Art of the Matter

As you might have noticed, several art magazines have been launched in the recent past. A couple of weeks ago, The Bombay Art Society had a formal launch of its Indian Contemporary Art Journal in the city. Today, most art magazines are available at limited venues, for instance at galleries and a few other outlets. The editor of the Indian Art Journal revealed that they plan to retail the publication through popular bookstores, which is an excellent idea as it will greatly enhance accessibility and availability.

Interestingly, at this point not a single magazine is being brought out of Bangalore. On the other hand, Mumbai, New Delhi and Kolkata have several art publications to their credit. However, what we do have are writers and artists. In fact, there are many writers from the city who contribute to these publications, (it is another matter that many of them write for most of the magazines - no exclusivity here!)

Quite a few artists have put forth the need to have a dedicated art magazine that is brought out of Bangalore. A publication such as this may give a much needed impetus to the art scene here. Even a simple online version, to begin with might be a good idea. Apart from being a source of information to people interested in art, such a publication could focus on a larger number of artists in the area – smaller shows and upcoming artists can also be profiled. A wider circulation to other parts of the country would provide greater exposure to artists and galleries.

Incidentally, the number of galleries in the city is rather limited, even though there are many artists who reside here, but end up showing their works outside, or moving out of Bangalore in search of opportunities.

The problem, I am sure is not in bringing out a magazine, which is comparatively an easy task, but in maintaining it. The logistics and financial aspects of running an entire publication is a daunting process and needs a large amount of support in order to be sustainable. However, it is eminently doable and one hopes that one of the many corporate offices in the city may take up the challenge to take on the entire responsibility or at least fund it.

(Published in Bangalore Mirror)

Robert Bosch Art Grant - 2010

This is a call for applications toward the Robert Bosch Art Grant - 2010.

Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions (RBEI) once again invites proposals from individuals for the Robert Bosch Art Grant 2010.

By art, we mean categories spanning a broad spectrum of activities that include performing and visual arts like Painting, Sculpture, Music, Theatre, Dance, Photography and new media. We attach importance to projects that broaden public access to the arts; we seek to extend individual art practice to bring it to the social realm. We are particularly interested in assisting promising talent that falter only because of financial constraints.

Who is eligible?

Artists, less than 30 years of age.

Place of residence – in and around Bangalore or Coimbatore.

Application guidelines:

Applicants should submit a detailed proposal containing the following:

1. Brief description of the background and context of the issues being addressed by the proposal
2. Overall goals, specific objectives, and rationale for the proposal
3. Description of the anticipated outcome; its value to society
4. Description of the activities to be funded
5. Detailed budget, including any funds anticipated from other sources
6. Proposed duration of the project
7. Portfolio of recent work (on CD) and any other supporting material. RBEI would be unable to return any material accompanying the proposal.
8. Biodata of applicant, with contact details

General information:

1. Proposals may be submitted in any Indian language, including English.
2. Proposals could be from individuals, or from a group/organization
3. The duration of the project may be 1 year or less
4. The minimum and maximum grant limits are Rs 25,000 and Rs 5,00,000 respectively
5. Grant awards are determined by an objective process of evaluation, and the decision of RBEI will be final.

Timetable:

Applications should reach us before April 31, 2010. Grant awards will be announced on or before June 15, 2010.

Applications and all other communications should be addressed to:

Robert Bosch Art Grant, C/o Ms.. M.A. Acharya, 123 Industrial Estate, Hosur Road, Bangalore 95

(Information courtesy Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions)

Promoting the crafts

(By Nalini S Malaviya)

Most of the time, we are so involved in discussing and promoting the fine arts that we often forget those hundreds and thousands of craftsmen and artisans who create folk and tribal art, handicrafts and other hand made products. Making such products requires a tremendous amount of skill and hours of labor, and financial returns are low. In most cases, the skill and craftsmanship is passed on from one generation to the next, but because economic viability is poor, the newer generations prefer to opt for alternative sources of livelihood.

Madhubani, Pithora, Warli are just some of the folk art forms which can be used in interiors to decorate walls either through mural paintings, or smaller framed works which can be hung on walls. Incidentally, there are many corporate spaces which have integrated folk arts and crafts in their décor – either as a small mural on a cafeteria wall or as bright paintings that liven up cubicle spaces. As any form of support from individuals or organizations can make a huge difference in the growth and sustenance of this sector, proposals that address this need must be encouraged.

