Podcast (01): Guide: How to Write an Artist Statement

This article, Guide: How to Write an Artist Statement is now available as an audio presentation, i.e. a podcast. This is my first attempt at making a podcast and I hope you will take the time to listen to it and let me have your suggestions and feedback. Also, let me know if you prefer this format, it does give you the flexibility to listen on any of your smart phones or gadgets, even while on the move.

In future, I also plan to have interviews with artists, curators and other experts and release them as podcasts.

After listening to this presentation, you can leave your comments here.

Please click on the link to play the audio,

Podcast:: Guide: How to Write an Artist Statement

 

Podcast:: Guide: How to Write an Artist Statement

If you prefer to read the text, you can read it right here.

Also read,

Tips on How to Title an Artwork

Art in Interiors: Murals Bring Art to Interiors

A mural can be an extremely versatile way to add artwork to home interiors and should be explored, writes art consultant Nalini S Malaviya

 

A mural on the wall is an interesting way to introduce art in your surroundings. A slightly off beat option, murals are far less common than paintings on walls. Having a painting done directly on the wall is a long term commitment that you make to the artwork and the artist because it cannot be moved around at whim. Folk and tribal art continues to be the most popular option in murals as these are bright and colourful. Geometric, floral and animal motifs form the narrative and it is fascinating to watch a story unfold which can compellingly draw the viewer in. Contemporary art is also a good option, which one can explore.

It can appear a little daunting to have a painting done directly on the walls and some of the issues that come up are –

• What about the outcome, is it going to turn out well?
• Will it blend with the rest of the décor?
• Will it stand out too much and become overwhelming?
• And, most importantly what do you do when you get bored with it?

These are all valid questions that one must consider before having a mural painted on a wall inside your home. One of the ways to deal with such a situation is to have the mural painted only at a later stage, for instance when the décor is in place and you have finalized wall colours, drapes and furnishings.

The advantage with a mural is that it offers great flexibility and the ability to complement the existing home décor, and therefore you can easily select themes, motives, colours and the size of the mural based on the space available and the décor. The artist will also have many ideas and will be able to guide you in terms of what is possible and what works best for that particular area. Opt for an artist who has experience in doing murals.

Interestingly, folk and tribal art works very well in almost every form of décor scheme, and in most parts of the house. For instance, it fits in very well around the main entrance, lounge, dining area and the children’s room. Folk and tribal art with their colourful strokes has a universal appeal and the theme can be adapted to suit the space. Similarly, other art forms can be painted on a wall which needs to be highlighted and can be adapted completely to complement the space available – even if is an odd shape. Columns and pillars, beams and the ceiling can also be painted to create dramatic effects.

A mural can be an extremely versatile way to add artwork to home interiors and should be explored. A few years later you can change it and have a completely new mural in its place.

This article was published in The Times of India-The Address yesterday. 
Images are sourced from the Internet.

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[en]counters 2014: Is there love in this air?

The 5th edition of ArtOxygen’s annual public art project [en]counters 2014: is there love in this air? began in Mumbai on 20 Feb, where Mumbai’s Carter Road Promenade, Juhu Beach and other spots in the city have become the sites of interventions!

Every year ArtOxygen produces and curates art projects around contemporary issues, where ‘the festival provides a platform where Indian and international artists establish a dialogue with urban spaces and explore how contemporary art practice can become a catalyst to inquire Mumbai’s everyday life and activate its few open spaces’. ArtO2 is an India-based independent art organization that aims to increase awareness of contemporary art practices.

Taking inspiration from a popular song of the ‘80s, this year’s festival revolves around the notion of air at the same time a physical and mental breathing space and an immaterial element connecting people. Ten artists from India, Hong Kong and Singapore are participating in the project.

This year’s project revolving around the notion of air has site specific works which have evolved in response to the site. Interactions with viewers (walker, joggers and others) who are part of the landscape on that particular site act as catalysts in a sense and activate the artworks through their participation. Introducing an element of the unexpected the public art project attempts to initiate a dialogue that explores the dynamics of the encounter between the art and the viewer.

According to Leandre D’Souza from ArtO2, “Through site-specific ephemeral installations, situational performances, time-based street actions, community workshops, they will create new creative trajectories in spaces uncommon for the arts.” With an interesting line up of artists, the project promises to create interesting interventions in Mumbai’s Carter Road Promenade, Juhu Beach and other spots in the city.


