Madhya Pradesh Government (2001); and QINGDAO Inter National Print Biennial of China (2000).

• He has also won Raza Award, Bhopal (1994); Government of India Fellowship, HRD Ministry, Delhi (1989-92); National Award, Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi (1987); an award at the 3rd Asian Art Biennale, Dhaka, Bangladesh (1986); and at International Asian European Biennial, Turkey (1980), among others. Besides columns and articles in leading publications, he has also penned a book titled, ‘The Book’.

Husain’s exquisite works up for grabs

At Christie's auction house (London) some of the most cutting edge and dynamic contemporary artists drawn from across the Asian subcontinent will witness their exquisite artworks being part a major sale along with those of the several renowned modern masters. It’s led by VS Gaitonde’s untitled work, also among the largest canvases ever by him to be presented at any auction, dating from the period of mid-1960s.

The piece is from this recognized as the celebrated yet reclusive artist's peak artistic phase. From a credible collection, and on offer just a year before a show of art by the Indian artist at New York’s Guggenheim Museum, it’s estimated in the range of £500,000-700,000. ‘Rome’ by Francis Newton Souza (estimated at £40,000-60,000) acquired from Gallery One is also the one to watch out for. The sale includes a vast selection of pieces by MF Husain.

An apt tribute to mark the centenary of the late artist’s birth, the showcase belongs to the key periods of his oeuvre. His ‘Ganga Jamuna’ (1971) from the Bhownagary Family Collection is estimated in the rage of £400,000-600,000. Jehangir 'Jean' Bhownagary, incidentally, was the government's film advisor-producer of 'Through the Eyes of a Painter', the artist's award-winning film in 1967.

Meanwhile, followed by the significant Amaya Collection sale, its first ever Indian art’s Evening Auction, Sotheby’s has now sourced a very impressive line-up of works - many of them fresh to the art market and also with great provenances - for its upcoming Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art auction in London.  The event is to be held on 11th June. 

Done in 1972, Khakhar’s 'Air, Steam and Speed' (price estimate: £100,000-150,000), makes its appearance on the market for the first time in over 30 years from an English collection. Sabavala’s Untitled of 1977 is coming to auction for the first time (price estimate of £100,000-150,000). His oeuvre is unique amongst Indian artists practicing during the Modernist era. The sky and sea dominate the subject matter of his canvases from this period.