Art Scene India: Art Review

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16 Sept 2025

Review: Bound – Sculptural Lighting Series

Bound – Sculptural Lighting Series by Purva Kundaje, Art Scene India

Mangalore by Purva Kundaje

'Bound’, forms an innovative sculptural lighting series which combines aesthetics and functionality in a unique manner. The brainchild of Purva Kundaje, an artist and architectural designer based in London, the works explore possibilities of material and object, and navigate notions of authorship, co-ownership and collaboration across geographies.

A graduate of the Royal College of Art, where she completed an MA in Design Products in 2021, Purva grounds her practice in narrative expression and sustainable material exploration. In the past, she has collaborated with craft-focused studios such as Rooshad Shroff and Sybarite, and has engaged extensively with women artisan collectives in India to integrate contemporary design languages with traditional craft methodologies. Her recent lighting project ‘Bound’ forges an unusual path – it begins as a sparse handstitched paper lamp, and then invites creative practitioners from varied fields such as poets, illustrators, textile artists, designers and others to participate as co-creators.

The collaborative aspect of the project originated from a previously held workshop led by Blake Carlson-Joshua and Purva, where they aided and supported participants process and express emotions through making objects.

Bound- Original Lamp form by Purva Kundaje

The experience revealed the range and depth of creative expression possible even from non-designers and artists. This subsequently inspired her to create a blank canvas, a minimal object which could act as a material and artefact to memorialise multiple collaborations and narratives.

“Each lamp begins as a handstitched, illuminated object made from an experimental paper blend of recycled newspaper and plasterboard waste. Developed through sustainable design research in partnership with Blake Carlson-Joshua, the material is both fragile and enduring—a luminous surface that invites response,” explains Purva.

The lighting series is in a sense an archive, which continues to evolve as various practitioners share and embed their stories, their cultural heritage, and memories onto the surface of the paper. Text, images and materials coalesce and assimilate on the shell of each lamp, bringing alive the plurality of the project, and the varied aesthetics and visual vocabulary of each piece.

Threshold by Purva Kundaje

Among the works, ‘Mangalore’ references the architectural detailing and silhouettes from Purva’s hometown in South India - fragments of memories that are abstracted and represented, while ‘Threshold’ also by her, navigates structure and spatial harmony while celebrating cultural memories and lineage.

All other pieces have been created in collaboration with other creators. – ‘The Kite Flyers’ by Yuwei Cong captures the fluidity of

Soft Silence by Teng Xue

movement inspired by the action of a kite caught in the wind. ‘Utopía de una mujer que está cansada’ by Chuxi Zhou in red ink is a memoir which resembles a street map that laments loss and longing imprinted within the urban fabric.

“The Adventures of an Ugly Cat” by Boer Zhu is a whimsical piece addressed to her cat, and combines painting and poetry, obscuring the boundaries between text and visual art. ‘Soft Silence’ by Teng Xue appears to be a labyrinth, reminiscent of the chaos, the maze and the ambiguity of life, while ‘The Flow Within’ by Elisa Nalon also navigates the unpredictability of life.

The Adventures of an Ugly Cat by Boer Zhu

Every work reflects the creator’s individuality, and gives a voice to their unique stories, rooted in personal histories, identity and memories, and which emerge from distinct socio-cultural and political milieu. The collaborative nature of the project collates diverse narratives from various parts of the world, and also offers a platform to various artistic voices to be seen and heard.

In contemporary times, where AI and technology dominate, an initiative such as this which lays emphasis on sustainable design, the tactility of the surface, and employs the materiality of the paper through acts of writing, stitching or painting creates a corporeal and sensory engagement.

Purva’s interdisciplinary practice and her artistic sensibilities encompasses spatial installations, furniture design, and collaborative storytelling. Through this project, she thoughtfully investigates and engages with the emotional and cultural dimensions of form, utilizing reclaimed materials and light as mediums for evoking memory, authorship, and facilitating transformation.