According to the press release from ArtO2, the artworks include ‘a miniature piece inviting viewers to quench their spiritual hunger as they discover a trail of rice grains inscribed with text by writers and philosophers by Hema Upadhyay. Pradeep L Mishra’s work looks at the human cycle of life-death-afterlife as he creates a sea of agarbatti sticks exuding, when lit, a natural and delicate fragrance as a way to counteract the harsh odours and chemical toxins filling the city’s air. Reena Saini Kallat presents a personal piece along the shores of the beach as she shares with us a letter by a mother to her child. As she writes the letter using salt, the work repeatedly gets washed away and highlights the fragility of our existence and the instability of our natural environment. Vibha Galhotra’s Orbis Unum II tries to create a world without borders, orders or differences communicated through words and symbols inspired from the eight testimonies of Buddhism, revisited and transferred onto a series of flags.

A musical box by Mee Ping Leung, whose tune raises issues of imprisonment, freedom, loss and bonding and SoundPocket will present soundscapes of HK that will be juxtaposed in locations across the city and Lo Chi Kit will collect stories of Indian migrants in HK that he will translate on to transparent adhesives. Upon installation, the work will be invisible but as dust collects and sticks on to the adhesive, the stories will magically appear’*.

Art interventions will be held at multiple sites in Mumbai until 2nd March, 2014.
 
*Excerpts from press release sent by ArtO2
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Tips on How to Title an Artwork

What is the purpose of the title of an art work?

An appropriate title can add value to the artwork and complement it, whereas a pretentious or incongruous title can sometimes be a distraction. An interesting title can even spark an interest in the artwork and engage the viewer instantly. Assigning a title to an artwork requires a certain amount of skill which can be easily developed over the years and therefore becomes easier with experience. 

I am sure everyone has grappled with naming an artwork, trying to find the perfect title which describes the work of art to perfection and is an apt representation of the artist’s intention. It can be a challenge because it does require an articulation of the visual imagery.  

The title of an artwork is an introduction and provides a context to the viewer and allows him/her to approach it with a sense of anticipation.  I find short titles which are descriptive and aligned with the visuals work best.  Very long and ostentatious titles sound just that, exaggerated and even absurd.   

Also, I’m not particularly fond of ‘Untitled’, except in rare cases where an artwork truly does not require any descriptive effort.  There are some instances where an artwork is simply eloquent and speaks for itself; here a title would be an encumbrance. In most untitled works, the general impression is that a suitable title could not be found or sufficient effort was not put into it.

I’ve noticed there is a strong inclination to title abstracts as ‘Untitled’, but I find that an unusual and creative title adds so much value to the artwork.  It makes it easier to relate to the artist and the art. Unique names are easier to track and remember and naming artworks is useful for documentation purposes as well.

Coming up with the perfect title

Finding the right title can be an interesting process, since titles can be simple and straightforward, descriptive, numbered after the series, imaginative and even philosophical.  The names can be based on colours, emotions, events, elements, objects, location, literary text, popular fiction and concept, depending on the content and theme of the artwork.  For instance, while naming a landscape, instead of calling it Landscape-1, II, III, or Seasons or Nature, describing the mood and colours in the artwork may be more effective.

Remember that the title also gives an indication of the depth of your artwork and whether it is meant to be literal or figurative.  It gives a clue whether it must be read at the surface level or should one go deeper and look for the philosophical intent.  Similarly, if your work is inspired by another artist’s series or a writer’s book, then the title could give an indication about the original work, yet emphasize that it is your interpretation of it.

Steps

• Begin by jotting down the thoughts and ideas behind your artwork.  Ideally this should be done when you are at the conceptual stage of the artwork.  Still it’s never too late and in any case you have to do this for your artist statement!
• Write down phrases which express your intent and views, then choose the ones which work best and correlate with the artwork.
• See if you can simplify them further, yet make them sound better. A thesaurus can be a very useful tool in looking for similar and better sounding words, but do make sure that the meaning remains unchanged.
• Excerpts or short phrases from literary prose and poetry which are adapted to suit the artwork can certainly add interest.  However, this doesn’t always work. The reverse works much better, i.e. if your art is based or inspired by a particular literary text then naming it accordingly highlights the connection.
• Although, not all titles may appear on Google, it may help to cross check to ensure that your title is original.  If not you can introduce minor variations.

