25 Jun 2014

Review: ‘Crosstalk’ at Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore

Art Review: ‘Crosstalk’ at Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore, a group show by four artists Lokesh BH, Naveen Kumar A, Aishwaryan K and Mohan Kumar T

Yesterday, I visited ‘Crosstalk’ at Gallery Sumukha, which is a group show by four artists Lokesh BH, Naveen Kumar A, Aishwaryan K and Mohan Kumar T. For me, Lokesh was the unknown entity here as I had not seen his works earlier. The other three artists have shown their works in Bangalore, whereas Mohan Kumar was part of a show that I had conceptualized a while ago (it was later shelved). 
‘Crosstalk’ at Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore, Art Scene India
Crosstalk is intended to be “about the four artists’ personal attempts to grapple with contemporary living, and find their place in the larger scheme of things. Binding the body of works together are several common concepts, noticeable in the multiplicity of urban motifs, objects and attributes. However, each artist sees and underlines distinct elements in this constantly changing life-scape."
‘Crosstalk’ at Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore, Art Scene India
As an exploration of the self and survival, and the artist’s individual take on contemporary living, the works are diverse and present interesting perspectives. Mohan Kumar’s works are filled with satire and dry wit as they comment on social situations, which are commonly accepted and have become the norm, but can be comical and at times farcical. He is particularly adept at story telling through his drawings.
Aishwaryan transforms familiar materials and media into works which offer multiple possibilities of interpretation. These may represent objects of desire and aspiration, yet are fraught with artifice and may eventually be inconsequential. On a personal level, I could relate better to the two mixed media drawings.

 ‘Crosstalk’ at Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore, Art Scene IndiaLokesh’s works are autobiographical in nature and explore the consumerist culture and also human relationships, the former with a wry humour, while the latter is laced with sadness and confusion. About ‘Black Cycle’, he explains, “it represents my journey and life experiences during the period of my ‘Art education’. It was a phase fraught with confusion, in which the self underwent struggles that have been symbolized in this work.” Lokesh seems to present two distinct bodies of work here, perhaps from two different time periods. As a skilled and able artist embarking on his career, he could focus and elaborate on a single concept and allow it to grow organically – build layers into the narrative to make it more meaningful and coherent.

‘Crosstalk’ at Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore, Art Scene India
Naveen Kumar surprised me with his large work composed of miniature vignettes, a montage of mixed media drawings on pages of an art book. Compiling stories – tales from childhood, personal experiences and even popular expressions, the result is a delightful installation weaved out of ‘magical stories’ as the title suggests. The drawings have been rendered in minute detail and form a whimsical collection.

It's a good effort by this group of young artists and if you are in Bangalore, drop in at the show and let me know which of the works you liked.

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16 Jun 2014

Workshop on Practical Aspects of Art Marketing

I'm conducting a workshop on 'Practical Aspects of Art Marketing' on June 21st, 2014 at Bodhi Art Gallery, Bangalore. The workshop is geared towards artists - students, beginners and mid-level.

Workshop on 'Practical Aspects  of  Art Marketing' on June 2st, 2014 at Bodhi Art Gallery, Bangalore 

Topics to be covered:


1. What is Art Marketing?
2. Essential Tools to Promote and  
    Support Your Art Practice
3. Artist Statement

  • What is it?
  • Why do you need it?
  • How to write - tips and exercise
4. Artists' Media/Press Kit
  • Contents
  • Writing a press release - exercise
Other details in the ecard

3 Jun 2014

Art Cars: Vehicles of Personal Artistic Expression

Some of you might be aware that I used to write a weekly column on art for Bangalore Mirror for a few years. Recently, while organizing my articles, I came across this one which was written on art cars.  In fact, this was soon after I had written the catalogue essay for artist Yusuf Arakkal, when he was exhibiting his modified 1956 Italian Fiat Millecento. Although, this article was written and published in 2009, I think you may still find it relevant!

Art Car

Last week, I was conducting some research on an art car and came across so much material that I felt the concept would appeal to a larger audience. The term is used to refer to an automobile that has been modified in order to alter its physical appearance. People use paint – poster colours or oil paints – to create their own designs and patterns on the body of the vehicle. Some use additional material to alter the appearance drastically and convert them into sculptural works. The idea behind this concept is to give vent to ones artistic expression or to personalize the vehicle and make it appear individualistic. This, incidentally, is not the same as customizing your car according to specific needs.
Art Car by artist Yusuf Arakkal, image courtesy artist

In fact, some of it even stems from a rebellious approach to a factory made or mass produced object. The desire is to create something distinctive that would stand out in a crowd. Although, there are a few professional artists who design art cars, there are many more who are amateurs. Sometimes the term ‘cartists’ are used to refer to them. Amongst professional artists, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein designed and painted BMW racing cars. Warhol in fact painted his car in approximately 23 minutes while Lichtenstein designed the painting taking into consideration the principles of aerodynamics. The car was painted in such a way that it reflected the passing scenery – flashes of green and yellow from the surrounding landscape.
BMW Art Car (BMW M3 GTR) designed by Sandro Chia at BMW Museum Munich, Author Olli1800
While some owners just paint their cars to reflect their belief or ideology and ensure that the car remains in a functional state, there are others who modify it to the extent where they become exhibits. The utilitarian value of the automobile is lost and these are transported from one place to another as display pieces. With time, art car has grown hugely in popularity – mainly in the US – and there are dedicated events, groups, road shows and museums for this purpose.
1985 BMW 635CSi painted by Robert Rauschenberg, Author Davidwiz

Although, abroad the concept of an art car has been around for years, and has seen exception popularity especially in the US, it is still not a very common practice in India. However, in the late 1960s M F Husain is known to have painted his car.

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15 May 2014

Artist Profile: Devajyoti Ray

This week we profile artist Devajyoti Ray, whose cinematic works hold you captive and mesmerized as you struggle to keep a finger on the exact moment of life that a particular work seems to depict. Moment is what his works are all about. A particular glance, a sudden smile, a pondering look - infinitesimal moments that make our life so meaningful. A moment that is capable of telling an entire story.
 Art by Artist Devajyoti Ray profiled on Art Scene India, Image courtesy artist
Born in 1974, Ray has been associated with the Kolkata art scene for long time, working closely with and following some of the doyens of Bengal art, though never enrolling for academic degrees. A keen sense of learning had given him a different kind of edge as he freely mixed ideas from various fields into art, something that was not very popular then, but today has many followers. In 2004, Ray came up with a new style which immediately attracted the attention of the academic world – pseudorealism. He has since then exhibited in many countries and has been represented in several galleries, fairs and state museums.
Art by Artist Devajyoti Ray profiled on Art Scene India, Image courtesy artist
Pseudorealism is a popular genre of art today and Ray’s works in this particular style is well known. But what many do not know is that, Ray also makes collages, installations, photographs as well, many of which are highly political and with clear socialist leanings. His series of “Transmigration of Soul” depicting figures from history and their contextualization in the contemporary reality has been very popular. One such work presently exists in the Havana Museum of Fine Arts.

Art Scene India now features artists on a regular basis. If you wish to be profiled on artsceneindia.com, please send in your submissions according to the UPDATED guidelines listed under Submit.

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