‘Bound’ has been previously exhibited at Material Matters 2023, part of the London Design Festival, and Conceptual Erasure (Fulham, 2025), and is an ongoing project.

- By Nalini S Malaviya

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31 Jul 2025

Review: Emotional Constructs at Play

Twinkle's series of portraits navigates a spectrum of human sentiment, from all-encompassing grief and sadness to buoyant radiance.

Twinkle's recent body of work is inspired by Navarasa, an ancient philosophical concept originating from Bharata Muni’s Natyashastra, which forms an integral element of Indian aesthetics and artistic expression. Her series of portraits centers around the 'Rasa' theory and explores the range and depth of human emotion - the duality and complexity of situations and responses inherent in each moment of existence.

Navarasa portraits by Twinkle, Art Scene India

Joy Unfolded - (Hasya Rasa)

Twinkle recently completed her master’s in fine arts from Middlesbrough, UK. Prior to that she completed her master’s in visual arts from Agra, India and studied graphic printing techniques such as etching and lithography at Bharat Bhawan, Bhopal before moving to UK.

While in India, she was eager to push the boundaries of conventional artmaking further, and began experimenting with various materials and media, in conjunction with printmaking techniques. She found tea water stains on paper intriguing; the multiple layers added physical and figurative depth to her subjects. The resultant textures and the use of an organic medium lend credence to her practice which has a strong emphasis on sustainability and eco consciousness.

The use of tea as a ‘material’ in the artmaking forms a noteworthy subtext with its colonial association, alluding to the cross-cultural exchange and historical context, especially since this new series took shape after Twinkle’s relocation to UK. The entire process of staining the paper and its outcome also act as a metaphor for life’s journey, and its travails. The blemishes and scars imprinted on faces of people, imparts character and individuality to their persona.

The multicultural environment in the UK has instinctively influenced the diverse ethnicity of the portraits in Twinkle’s 'Navarasa' series. Drawn from her observations, the artworks are a celebration of the self, while acknowledging the gamut of human emotions experienced universally.

To add context to the Navarasa philosophy - according to the Indian art and culture tradition, the nine Rasas considered to be central to human emotion are Hasya (laughter), Shringara (love or beauty), Karuna (compassion), Raudra (anger), Vira (valour), Bhayanak (fear), Bibhatsa (disgust), Adbhuta (wonder) and Shanta (peace). These form the basis of expression and communication in Indian performative and visual arts, including modern and contemporary art. The rasas act as a framework for narration - the foundation of artistic and visual construct to connect and communicate with audiences.

Twinkle locates these universal emotional constructs from Indian aesthetics and tradition amidst a larger global context. The series of portraits navigates a spectrum of human sentiment, from all-encompassing grief and sadness to buoyant radiance. The alterations in facial expressions and the effects are enhanced by strong lines and bold colours that augment the emotional states. Vibrant pinks to earthy browns convey the exuberance or sombreness of the protagonist. The portraits despite the varied multiethnic facial features and influences are relatable, and interlinked by the primeval portrayals of mood, an intrinsic human trait.

In this collection, the nine works comprise of mixed media pieces on wooden boards. A larger composite artwork consisting of portraits around the Hasya Rasa, in particular, acts as a response to, and a reflection of the other works. The current suite with its play of emotion and colour is anchored by a common thread, which has a distinct collective voice, an articulation of shared concerns and feelings.

Through expressive form and emotive resonance, these works initiate an intimate space for reflection and empathy, accentuating the continuous import of classical 'Rasa' theory in shaping contemporary artistic discourse.

- By Nalini S Malaviya

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21 May 2020

Review: Mapping Places and the Self

Review: Neha Chandaria

Neha Chandaria’s ongoing series comprises minimalist works on paper with markings and calligraphic text. Furniture and other functional household objects are rendered as a letter/text, filling the motif with the grey of the pencil on notebooks and writing sheets. The intimate drawings on personal writing materials are akin to journaling, perhaps a process of reconciliation with various transitions occurring at multiple levels in her personal life. Her recent relocation to UK from India, with its inherent geographical, social and cultural changes involved in the process, amidst notions of identity and displacement, contribute to the subtext in the journaling. There is an evident mapping of the associated anxieties to locate one self and the landscape in and through the art making. The unoccupied chair in its diverse forms is a repeated motif, deployed symbolically, its spatial display leading to several interpretations.