In this context, an initiative by the Vinod Gupta School of Management, IIT Kharagpur, which is organizing an event Saamanjasya 2010, deserves a mention. The forthcoming three day event aims to bring various key players responsible for social and economic growth together through a series of programs from 19-21st March. During the event, artisans will participate in Kalakaar Vikas, a program which will provide a platform to artisans to display their crafts before a large audience. This is being achieved by tying up with an NGO called Saarthi, which deals specifically with the welfare of artisans. Other plans include presenting the cause of these artisans before corporates, setting up meets for funding and providing technical expertise wherever possible. Overall, it seems to be a good initiative which could greatly benefit the artisans who are participating in the program.

However, it’ll be interesting to see how the proposals translate into action and what kind of monetary and other support artisans can gain from this venture. As a prototype the proposal has its merits, and if it works well it can be replicated elsewhere on a larger scale to include a greater number of affected people. As we all know there is an urgent need to focus on the revival of traditional arts and crafts that are on the decline, and corporate involvement can make a huge difference in the overall development and sustenance of indigenous crafts of India.

(Published in Bangalore Mirror)

Colours of Celebration by Sakti Burman

(By Nalini S Malaviya)

Sakti Burman is celebrating his 75th birthday in style. An exhibition of limited edition prints titled The Complete Collection of select paintings produced by the eminent artist in the last two decades is being showcased. The serigraphs have been produced in collaboration with Lavesh Jagasia from The Serigraph Studio.

The veteran artist born in Bidyakut, which is now a part of Bangladesh has been living in France since the mid 1950s, but now spends a few months every year in New Delhi. He recalls that the life of an artist was not so easy in those days and when he went to Paris in 1956 to study at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts, he did not know anyone and his paintings helped him to build bridges with others in a foreign land. He says, “I too veered towards the great masters in the early years and fell under the influence of Bonnard, Matisse, Chagall and of course Picasso. Just to stand before their canvas was to experience the unreal. It was so far removed from my life in Bidyakut.”

Looking at his paintings his Indian roots are easily visible – the rich earthy palette, a profusion of mythological figures and an air of romanticism that define his canvas. However, when one looks closely one finds figures from Greek mythology and other western influences. His paintings are a pictorial narrative, a joyous celebration and a confluence of iconic characters from across the world that form the tableaux as they narrate the tale. He explains, “All my excited enjoyment of art in India and in the West that lay stored in my memory and in my unconscious, all the myths and fairy tales, legends and lore I had heard or read, my love for music and the songs of Tagore or the poetry of Baudelaire – all went into the making of my paintings to evoke a world of unreality, but one very much real in my imaginative life and enlivened in every part with hope, joy dream and fantasy.”

Why serigraphs? As Lavesh, an avid art collector turned publisher explains, the primary reason for bringing out a series of limited edition prints was to make art accessible to a larger number of connoisseurs. With prices of paintings becoming so high, the only way to reach out to people is by offering them multiples that have been created with an emphasis on quality. He adds, “the ambitious project has taken almost 5 to 6 years to complete and in a sense it is a virtual retrospective with seminal works from the artist’s body of work coming together in a single portfolio.” The exhibition is being held in several cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi and Kolkata, as well.

(The exhibition continues till March 10 at Gallery Sumukha, Bengaluru)

(Published in Bangalore Mirror)

Traveling shows are a good idea

(By Nalini S Malaviya)

Nowadays, it is common to see art shows traveling from one city to another. As more and more art galleries come up in different cities across the country, collaborative efforts are on the rise. This, in fact is a wonderful way to increase exposure to art - it benefits not only the artist but also the viewer and of course, the gallery.

Multi-city exhibitions are now the trend rather than an exception. Cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai have become part of the art circuit. It is especially useful when bigger artists exhibit their works in metros and then these shows travel to smaller ones. In fact, many art shows are traveling not only within India but are also going abroad to places such as Singapore, New York, London and Hong Kong. For instance, a retrospective of artist Surya Prakash began in Hyderabad and has already traversed Mumbai and New Delhi and will soon arrive in Bangalore, before moving on to Munich, London and New York. Similarly, to mark the 75th birthday of Sakti Burman, a show of Limited Edition Serigraphs will be showcased in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi and Kolkata.

The entire process also proves beneficial to the prospective buyer or investor, for instance, people who are particular about physically seeing an artwork before making the actual purchase now have easier access to the art. And, although the logistics of organizing art exhibitions that have to be physically moved from one place to another can be challenging and collaborations with other galleries may not be simple, overall these efforts are good for the art market. On the other hand, most of the bigger galleries now have their brunches in different cities - both within the country and abroad, and for them it makes a lot of sense to carry their exhibitions from one place to another. As a buyer or investor one can subscribe to newsletters or information on forthcoming shows, to keep themselves updated about exhibitions that they are interested in and which will be available in their city in future.

(Published in Financial Times)