Art Scene India

14 Nov 2016

Art News (Bangalore) - Reimagining: (Un)Reality and Space

Reimagining: (Un)Reality and Space curated by Nalini S Malaviya marks the official launch of Yepart.com. The exhibition features recent works by Debraj Goswami, Kalyan S Rathore, Maripelly Praveen Goud, Muktinath Mondal, Murali Cheeroth and Venugopal VG

The show opens on 19 Nov 2016 at Hatworks Boulevard, Cunningham Road, Bengaluru and continues till 17 Dec 2016.

Reimagining: (Un)Reality and Space

Observation, truth and materiality interweave to create alternative realities that occupy a realm which is corporeal, yet fictitious, clouding lines of physicality of dimensions. The plurality inherent in existing and functioning within these coordinates, challenge and inspire individuals to examine the intrinsic harmony and conflict embedded in such systems, and simultaneously imagine new spaces. Notions of time and space amidst variables construct fresh associations and connotations, where the resulting topography is a visually enriching landscape capturing points of dissonance and accord, shifts in reality, and reimagined spaces.

The artists' critical engagement with the curatorial premise reimagining (un)reality and space, results in interventions, which explore and question notions of time, space, reality and the subjective relativity that pervades through these dimensions. Multiple realities emerge from stresses of urban living, where observation and truth is skewed and dependent on other dynamics. Ideologies contort for material gains and govern the present and the future. Cognitive and sensory perceptions distort from an altered state of consciousness. The time and space thus occupied is unreal and fabricated as a spontaneous outcome, which is ungoverned by design.

There is an attempt to delve into conflicts, and examine the inherent precariousness and fragility entrenched in natural systems, which are impacted by consumerism and materialistic trends. Reimagining spaces create virtual maps of imaginary loci, introspective journeys in search of the self and enquiries on the 'now' form intriguing visual chronicles of contemporary concerns.

Debraj Goswami contemplates an alternative state of reality that exists in parallel, blurring the boundaries of factual and unreal, and creating distorted dreamlike states. Subconscious preoccupations dictate existence, to assume a truth that is probably fictional and appears surreal. The complexities of living ensure that perceptions of real, unreal and simulated become indistinct and a machine made robotic existence dominates. Past, present and future concerns manipulate sensory reality to form a convoluted sense of the real, and living in the moment becomes a figment of imagination in unusual and often humorous ways.

Kalyan S Rathore’s sculptures exist in a metaphysical context, where time and space are no longer linear entities but transcend corporeal boundaries. The repetition of the sculptural unit akin to fractals in the universe, construct forms that are non-representational and non-specific to natural features. Conceptually based, they explore a fluid reality, while attempting to negotiate a labyrinth that forms life’s journey. The quest for the spiritual and transcendental leads to an introspective process that pauses for self-reflection, while encountering chaos and conflict during the course.

Maripelly Praveen Goud extends the materiality of the print medium to create virtual contours and linear graphs that map imaginary loci and places. Relying on scrunching the paper as a means to initiate cathartic release, the process spontaneously creates dimensions beyond the surface of the plane. The accidental lines morph into unspecified shapes, forms and maps allowing multiple readings - the markings could be representations of metaphorical sites or subconscious points of reference. The material and the medium combine to form layers of meanings within the conceptual maps.

Muktinath Mondal focuses on ecological imbalance, a disrupted equilibrium - a direct result of human interventions. He paints a stark image - black canvases that point to a dark reality, a glimpse into a bleak future that interrogates the very existence and survival of living beings. An increasingly fragile eco-system disintegrates and vanishes as a materialistic world prevails. Time as a distant phenomenon assumes vital relevance, and its catastrophic fate becomes inevitable, unless the current variables are harmonised. The red highlights in the paintings form the primordial link, the essential connective tissue between the various species including mankind, and which innately determines their coexistence.

Murali Cheeroth examines the notion of time as a relative value, with its meaning and intent evolving and transfiguring as a quotient of consciousness, application and relevance. Engaging with the interplay of text, material, texture and aesthetics, the concept of time morphs into multiple meanings and discourses, which reflect the subjectivity of viewing and reading into the artwork. Expressing time as a function of cognitive, linguistic and visual interactions, its reading draws from multiple standpoints, ranging from the personal to the historical. His performative artwork relates to issues linked to microcosmic spaces, which are intimate, act as receptacles of memories and share an indispensable interrelationship with the larger environment.