Chandaria completed her Masters in Fine Arts from Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Baroda and went on to teach at Sir J.J. School of Arts, Mumbai and worked as a product designer before relocating to London. Her early works, while living in Baroda, were oil on canvas, in a large format, depicting architectural elements as sliced off sections in warm tones, experimenting with light as a spatial theme. Symmetrical patterns predominated, with minimal motifs, the layers and textures built up to depict sections of dwellings, and the warmth and sensitivity alluding to human presence. The paintings appear to be anchored in realism; the absence of sentient life palpable in suggestions of another world or existence beyond the walls, doors and niches. The structured enclosures formed a metaphorical ground for stories that lay outside its periphery. Another series from this time period, done with gouache on paper in a small format, layered and textured with the occasional motif, appears to lay the foundation for her later works.

After shifting to Mumbai, a large bustling city known for its tiny living quarters seemed to impact Neha’s art making in numerous ways. She gravitated towards a minimalist palette and small works on paper. There is a visible anxiety apparent in the works, fragmented, ragged edges and short rapid brushstrokes – perhaps a reflection of the pace of the metropolis. On a short trip to Scotland in 2010, the travel to Honister slate mine had an enormous influence on her palette. She found the colour grey of the stone – slate, resonated with her on psychological and philosophical planes. She could relate to the metamorphic layering of the stone, its distinctiveness, the imperfection, the texture and its unique colour. It also appeared to reflect her state of mind, the in-between zone linking physical places and her art practice. The subsequent works created around this concept were exhibited as a solo show titled ‘Grey’, at Gallery Knots, Baroda.

In a marked shift, Neha was then drawn to further strip away unnecessary elements from her works. It became increasingly minimal, characterized by markings with pencil, exploring interplay of lines, geometry and grids. The markings highlighted the essentials and attempted to negotiate the need for compositional space and art materials. These works were sparse and pared to a bare minimum, which she explains as a conscious decision to strip the excessive layering, while evaluating the kind of medium she wanted to work with. She says, “I believe in these set of works, I am celebrating my penchant towards mark making, pencil became my favourite medium, and this minimalism somehow is influenced by my interest in philosophy of Aparigraha (desire for possessions to what is necessary or important).”

Chandaria’s works are at an interesting juncture, an additional distancing from motifs and visual associations could imply a prominent shift towards minimalism, whereas retaining pictorial metaphors will augment the personal narrative.

Chandaria is currently working as a community art practitioner and a freelance artist in London.

All images courtesy the artist

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10 Apr 2019

Art Review: TEXT AS TEXT II

TEXT AS TEXT II

By Nikhil J L Purohit

The compulsion of reading textual works is found to be influential for all kind of scripts, with the reader trained to read the text or not. A logical mind is aware that the texts, unlike the visuals, have a relatively higher probability of correct interpretation of the message. Yet the diverse modes of linguistic constructs succeed in maintaining the barrier for direct communication.

The artists grouped together in the exhibition curated by Shubhalakshmi Shukla have congregated from various cities, with their individual responses to the curatorial concept of Pure Text as a point of entry for the viewers. The separation of retinal pleasure (of visuals) is a crucial element followed by most artists succeeding in a rendition of the textual-imagery invoking subtle yet unpoetic assimilations and metaphoric, direct, intriguing array of words striking the visual-readers.

Through an irregular display of works, quick surprises are sought as some works are minimal with a strong punch of socio-political critique, satire, and anecdotes. Perhaps the larger perception relays an insight to the positions of each artist responding to the ideas of ego, presence, inaccessibility, societal disparities, personal associations to city, land, neighbourhood, body, and gender. Perhaps this show is an extension of how art today is blurring the boundaries of different disciplines of arts viz. performing and plastic arts.