Regional language

In India we have many artists who are comfortable and prefer to title their works in a regional language.  Every language has an inherent charm and beauty and therefore for regional exhibitions, use of local language is an excellent idea and helps to form a bond between the viewer and the artwork.  However, if the exhibition is a travelling one or there is a chance that it may be shown abroad, it might be a good idea to have a transliteration of the text in English.

Let me know how you go about naming your artworks and if you have any tips for others.  As a viewer have you come across any interesting titles that you would like to share, please comment below.

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Artist Profile: Shruti Vij

This week we profile artist Shruti Vij, who has an ongoing exhibition at Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi until 21st Feb, 2014.

Shruti Vij’s artworks create a visual rhapsody of colour and strokes that come to life on canvas. Her palate includes a variety of reds, blues and greens that enthrall the viewer and are a visual treat. Her uplifting patterns enhance the artworks creating a multi-dimensional effect.

Shruti’s distinctive style has won her a strong fan following not only in India but also abroad. Recently, she held an exhibition in Dubai that saw art aficianados appreciate her work. Her artworks have been selected for India-wide exhibitions and have been appreciated at Delhi International Film Festival 2013, held in New Delhi. Some of her exhibitions include Indo- Korean Art Festival, at AIFACS, New Delhi and an exhibition at The Hungarian Information And Cultural Centre, New Delhi.

FOUR SEASONS

20"x20"

Mixed Media on paper

The painting depicts four different seasons through the use of various textures and colours.

WHIRLING   DERVISH

24"x36"

Acrylics on canvas

The painting is an ode to the Turkish Sufi Saints whose mesmerising dance provides spiritual healing to the audience.

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 guidelines listed under Submit.

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FILM FESTIVAL: 'Great Artists Biography' at NGMA, Bangalore

NGMA Bengaluru announces the 3rd series of its FILM FESTIVAL 'Great Artists Biography' on El Greco, Giotto Di Bondone, Turner and Vincent Van Gogh at NGMA auditorium on Saturday, 15th February 2014 at 3.00 pm and Sunday, 16th February 2014 at 11.00 a.m.

Admission is free on first come first serve basis.

All are welcome.

'Journey Thus Far' by Shibu Arakkal

'Journey Thus Far' by Shibu Arakkal, special viewing of Florence Biennale 2013 Gold Prize winning work along with a special curation of works from his last seven series

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Artist Profile: Aniqa Fatima

This week we profile artist Aniqa Fatima from Karachi, Pakistan. She has a diploma in fine arts (printmaking) from Karachi School of Arts (1995) and a bachelors degree in philosophy.

She says, "My painting speaks about subject matter, conceived through knowledge and intuition and is based on the concept of being and knowing. In these colourful oil paintings, I use the shadow of an object/s at different times of sunlight. The forms are simple and expressive and their movements show the idea behind. They represent the idea of reflection. My sources of inspirations are, what are the entities to which I am not conscious or what are things I wanted to know about?"

You can see more of her works here

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 guidelines listed under Submit.

Consider sharing this post if you liked it.

Social Cause: Gond Art by Rural Children

This week we focus on Ahambhumika, an NGO which is working actively to empower rural children by teaching them arts and crafts in an effort to raise funds and to also equip them with vocational skills. 

 

Ahambhumika, an NGO is an active campaigner on social media and strives to raise funds by direct sale and auction of tribal paintings made by their volunteers. The bright and colourful Gond paintings have found many homes and have thereby helped to support them in their work with underprivileged children. Ahambhumika is a small organization based in Bhopal, comprising of a few like-minded people consisting of artists, housewives, engineers, tourist guides, teachers and government employees. Besides supporting a few rural schools, they have a literacy center which provides basic education to 120 rural children.

The organization aims at helping underprivileged children, destitute and orphans by involving people from cities and by collecting material discarded by them (clothes, bicycles, books, toys, newspapers etc.) for the underprivileged people.According to Subrat Goswami, Founder Ahambhumika, “We also impart training in embroidery and art, especially Gond Art to rural children and women. One of our volunteers does the Gond Art and we are now teaching this to a group of rural children. Besides this we also make efforts to raise funds through sale of paintings made by our volunteers.”