Venugopal VG explores the dichotomy inherent in situations emerging from urban living, and portrays complexities and dilemmas of reality. Pictorial elements indicating human emotions, desires and relationships construct paradoxes that emphasize the fragility of urban reality. Manipulating and combining physical, emotional and spatial derivatives, the narratives that are created are constructed to create a transmuted reality that is derived from factual components. Identity, migration, adaptability, and transformation are some of the critical issues that explore existential crisis to form imagery which warp representations of reality.

The exhibition will be available online on www.yepart.com from 19th November 2016.

Do visit the exhibition and share your thoughts in the comments section below or write on nalini.indianart@gmail.com.

If you would like to interview the artists, review or cover the event on your blog/website, or for any other media enquiries, please get in touch on nalini.indianart@gmail.com/ naozar@yepart.com/ +91 98450 06644

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10 Nov 2016

Art News: Gallery 9 launches in Bangalore with Serenity

Gallery 9 launches in Bangalore with 'Serenity', an art exhibition by renowned artists

Navrathan’s newly renamed art gallery, Gallery 9, is launching with an art exhibition by renowned artists on Friday 11th November, 2016. The title of the exhibition, Serenity, reflects the general theme of the works, highlighting inner strength in the face of the trials and tribulations of daily life. The lead image, of the Indian Feminine, illustrates this with her inner calm retaining exterior beauty; exemplified by the daily toil of village women multitasking in the fields and the domesticity of the home, children, nurturing, keeping body and soul together.

Gallery 9 launches in Bangalore with 'Serenity', Navrathan's new gallery

The 40 works also include abstracts from Bangalore’s newest artistic sensation, Andrew Paul. In a short space of 3 or 4 months of work, Andrew has already received extensive international recognition. His work, `Mighty My Saviour’ has recently been included in the Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Bible and the Arts, along with M. F. Husain’s `Mother Teresa’.

Andrew Paul

The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Bible and the Arts, edited by Timothy Beal, published by Oxford University Press, 2015, page 378, discusses Andrew Paul’s painting `Mighty My Saviour’ in relation to M. F. Husain’s paintings of Mother Teresa. Husain’s paintings of the Mother are mostly faceless, but they are strongly evocative of the Madonna and the Pieta, where the child or the person being held in the lap is perhaps a representation of Christ.

The face in Paul’s painting is also hidden in agony, hair unkempt, blood streaming, eyes straining upwards, mouth agape like an open wound, the spiked crown of thorns, the ominous blue cross in the lower corner and a hand held up to the agonized face as though attempting to shut out something unspeakable. It is reminiscent of Munch’s scream. According to Paul the image appeared to him in a dream-vision following a charismatic retreat at Potta, Kerala.

Clara Joseph’s first book of poetry `The Face of the Other’ is published by the Interactive Press, Brisbane 2016. For the cover she chose another work by Andrew Paul, aptly titled `Redemption’. Richard Cohen’s review of this work strikes a chord and almost describes Paul’s `Saviour’, the awful predicament of a sensitive vulnerability at once broken and yet still hopeful. What comes through these enchanting words is a deep compassion, eyes open, bloodied, yet reaching out.

About the Exhibition ‘Serenity’

The pressures of society in the pursuit of success can often relegate the basic human necessities of introspection and tranquillity to a vague background. We are becoming hard-wired to the impatience of achieving increasingly more of the material world at the expense of essential communing with, and discovering, our soul, our inner self. We need to make time for ourselves and find a refuge within us for meditation and to reflect on our individual spirituality.

The present collection – serenity – suggests this space where the mind can communicate serenely with the soul. The signature image by Sachin Kharat reflects this need to look beyond ones individual desires for material consumption and discover the calm and tranquil which exists within us. His subject of the timeless Indian feminine combines with a palette which expresses the contemplative mysteries of the mind. The result is a soothing effect on the viewer’s senses, even if only for a brief moment in time.

Gallery 9 promises to break new ground with an outstanding programme of exhibitions, highlighting individual collectors and their collections as well as individual and group shows of established and emerging artists.

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10 Oct 2016

Tribute: Remembering Yusuf Arakkal

Eminent artist Yusuf Arakkal breathed his last on Oct 4, 2016 in Bangalore. The following article was published in Times of India as my tribute to him.

Even though Yusuf Arakkal was suffering from ill health in the past few years, the news of his demise came as a shock. He had become increasingly frail and reticent in the last few months, a pale shadow of his flamboyant and extroverted self. Arakkal’s last exhibition, held earlier this year, was on portraits of several artists - a project that he had been working on for many years. That was also perhaps his last social appearance.