One observes Moutushi Chakravorty’s ‘Home Body Soil’ are the hand-written gestalt images comprised of existential dialogues explaining…immortality, vanity, building, breaking, urban-rural etc relevant to each encapsulating word of home, body, and soil. Mithu Joardar’s works titled ‘ID’ that reads Intra-dermal/ Inner Diameter are allegorical and bold in stating the sexual urge of the beings of pleasure principle and mutual exchanges. Nilesh Shilkars’comment on the violence within oneself has an exciting tactility provoking the viewer of the need to shun the violence within.

Work by Moutushi Chakravorty, Art Secene India

Work by Moutushi Chakravorty

The sentences ‘Art without Penance is Dead,’ ‘My grace is sufficient for you,’ by Jeetandar Ojha are subtle, yet intriguing, offering a sense of compatibility and equation. The idea of grace hints at the Gandhian peace movement provoking far-reaching action. Roul Hemanta’s simple handwritten lines on the wall are easy yet satirical pointing to the major banking frauds that have occurred in the recent past of our country. The lines interestingly state ‘Apply lime to the Bank walls, jump over the wall’ (बैंक के दीवार में चुना लगाएं । दीवार के ऊपर छलांग लगाएं।). They incite an amusement of a rural smart humour.

Less emphasized facts of city life where our neighbours are shadows, and we all stay under the same water tank formulates the works highlighting the unobserved by Yashwant Deshmukh. An interesting twist to the show is the inclusion of Marathi rappers’ troupe comprising Mayur and Yugal Waikar, Ankit Hachekar, Ashok Kadam, and Pranav Rajput with their rapping critiquing, a sympathizer of the downtrodden, underdogs and taking a stand against the governmental enactments.

We rely on the medium of textual review to stray into the actual works in anticipation of reducing the communication barrier for an afterlife to the dialogue of the ephemeral nature of words.
The exhibition was held at Gallery Art and Soul, Mumbai

Images provided by the curator

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About: Nikhil Purohit is an artist and a pedagogue working in arts management, writing, arts documentation and archiving. He is also the editor of India Art Journal.

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28 Aug 2014

Review: ‘Torrents’ at Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore

Art Review: ‘Torrents’ - Conflicts of power, self and society at Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore

Six young artists from Southern India, some of whom have recently passed out from art college and others who are still studying in their final year have brought together an exhibition of their recent works in Bangalore.

Although, it might be considered a tad early for them to think about exhibiting their works, I feel that it actually gives them a head start. Based on critical opinion and other feedback from visitors, these artists have an excellent opportunity to expand their oeuvre and fine tune their skills. How they choose to use these inputs is of course entirely up to them.

Painting by Anju Acharya, Art Scene India, Image courtesy artist

Gandhi as an image and an icon is revered universally, but at the same time the name is often racked by controversies and scandals by a certain segment of the population. Anthony Joseph explores and portrays these paradoxical elements. One of the works titled, ‘The Story of My Experiments with Gandhi’ is quite apt for most of his works on display. Collages made of currency notes folded in a manner similar to Origami question the relevance and interpretation of Gandhian values in today’s context.

Anju Acharya’s fantasy world imagines humans and mutants, symbolizing a mutating world perhaps the effects of environmental degradation. A glimpse into a future, which may well be taking shape. After all, we are playing God!

Vikas S draws inspiration from the simple beauty of patterns in nature and recreates the rhythm and form through shapes, symmetry and movements of primitive organisms such as snails and centipedes. Pleasant works!

Painting by Vikas S, Art Scene India, Image courtesy artist

P Ramesh has sometimes borrowed figures from Greek mythology to represent and emphasize contemporary urban issues. Male dominance, violence against women, literacy and again the burden of decay in environment are some of the issues highlighted here.