 

The Gond tribe is one of the largest Adivasi communities in Madhya Pradesh and as is common with most tribal communities to express their joys and sorrows collectively and in a ritualistic manner, Gond art follows this trend. Their art form conforms to the belief that ‘viewing a good image begets good luck’, which leads them to decorating their houses and floors with traditional tattoos and motifs. Gond art is now practiced on paper and canvas and many artists have found success through this form of tribal art. (Readers will remember that I had written recently about Nankusia Shyam, the wife of the famous Gond artist Jangarh Singh Shyam, you can read the article here.)

Ahambhumika aims to raise funds through the sale of these paintings. It is wonderful that the organization not only provides literacy to children, but also puts in substantial efforts to empower them by providing skill-based learning. 

If you would like to help them out in any capacity please visit their website or contact them here.

Artist Profile: Mini Arora

Mini Arora is an abstract artist, whose roots lie in India. She was brought up and educated in England, and lived many years in the US before returning to her homeland. With this cross cultural migration, she has dealt with a lot of 'in-betweeness'. Her work reflects this diaspora.

The issues of identity and not belonging recur in her paintings, but goes further than that of culture, and deeper into the notions of man and his identity in this life, which usually begins with a search for spirituality - 'for the ultimate level of consciousness, the hidden psyche, the perfect spirit or state of bliss'.

She works from her inner consciousness, and uses a palette knife to create rich layers of texture. She says, "texture is something that appeals to me; in many of my acrylic and oil works you will notice the profusion of layers to give a rich multiplicity. I want the viewer to peer into my painting to see what lies beneath, as if one were looking into one’s soul."

You can see more of her works here.


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 guidelines listed under Submit.
 

Limited Edition Prints: Rodin’s Kiss

Limited Edition Prints: Rodin’s Kiss – a Valentine’s Day mash-up of romance, culture and collectibility

Rodin’s Kiss is one of the most iconic sculptures of modern Western life, depicting a tender moment on a monumental scale. The marble statue has become synonymous with romantic gestures and blends a strong erotic charge with the idealism of true love.

Raksha Patel and The Indian Art Centre gallery have collaborated to release this set of limited edition art prints in time for Valentines’s Day, as a sophisticated and thought-provoking exploration of the role of romantic love in our mass-produced age where gesture of love has become global and disposable. Ideal for lovers, for art-collectors and for those fascinated by the iconography of great works of art, these fine art prints provide an unsentimental and strongly graphic response to one of the world’s best known artworks.

 
Patel, who is London-based and trained at the Slade and St Martin’s School of Art, has a strong pedigree of international exhibitions, projects and commissions. In this new venture, she has given Rodin’s Kiss a fresh perspective, blending the multi-layered screen prints with 1960s pop culture to create an accessible but provocative take on the role of iconographic images in the modern psyche, especially images that have become part of mass media consumption.

Each limited edition print is powerful and highly collectible and will be offered at £250 each, a price that puts them within the scope of new collectors as well as providing a unique and distinctly affordable investment for those who love new print works and who will find the Kiss by Patel to be a substantial addition to their collection.

View the prints at The Indian Art Centre gallery
For enquiries contact Lucie: lucie@theindianartcentre.com

Sponsored post.

Art In Interiors: Chromatic Frames to Display Art

Colours and lighting directly influence our state of mind and emotions and therefore creating a vibrant living space which is in harmony with our individual personalities and family choices can be one of the most liberating experiences ever!  

It’s amazing how a beautiful work of art can alter the ambience of home interiors and make a statement which is as unique as you.  Paintings, photographs and wall installations can completely enliven drab interiors and anchor the space to create a focal point around which the entire décor scheme can be centered. When art and artifacts are displayed to their advantage their beauty is enhanced and the overall space transforms substantially.

Although, an artwork is intrinsically capable of creating a visual impact, the effect can be magnified manifold by selecting a frame which complements it perfectly.  Interestingly, a frame need not necessarily be an ornate or gilt wooden frame attached to the painting, but can also be an extension of the art! 

Art can be displayed creatively to highlight the painting, drawing or photograph and also to create a seamless, cohesive look, which is visually aesthetic. One of the ways to achieve this is by painting the entire background wall in such a way that it offsets and spotlights the artwork.

Completely contrasting colour shades, a dominant colour from the painting or any other complementary shade or hue can be painted around the artwork as a rectangular or a square border to frame the artwork and create a dramatic or theatrical effect. Asian Paints has an amazing line-up of colours and textures, along with a paint selector tool that allows you to choose the paint type, colour and effect that perfectly matches your needs. It therefore enables your vision and idea of a beautiful home! The transformation of space with judicious use of colour can be simply stunning.