A significant name on the Indian and global art landscape, Arakkal had traversed miles in the course of his career. His haunting images with protagonists hovering haltingly in the depth of the shadows were dark and powerful. His tryst with harsh realities and chance encounters with the underprivileged and the oppressed created lifelong scars that continued to be translated on canvas. Yet, importantly, he painted not out of pity but in empathy, perhaps an effort to heal his own scars carried from years gone by. However, the sombre colours on his palette were in a sharp contrast to his own persona. Cheerful, stylish and a great conversationalist, Arakkal was vocal about his opinions and not afraid to go against the tide. He also wrote extensively for various newspapers and publications, raising concerns, sharing anecdotes and creating art awareness.

I remember him as a warm, generous person who was passionate about art and was one of those rare people who are committed to helping others - upcoming artists and writers, without any material expectations. He gave his heart and soul in every friendship and his one regret was that many a times he was let down by them.

The Christ series, which he had completed and hoped to show in Rome, could not materialise, nor has it been shown in Bangalore. His interpretation infused with elements from multiple sources - rituals and traditions of Kerala, his birthplace and his readings from mythology, epics and sacred texts from various religions, such as Christianity, Islam and Hinduism makes it special. Another book on murals and sculptures lies incomplete, with images collected but the text yet to be done.

His contribution to Indian art and the Bangalore art scene in particular is immeasurable. Rest in peace, for as Oscar Wilde said, “Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one’s head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forget life, to be at peace.”

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3 Oct 2016

Doll Festival: An Amalgamation of Art with Festive Traditions

Integrating art with festive traditions creates innovative and unique narratives, which also add a contemporary touch to traditional tableau, writes art consultant Nalini S Malaviya

Traditional rituals offer a great opportunity to reiterate customs and traditions, and help in bringing alive oral histories for the younger generation. The doll festival, Gombe Habba, which is held during Dussehra in Southern parts of India, involves displaying traditional and rare dolls, figurines, heirlooms, artefacts and toys on a tiered platform. The various arrangements in which the dolls are exhibited are unique to family customs but adopt creative modes of storytelling, while focusing on the décor as well. Traditional themes and mythological tales are popular motifs in building the tableau, but contemporary issues are also now becoming part of exhibits.

Doll festival, Karnataka, Image courtesy http://www.karnataka.com/festivals/dasara-doll-festival/

The doll festival with its rich plurality of artefacts is a wonderful example of the fine craft traditions in India, and many times involves sourcing dolls from across the length and breadth of the country – a practice which is valuable in giving a boost to indigenous crafts. The Gombe is a great way to build narratives around folk traditions and mythological characters and to revive traditional rituals and renew interest in age old crafts. Antique dolls, such as those that have been in families for generations add historicity and interest to the decorations. Therefore the Gombe can be an effective combination of art and craft, tradition and décor.

Some of the key elements involved in creating an outstanding display are creativity, the material such as dolls and toys in this case and the format of the exhibit. To form unusual and enchanting narratives and décor, art can be used to enhance the display and to add interest. For instance, contemporary art which is based on reinterpretation of Indian mythology and borrows from traditional motifs, or art which is adapted from folk and tribal arts can be used very effectively along with traditional dolls in the Gombe to create new and unusual vocabularies.

Similarly, contemporary statues and figurines that are based on traditional forms and motifs can be a great addition to the main exhibit. Two dimensional artwork in the form of canvas and silk paintings and tapestries can form the perfect backdrop to the exhibit and also be an integral element in the storytelling. Contemporary art which is based on religious iconography is also a value addition from a décor perspective and in creating inventive exhibits.

Doll Festival: An Amalgamation of Art with Festive Traditions, Image courtesy Times Property

The storytelling in the tableaus narrate vignettes from the epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, however, modern themes around urban issues pertaining to gender, environment, and water and natural resources are also being depicted these days. In portraying modern ills and concerns, contemporary art can augment and emphasize the theme and convey the message effectively, while covering large expanses with artwork.

It is important to rekindle awareness about traditional rituals and by adopting innovative measures one can renew interest in their significance, create innovative décor trends and encourage a celebratory atmosphere.