Painting by P Ramesh, Art Scene India, Image courtesy artist

Painting by Ebey Edassery, Art Scene India, Image courtesy artist

Bird Painting by Ashil Antony, Art Scene India, Image courtesy artist

Ashil Antony's paintings appear to be spontaneous sketches of birds, placed stark and dark against a white background. Ebey Edassery paintings are based on human emotions - angst, greed and desire which are depicted through a few figurative works and others which on the surface appear to be constructed from repetitive patterns and motifs.

Overall, the exhibition is a good attempt to reach out to a larger audience and there are a few interesting works here. However, I feel the disjointed effect could have been completely avoided by careful selection of the works either through a self curatorial effort or with the help of an external advisor.

On view till August 31st at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore.
Let me know if you visit the show. And, which works did you like?

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1 Jul 2014

Review: Sleeping through the Museum by Waswo X. Waswo

A Thing is a Thing is a Thing

Yasra Daud Khoker views Waswo X. Waswo’s exhibition ‘Sleeping through the Museum’ at Sakshi Gallery in Mumbai and is reminded of Astrid Lindgren’s popular character Pippi Longstocking, the thing-finder. Read on to see the interesting parallels she draws between the work of fiction and the exhibits.

"What did you say you are?” asked Annika.
“What’s that?” asked Tommy.
“Somebody who hunts for things, naturally. What else could it be?” said Pippi as she
swept all the flour left on the floor into a little pile.
“The whole world is full of things, and somebody has to look for them. And that’s just that a Thing-Finder does,” she finished.
“What kind of things?” asked Annika.
“Oh, all kinds,” said Pippi. “Lumps of gold, ostrich feathers, dead rats, candy
snapcrackers, little tiny screws, and things like that."

Sleeping through the Museum at Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai by Waswo X. Waswo, Art Scene India

From humanity’s first and most successful adaptation - hunting and gathering, to its most popular adaptation- thing collecting, we have come a long way. As a mode of subsistence, just as our ancestors foraged for things to eat, scouring anything edible, we rake our fingers through vapors of postmodern life and a variety of things materialize like fungal growth in a forgotten jar of pickle. We feed on these by-products and remnants of memory. These things keep us going.

Thing. Things. A whole lot of things. Not just things, but things. That is what we are surrounded by. As I look around, I see a variety of things collected by me- some impulsively, some after much planning and some gifted by family and friends. Each of these things is unique and has a story that reminds me of the person I used to be and the one I am today.

Things are mute signifiers of our lives and existence, speaking much through their surface, sometimes worn-out, at other times well-kept. People generally scan items ejected from a Packers and Movers truck, attempting to paint a picture of the new neighbors. Their financial stability, family planning, pets and the dominant person in their marriage- everything about them is discussed roughly based on the things unloaded from the truck, over a routine gathering at the vegetable cart.

Requiem for an Other - The Central Vintrine from Sleeping through the Museum at Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai by Waswo X. Waswo, Art Scene India

I am reminded of these as I flip through a booklet titled ‘Your Handy Museum Guide Book’ which accompanies Waswo X. Waswo’s exhibition ‘Sleeping through the Museum’ at Sakshi Gallery in Mumbai. Modeled after the generic spatial and visual configurations of museums with their rectilinear circulation paths, controlled movement and informatory notices, the space becomes an intended thing-asylum displaying painted photographs, labeled diagrams, terracotta artifacts and specimens in jars. Thirty glass jars arranged in a grid sit atop a surface, containing various things in paraffin and beeswax that replay memories. Remnants of a meal, a burned hat, a sliced book, crumpled piece of art etc bring Astrid Lindgren’s character Pippi Longstocking, the thing-collector to mind.

Preservation stuns time, extending the present. Nature never intended for anything to remain pristine, untouched by time -including our memory. That perhaps, is why we forget. The glass jars have imprisoned memories of things that the museum forces us to remember. One thinks a number of thoughts reading the often unnecessary, hence museum-like labels on the jars - why have these particular things been chosen for display and not others? Why do/should they form a part of history? What scattered history are these things alluding? More importantly, why is this piece of history relevant today?

