With everything of our lives online for many months of the pandemic, and the visual becoming the video experience, a much anticipated return to the real has the 2021 edition of Abu Dhabi Art making up for lost time, with the realisation of many of the ideas originally conceived of for the previous year’s fair. […]
Venice Biennale 59 was fascinating, invigorating and extremely engaging. Curator Cecilia Aleman’s Milk of Dreams shares its title with surrealist artist Leonora Carrington fantastic book and illustrations with the same name. It describes a constantly changing magical world brought about by the prism of imagination. By appointing predominantly women artists and curators, Aleman’s releases a […]
Padma Shri Bulu Imam is a gem that many people are unaware of. He is an archaeologist, a revivalist of tribal paintings, and the recipient of the Gandhi Foundation’s International Peace Award for his humanitarian efforts. He is a big-game hunter turned environmentalist, as well as an archaeologist, and a revivalist of tribal paintings. He […]
Rajesh Deb (1979, Dharmanagar, Tripura) is an artist who sees political overtones in everyday life. He exposes the social and political concerns of his time and constructs a satirical universe that runs concurrently with reality. By conjuring up disturbing pictures, he removes the veil on the many worthless features of today’s world. A Rabindra Bharti […]
Art has always been an expression of inner emotions, intuitions, and aspirations to a majority of people. It has always been a method of expressing one’s perspective on the world, which is an extension of the personality for many. On the other hand, beauty has always been a measure of a feeling’s impact. One often […]
It was sometime in the 70’s when I met Rini Dhumal. 70’s and 80’s have been described by many as the golden years for the Baroda Fine Arts Faculty. Eminent Artists like K.G. Subramanyan and Shankho Chaudhuri used to teach at the Fine Arts Faculty then. Many teachers were young and enthusiastic. The faculty activities, […]
Prologue Somnath Hore was my teacher, my guide for the Cultural scholarship and my PhD supervisor. We had a cordial relationship; as a teacher and a student often have but more significantly, we were friends as well. During my study period at Santiniketan (1968-73 and 1975-1982) I had contributed an article entitled ‘Prasanga: Somnath Hore’ […]
Principles of the Future of Art Can art be the future of man? The question can be put in another way: What are the principles of art of the future? The secret of visual dialectics of any engaged art lies ultimately in its aprori negation of both the history and tradition of art. This negation […]
Commitment announced at Second Donors’ and Partners’ Conference of the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH) $30 million commitment will help the foundation to continue its vital work around the world 10th February 2022, India – His Highness Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi Minister of Culture, unveiled a $30 […]
36 Languages, more than 30,000 songs and End of an Era. Lata Mangeshkar’s death has left India mourning. The veteran singer was being treated for Covid-19 and pneumonia symptoms for over a month. Acclaimed singer Lata Mangeshkar breathed her last at Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai on Sunday.Lata Mangeshkar recorded her first Hindi song called “Mata […]
Storytelling: generation to generation – Gaurav Kumar “If you listen carefully, you will become a different person by the end of thestory”. -Vyas, Mahabharata. Man has learned to speak in the universe, along with that he has alsolearnt to listen and tell stories. ‘Kahaani’ was born in a heart full of thewonder of man, the […]
A new Edition and a new Theme. Storytelling is a long-standing practice in human society. Since timeimmemorial, stories have been a medium of communication. Theyhave been the strength of keeping people intact to the roots of theirculture, and they have been the binding force of preserving culture forthe future. In the last ten years, storytelling […]
Stories Engraved in Stone: Jataka Tales and the Scenes from Buddha’s Life at Sanchi – Surabhi Sharman In the heart of India, located some 48 km from Madhya Pradesh’s capital city, Bhopal, is one of the most revered sites of Buddhism, Sanchi. In the ancient past, Sanchi was located near Vidisha, an important town under […]
TRACING BACK TO EXISTENCE: A NARRATIVE OF CULTURAL EXCHANGE – Akhila GN The glorified land of spices located in the southern peninsular area of India is popularly known as ‘Malay Nadu ‘(Kerala) renowned through colonization and altered narratives of religion and culture, but the central part of Kerala including the districts present day Kottayam, Idukki […]
Mythic Imageries: Reading a Narrative Scroll of Santhal Creation Myth – Rahul Majumder In the eastern Indian states of West Bengal and Jharkhand, an indigenous community of artisans paints narrative scrolls of mythical and religious tales as their hereditary craft, much akin to the Bengal patachitra tradition, conventionally known as Jadupatuas, Patkars, Pytkars, Patidaars, or […]
THE VOICE OF CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHER: STEVE McCURRY – adapted by Ashley Crabill from the book steve mcCurry: a life in Pictures by Bonnie mcCurry (2018) Steve mcCurry has been one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography for more than 30 years, with scores of magazine and book covers, over a dozen books, and […]
Dear Readers, I would start off with the message quoted by T.S. Eliot in Four Quartets, where he said and I quote, “ For last year’s words belong to the last year’s language, and the next year’s words await another voice. ” The year 2020 if explained in a word can be said “Existential.” This […]