Published in Times Property, Bangalore

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18 Aug 2016

Art News: New Art Gallery Opens in Bangalore

Iconic portrait of renowned singer MS Subbulakshmi painted by MF Husain to be displayed at ‘Art Bengaluru’ by Navrathan’s Art Gallery

MF Husain’s iconic portrait of MS Subbulakshmi, the world renowned singer and foremost proponent of Carnatic music, will be displayed by India’s newest art gallery, Navrathan’s of Bangalore. Navrathan jewellers have been a familiar destination for Bangaloreans since 1954. The sign of the iconic `nine jewels’ – the nine auspicious planetary gems – has lit up 18 MG road and attracted a stream of clients eager to acquire their signature gold jewellery. The man behind the legendary success of Navrathan jewellers is Mr. Gautam Chand Bafna, a connoisseur of arts, who has now extended his patronage to include fine and decorative arts; modern and contemporary Indian paintings, European paintings, antiques as well as interior décor, period-style furniture, porcelain, glass, silver and sculpture.

The painting of MS Subbulakshmi will be displayed in Bangalore thanks to the efforts of Mr. Gautam. As a sponsor of Bangalore’s premier annual art event – Art Bengaluru, which launches on 19th August at UB City, Navrathan will unveil and showcase Husain’s portrait of `M S’ as Subbulakshmi was affectionately known, as the centrepiece of their display.

Portrait of a Legend

MS Subbulakshmi painted by MF Husain at ‘Art Bengaluru 2016’ by Navrathan’s Art Gallery, Image courtesy Thomas Jose

Navrathan’s Art Gallery presents portrait of MS Subbulakshmi painted by MF Husain at ‘Art Bengaluru 2016’

The monumental portrait, 6 ft x 4 ft, an acrylic on canvas depicts the virtuoso singer holding her famous tambura. She wears a deep red sari, a conspicuous bindi, nose stud, ear rings and her hair is adorned with jasmine flowers. Husain has captioned the portrait “Subbulakshmi” in Tamil and has also signed it in Tamil. The portrait was painted by Husain in a flash of inspiration, the way he remembered her, when he heard the news of her passing. At the time, the artist had a major exhibition of his work, which he dedicated to the singer, in Chennai, where the portrait was originally unveiled. At the time Husain said that when he once heard her sing, for two minutes “It was so divine. I can never forget it in my life-time”. He heard of her passing on 11th December 2004 and painted the portrait in a day in Dubai. When he travelled to Chennai a few days later, he brought the painting and displayed it himself as the focal point of his exhibition at the Lakshana Museum of Arts.

The Queen of Music

Subbulakshmi’s music in films made her nationally famous. However, her devotional songs created even greater fame in India and internationally. Her voice interpreted the compositions of the three greats of Carnatic music, Thyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshiter and Shyam Sastri. Mahatma Gandhi was moved to tears when she sang his favourite bhajan Vaishnava Jana To Tene Kahiye Je Peer Parayee Jaane Re. When she sang at the United Nations Assembly, the New York Times wrote that Westerners could understand her message though it was delivered in a different language. She sang before Queen Elizabeth at London’s Royal Albert Hall. In 1954 Subbulakshmi received the Padma Bhushan and in 1969 received the title of Sangeetha Kalanidhi. She was the first woman to be honoured by the Madras Music Academy. In 1974 she received the Magsaysay Award and in 1975 she received the Padma Vibhushan. In 1990 she was awarded the Indira Gandhi Award for national integration. In 1998 she became the first musician to be honoured with the Bharat Ratna.

The United Nations has issued a stamp to mark Subbulakshmi’s birth centenary, coinciding with the celebration of India’s 70th Independence Day on 15th August 2016.

Navrathan’s is honoured and privileged to display this superb portrait of one of India’s greatest singers by one of India’s greatest artists.

Contact Michael Ludgrove, Navrathan’s Art Consultant on +91 99725 97430 and Chirag Chopra on +91 99006 85028 for all enquiries

Navrathan’s Art Gallery

Navrathan’s has taken up 35,000 square feet over three floors at 39 MG Road, perhaps the largest such

Mr. Gautam Chand Bafna

space in India. The familiar logo of Navrathan’s, a lotus with nine variously coloured petals, following the colours of the nine jewels, can now be seen above an impressive heritage facade building.

The second floor of this paradise for the discerning interior décor enthusiasts, houses Mr. Gautam’s latest venture, an art gallery. A state-of-the-art picture hanging system has been installed in a 3,000 sq. ft. picture gallery dedicated to exhibitions of paintings, photography and other interesting genres. A series of exhibitions is planned and will commence in September, and will include Masters as well as newly discovered talents; Photography and other categories such as rare books, maps, jewellery design and watches will also be featured.

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