Glass Vial, Requiem for an Other - The Central Vintrine from Sleeping through the Museum at Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai by Waswo X. Waswo, Art Scene India

The objects in the jars play on individual imagination as one is sure to find something in his/her clutter of memories that resonates with the visual language of the exhibit (Requiem for an Other). We look at museums as preservers of history and never once question anything on display- the veracity of its claims or the authenticity of the objects. History taught at schools in different parts of the world varies. The British exploited, plundered and looted India according to Indian history but British history speaks of the ‘white man’s burden’ of civilizing the rest of the world. History is ‘his story’, a one-person perspective of events, in some cases propaganda. Museums are a part of it. In placing rather mundane objects in sparkling jars on pedestals, Waswo questions the relevance and authenticity of what we understand as history. Does our past limit itself to rugs once used by royalty and nail-clippers or clothes used by someone well-known? How about those who were always present in the faded backgrounds and sidelined in history?

The Eternal Dance of Tribal Drama - Gauri Dancers and Masks from Sleeping through the Museum at Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai by Waswo X. Waswo, Art Scene India

The ‘Evil Orientalist’ peeks from beneath terracotta masks crafted by village potter Shyam Lal Kumhar in such labeling as ‘a mask for our people not yours’, ‘a mask of open-mindedness’, ‘a mask demanded to be worn’ etc. The fixed, startled expressions of the masks along with hand-colored photographs from the Gauri Dancers series bring attention to the blurry lines between reality and folklore. Quite like the dancers in their heavily made-up and elaborately costumed avatar, people play a variety of characters daily. We seek to fabricate a version of the self that mimics the exaggerations of a stage play. The real and the unreal are all the same. Happiness, anger, open-mindedness, fear, ownership, authority etc are all reduced to a mask, a thing. Each of us carries many such masks everyday along with invisible jars of old sights, smells and words, clinking, making much noise. We are museums in ourselves, our faces bearing old scars and the etchings of harsh times.

Masks are societal expectations and most other such manufactured rules of social conduct that we live by, are as necessary and functional as curios and baubles. In ‘Exhibit One: Migration of Desire’, a set of ten identical walking canes rest before us. Without glancing at the labels, as a creature of habit, one thinks a cane is a cane is a cane. Apparently not. Each of the ten canes has a label informing us of its utility and character. From beating a snake to beating a dog to beating a wife. From instructing a child to walking upright to shifting homes. In the end, just a physical sign of someone’s existence. A mark that he, too, was once there. In his absence, his things speak for him, revealing much, allowing us a peek in to what he did, what he did not and hence, who he really was. How then, dear reader, is a thing, just a thing?

['Sleeping Through the Museum' at Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai by Waswo X. Waswo with Rajesh Soni, Subrat Behera and Shyam Lal Kumhar]

About the Writer: Yasra Daud Khoker is a writer of Art & Architecture, currently writing for Art & Deal and Architect Weekly. A graduate from the College of Architecture and Design of the American University of Sharjah, she writes with a special interest in Art & Architecture Theory, History and Criticism. She can be reached at yasrakhoker@yahoo.com

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."

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.

Lokesh’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.

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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15 Apr 2009

Art exhibitions in the city - Bangalore

Slumdog inspires artists
After the movie Slumdog Millionaire captured the imagination of many at the Oscars earlier this year, it is now inspiring visual artists, enough to dedicate an entire exhibition to it. According to Crimson art resource, “Slumdog Millionaire is a story that any one in the world can identify with. It is a story of rags to riches, optimism amid adversity, ghetto-to-glory. It is a story of love until death do us part. It is a story about people who rise above their circumstances, who are given nothing, who create a dream and become somebody. It is a story of survival, of hope, of destiny and of dreaming big.” Well, titled ‘Big Dreams’, this particular exhibition portrays works by 14 artists who attempt to present their aspirations and ambitions on the canvas.