The Magical Tool: History of Photography in india Since 1840 Gaurav Kumar Without the natural gift of artistic expression, all the art knowledge in the world will, in nine cases out of ten, when applied to photography prove futile. It could be said that camera obscura marked the very beginning in India. It was a […]
Raja Deen Dayal: An Unforgettable Artist & Prince of Photographers Gaurav Kumar hile the world of Indian princes adopted the British raj, an Indian photographer rose to a place of great prominence and honor. he was lala deen dayal (1840-1905). originally from sardhana, near meerut, deen dayal had apparently risen by his wits to enroll […]
Framing Representations Indian Women in Early Photography – Surabhi Sharman The 19th century witnessed the growing acceptance of western modernity in India, and as a result, a counter ideology of the New Indian Woman began to permeate into the nationalist discourse. rooted in the growth of nationalism and contemporary events, the position of the modern […]
Sunil Janah’s Photo Journalism: Weaving Everyday Aaesthetics Through Politics – Urvi Chheda Old man: (While sipping curry) this lack of rice and the way the price of rice is increasing like this. do you know why this is happening? Gangacharan: Because of the war, right? Old man: Yes because of the war for sure. But […]
Beyond The Human Eye – Aadya Baoni “Photography enabled me to record with a camera the images seen by my eyes and then transform them to the perceived ones I desired, in a darkroom or with Photoshop.” – Jyoti Bhatt A wire mesh door opened to a wafting aroma of roasted gujarati food. Under the […]
Concept & History of Abstract art: Western & Indian Timeline – Gaurav Kumar I wish to approach truth as closely as is possible, and therefore I abstract everything until I arrive at the fundamental quality of objects. -Piet Mondrian Sometimes in the history of art it is possible to describe a period or a generation […]
VASUDEO S GAITONDE – Art & Deal Correspondent Over the past decade, appreciation for Vasudeo Santu Gaitonde (1924–2001) has grown markedly. But why has recognition been so belated compared to his contemporaries? There are likely a number of factors. As a painter who pursued nonrepresentational art—a mode outside the figural tradition embedded in Indian visual […]
Sohan Qadri – Uma Prakash Sohan Qadri’s meditative work emanates the soul of an artist, poet, and Tantric Guru. There is a feeling of tranquility and spirituality that permeates all his work. Qadri was born as Sohan Singh in a farmer’s family in Punjab India in 1932. He had the good fortune of following two […]
Saurashtra Series: Raza’s Metaphysical Journey towards Indigenous Self – Urmila Banu Abandoning the visual description, embracing the objective reality through gestural brushstrokes, impasto-ed application of incandescent colours, metaphorical use of geometric forms, a mystical equilibrium of contrasts and hues to create emotive formulations of expression S.H. Raza’s paintings are equipoise of external phenomenon and a […]
Tarpana: The holy act of Remembering one’s Ancestors SHANKU SHARMA Usually, thousands of families converge at the historic Barak River (especially the Sadarghat area) in Silchar to pay respects to their elders (Tarpana) in the form of offerings during the season of Pitru Paksha (mostly in September or October). Tarpana is a term that refers […]
Patua: Bengal’s minstrels of mythos UPASANA BHATTACHARYA Daitya once lived in the hills outside a tiny village in Bengal. He had caused massive pandemonium in the lives of the locals, for he would come out at night and devour whoever he could find – man, animal, or child. At their wits’ end, the people pleaded […]
ARPANA CAUR SHARES SOME THOUGHT WITH KAINAAT FATIMA As Shakespeare said, “The world’s a stage, and we are all mere players”, my story too since its beginning substantiated changes of our turbulent times. A story that gave me the wisdom to accept and portray the truth, A story that gave me the mind-altering turn to […]
Elemental – An interview with Joana Vasconcelos – Rajesh Punj In his day Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung introduced the idea that “the creation of something new was not accomplished by our intellect, but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind playing with the objects it loves.” And that reflex […]
Dear Readers, June 2020 saw the end of an era with the passing away of Indian filmmaker and screenwriter Shri Basu Chatterjee, aged ninety. The warmth and slice-of-life humour his films exuded were unique in their connect with the audience, be it Chhoti Si Baat, Rajnigandha or Chitchor. However, two of his notable experiments like […]
The God of Small Things an interview with Lionel Esteve – Rajesh Punj There is a light-heartedness about Brussels based artist Lionel Estèvethat permeates his work as a lightness of touch. Seeing the things we leave to the litter as part and parcel of his colour field container canvases and rock sculptures. In the acclaimed […]
TODAY, WE ARE living an event that has no parallels in living memory. You may say, it’s just a virus but look at how dramatically it has changed most—if not all—of our realities. The biggest being our ability to open a door and step out… for a stroll, a party, for work, to shop or […]
Dhaka ART Summit – Uma Prakash COVER STORY The fifth edition of Dhaka Art Summit featured the works of artists from forty-four countries around the world at the capital’s Shilpakala Academy. It showcased solo art exhibitions, public art projects, curated exhibitions, seminars, symposiums and live art performances. Dhaka Art Summit has become an important event […]