You could also have the entire wall painted in a colour of your choice keeping the artwork in mind, so that the backdrop essentially forms a chromatic frame for the painting or even an artifact. The overall effect here is often understated and unified if you select complementary colours. Essentially, the larger visual frame helps to further define the focal area and highlight the painting. The painting itself can be unframed or have an inconspicuous beading to avoid overdoing the effect. Along with the ambient lighting you can also use spotlights to emphasize the artwork and to enhance the effects of colours and other nuances. This is a wonderful way to transform your interiors and give it a sophisticated and architect designed look.

 

If you look at some of these images, the effect of background colour on highlighting the painting and artifacts is clearly visible. Asian Paints Home Solutions offer some fabulous options in creating walls that are inspiring. Colournext, also from Asian Paints is a trendsetting endeavour that translates colour intelligence into measurable decor ecosystems and inspiring trends in contemporary visual culture. It facilitates the process of achieving balance between wall colours, textures and the artworks. It can therefore offer the perfect solution to displaying your artworks, artifacts and objet d'art with great style and individuality.

Play around with colours and textures, while keeping your artwork in mind and you can easily create interiors that are unusual, stunning and completely in sync with your ideas and visual vocabulary. Any artwork can be displayed innovatively to become part of a unified decor scheme, whether it is minimalist, traditional, contemporary or modern and yet make a statement.

Colours and lighting directly influence our well-being, state of mind and emotions and therefore creating a vibrant living space which is in harmony with our individual personalities and family choices can be one of the most liberating experiences ever. 

Book Review: Folktales from India by AK Ramanujan

Folktales from India by AK Ramanujan, is a selection of oral tales from 22 languages offering a delightful platter of one hundred and ten stories originating from different parts of the country, yet sharing a collective ethos which is bound to resonate with every Indian.

As the well-known poet and author, Ramanujan describes it; the book presents ‘examples of favorite narratives from the subcontinent’. The selected tales are from actual tellers, rather than from literary texts and some were personally collected or recollected by him.  Essentially, these are then stories which have not been published in English earlier.  Readers interested in Indian folklore and culture will be aware that Ramanujan has contributed immensely to these subjects. 

A scholar, author and folklorist, he published significant works on both classical and modern variants of literature in several regional languages and is widely referred to in folklore studies. Given the author's  credentials and scholarly contributions, this book becomes an important effort in documenting oral traditions and folklore. For several years I have been planning to read his books but had an opportunity only now.

The introduction by Ramanujan helps in contextualizing the stories from the perspective of a folklorist - to understand the context and function of a tale, its significance and meaning and its fitment amongst other texts and performances of a specific culture.  The stories are categorized not by region, but by their theme so we have stories which are male-centered, women centered, about fate, death, gods and demons, humour, animals and stories about stories!

Many of the tales are familiar as we have heard them in our childhood, some in the form presented here and others with minor variations.  Each story captures the specificities of the region and the cultural idiosyncrasies, and thus on ‘migration’ every tale adapts to local peculiarities and morphs to assume different shapes and forms, while retaining its original structure. Therefore as is intrinsic to oral traditions, which tend to travel far and wide some stories here may also sound familiar to people residing in different parts of the world.  

Akbar and Birbal, Tenali Rama, Hiraman parrot are familiar protagonists; the evil queen, the cunning sister, the penniless Brahman, the clever princess, the tortured daughter-in-law are characters around which many oral tales have been woven.  Here there are stories of victimization, chivalry, selfless service and other human/superhuman strengths and flaws as situations unfold to prove a point.  A ‘moral’ lesson is not mandatory at the end; often it is enough to outwit another.  Excessively violent at times, some of these tales can be read by children only with adult guidance and supervision.

Told in a simple colloquial language, these are stories describing a forgotten era which seem to be far removed from our present world. Gods, demons and ghosts have a form and animals talk and converse with humans, interestingly their actions are often as clever and silly as humans! 

A delightful read in most parts, you will find the book entertaining on a lazy afternoon with a hot cup of coffee!  It describes India - the vastness, diversity, traditions and the myths, superstitions and folklore. A cultural cauldron that reminds you of an ancient time!

Let me know if you have read the book. What did you think of it?  Please mention it in the comments section below.

You can purchase the book here

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