GR Iranna, KT Shivaprasad, Murali Cheeroth and Babu Eshwar Prasad are some of the artists participating in this show. The works explore urban dichotomies, everyday realities, and consequences of mindless development. Hope and aspirations of people caught up in this web are also dealt with in some places. Slumdog or not, what makes the show interesting is that it is thematic and the most of the works have been created specifically for the event, which adds a thread of commonality that makes it more cohesive.

Incidentally, I must share this piece of new with you, Murali who lives in Bangalore but has shown mainly in Mumbai and Bangalore, is a part of the “Passage to India Part 2 – from the Frank Cohen Collection” which is ongoing in UK. His works are being featured alongside biggies such as Subodh Gupta, Jitish Kallat, Reena Saini Kallat, TV Santhosh and Thukral and Tagra.

(The exhibition continues till April 30, at Crimson - Hatworks Boulevard, Bangalore)

A ‘Skin’ Show

Shibu Arakkal continues his tryst with photography and his recent series focuses on the human skin. Training his lens on to various parts of the human body, Shibu has come with some poignant and some disturbing images. Using a format where motifs recur, Shibu replicates the images to produce a set of stark black and white photographs. As Giridhar Khasnis, who has curated this exhibition, says, “With Skin, the young photo-artist seems to have scaled yet another creative peak. In this series, Shibu explores the landscape of the body through a language of silence.” Having worked on this project for two years, Shibu has attempted to capture various textures, contours, colours, aberrations and beauty of the skin.

(The exhibition will be held between April 16 - 22, at WelcomArt Gallery, ITC Windsor Manor, Bangalore )
(Published in Bangalore Mirror)

18 Mar 2009

So much to see

(By Nalini S Malaviya)

A Sculptural Lineage
A sculpture show by Chennai based artist V.R Raviram previewed last week and presents his recent series titled A Sculptural Lineage. A majority of his works resonate with folk art elements and traces of Cholamandal style. The sculptures appear to be heavily influenced by renowned sculptors P.V.Janikiram (his uncle) and also S Nandagopal, but probably this has more to do with the Cholamandal aesthetics that experimented with frontal sculpture and elaborate embellishment on the metal surface.

Traditional motifs, mythological figures, animals and birds form the themes in copper. There is a small set of works that are radically different from the conventional decorative mode and are meant to be more contemporary. A simple and minimal approach has been adopted here. It could not have been easy for Raviram to break away completely from his old style that he has perfected over the years. One looks forward to his new works and see how he balances the two diametrical opposite styles and sensibilities.

(The exhibition continues till March 25 at Gallery Mementos, Bangalore – 1)

Myth and movement
The other exhibition Myth and movement is a thematic show that exhibits the recent works of four artists Seema Kohli, Ramesh Gorjala, Atul Talukdar and Dimpy Menon and explores “ideas of myths and cosmic energies and movements of forms in space”.
Seema, a self taught artist indulges in a quest for the spiritual and self. Her elaborately executed canvasses are rich in details with every inch of the canvas covered meticulously. Repeated patterns and motifs add an element of design while gold leaf embellishment gives it an exotic look. Ramesh presents traditional myths and folk arts with a contemporary touch. Kalamkari motifs form the backdrop in most of his works.

Dimpy’s sculptures are minimalistic in their approach, and lyrical and graceful in their form with emphasis on the finished surface. Atul, an artist from Bangladesh also presents bronze sculptures of human figures such as musicians and dancers. There is a distinct earthy appeal to his works.

(The exhibition continues till March 31 at Mahua Art Gallery, Bangalore – 80.)

For a good cause
Incidentally, another art exhibition A Wonderful World, a benefit for the New Delhi-based NGO Four Steps (a research, training and rehabilitation centre for Children with special needs) will be held in Bangalore. Works by artists such as Jamil Naqsh, Amiya Bhattacharjee, Kamar Alam and Seema Kohli amongst others will be part of the show to be held between March 18th - 20th, 2009 at Olive Beach.

Published in Bangalore Mirror