|
From the ‘Concerns’ Desk ... June 2007
“Culture sells, attracts tourists, generates economic activity, and is an integral part of the entertainment industry. I see no reason why we should regret this. …Capitalism will not be superseded in the foreseeable future. At best it can and must learn to behave more ethically and more equitably, which it does when it is in its own interest. So, rather than simply signalling either successful integration of the local into the global (the optimist’s view) or hegemonic appropriation of the local by the global (the pessimist’s view), I think that art biennials are, quite typically, cultural experiments in the glocal economy”- more »
|
Cover story
Images of Loss: 52nd Venice Biennale
 Riyas Komu's work at Venice Biennale
In today’s context, a role of a curator has evolved, or de-structured to bring in public opinion within the realm of his individual ideas or preferences, in the manner of unrestricted solutions and it is exemplified in the mounting of 52nd Venice Biennale, reports Amrita Gupta Singh from Venice. read on »
|
Gallery
Lavanya Mani |
Lavanya Mani
Lavanya Mani is one of the new age women artists in India, who skillfully negotiates the postmodern dilemmas in her works. Addressing a much debated colonial history from an elevated field of multi-cultural give and takes, Lavanya Mani finds her language from history book illustrations and pictorial renditions of the moral stories. more »
We present two recent works of Lavanya Mani » |
Spring Board
Paresh Choudhury
Paresh Choudhury |
Born in Orissa, Paresh Choudhury did his BFA in BK College of Art, Bhuvaneswar and MFA in Fine Arts Faculty, MS University, Baroda. During his student days itself, Paresh was known as a water colourist and he chiseled up his skills under the masterful guidance of the artist and scholar Dr. Dinanath Pathy who recognized his talent at an early stage itself. more »
|
Obituary
Deepak Bhattacharya
Deepak Bhattacharya |
Deepak Bhattacharya, art historian and teacher at Santiniketan passed away on 23rd June 2007. HA Anil Kumar, Bangalore based art historian, a friend and student of Late Deepak Bhattacharya recalls his memories and pays tribute to the departed friend. more » |
Offbeat
The Art of CRAFT
Naresh Sharma
|
What one best can give the other is the Aesthetic Sensibility. With this motive in mind and CRAFT as a maneuver, Naresh Sharma, Director, CRAFT shares his ideas and concepts with noted theater critic Kuljeet Singh for www.artconcerns.com. more »
|
| Essay |
TDD-2007: The New Gestures of Chintan Upadhyay
In this three part essay JohnyML looks at Chintan Upadhyay’s new paintings that deal with the issue of female infanticide and foeticide. He discusses the formation of a rebellious subjectivity that defies the common notion of an artist as the producer of a style vis-à-vis Chintan’s latest set of paintings read on »
A Peep into a Pop World
Kolkata based young art critic Oindrilla Maity glances through the Indian contemporary art production in order to find out how the artists make use of the popular and iconic images for visualizing their pet theories and philosophies. more »
Notes from the battlefield: Baroda
Fingers, body, mouth, skin, semen, mothers, others, a naked prophet- young art historian and researcher Parvez Kabir analyses the depth and force of the historical struggle of FFA, Baroda students against totalitarianism through these notions and notes down the experiential realities of it. He says histories are not written on desktops, but in the battle zones of streets. more »
|
| Interview |
Paintings for the Time to Come
Shubhalakshmi Shukla speaks to Babu Eshwar Prasad at the Bodhi Art Gallery, Mumbai, where the artist is having his solo show titled ‘Time Past Time Present Time to Come’. Shubhalakshmi tries to gather the ideas behind his paintings and makes a chink at the Zen master like reluctance of the artist. more »
Paris Autumn: Pushpamala Speaks
Internationally acclaimed artist Pushpamala N recently presented her 2006 film Paris Autumn at the Alliance Francaise de Bangalore. Rollie Mukherjee and Divakar catch up with the artist to know more about her film project. Excerpts from the interview »
“I have never been an ‘art teacher’”: Chhatrapati Dutta
Chhatrapati Dutta, one of the prominent young artists based in Kolkata speaks to Oindrilla Maity about his works and says how he derived his artistic outlook from extensive journeys that he has undertaken as a student. more »
|
| News |
 |
Open Eyed Dreams Gallery in Kochi » » |
|
|
|
Right to Home for Tibetan Children» » |
|
|
|
Jayashree Chakravarty at Bodhi, New York » » |
|
|
|
Crazy Stills by Dileep Sharma » » |
|
|
|
Chemould says Farewell to Jehangir First Floor » » |
|
|
|
Tentua Dabaa Do in Jaipur » » |
|
|
|
Relics Of Grey: Archana Hande » » |
|
|
|
Bodhi Award Show » » |
|
|
| Features |
In the Land of Marco Polo
Water Streets, sexy men and women, living statues, sea-gulls, street performers reliving the Dada times, Bangla speaking waiters serving Italian pastas, high-tension love fights performed at street corners, g-string waving girls, art and more art; that is contemporary Venice and it defies the stereotypes of tourist maps, finds Amrita Gupta Singh in this lively feature. more »
From Santhal Family to The Ramp
Noted sculptor K.S.Radhakrishnan learned his techniques from Ramkinkar Baij. He paid rich tributes to his master while presenting a paper on the evolution of his own sculptures at the MPCVA, Mumbai. JohnyML reports from Mumbai. more »
Ghosts of intimate imagination
K.Sheriff, an illustrator based in Kerala with no academic training to help him, has achieved reputation as the chronicler of human lives. Illustration, though a supplement to the literature that it sticks to has become a rage in Kerala’s imagination. Kavita balakrishnan makes a quick trip through the works of Sheriff. more » |
| Reviews |
That is the True Story with No Glory
Blanketed by the term ‘minority’ Kashmiri Pandits still remain a community in exile. “And the World Remained Silent”, a documentary on the woes of the Kashmiri Pandits by Ashoke Pandit was recently screened in New Delhi followed by a panel discussion. Geetika Kaw Kher, herself a Kashmiri Pandit in exile and an art historian, reviews the film and the panel discussion. more »
The Maximum Trash(able) City
Shubhalakshmi Shukla visits the recent collaborative project of Neha Choksi at Gallery 88 Mumbai and says that the show has been successful in bringing out the pathos and courage of the migrant population in the city, who look at the viewer straight into the eyes. more »
Rooted in Reality
Away from the maddening crowd of Kolkata lives the veteran artist Bhaskar Mukherjee. Shy of fame and flashlights, Mukherjee lives in a Santhal village in Santiniketan. Oindrilla Maity meets him when he is in Kolkata for his solo show. She reviews the show and chats with the artist to get a glimpse of his life and philosophy. more »
Handle with Care
Janakiram visits ‘Handle with Care’, a solo exhibition by Ashish Kumar Das and feels that the artist expresses the insecurities of a migrant in urban space. more »
|
| Other Columns |
Delhi Sketchbook – JohnyML »
Mumbai Sketchbook - Abhijit Tamhane »
Kolkata Sketchbook - Oindrila Maity »
Version True - Uma Nair »
Husain in exile reflects cultural decadence
Zealots clip artistic freedom and Husain remains between Dubai and London zooming around in his Bentleys and Cadillacs, enormously nostalgic about a walk down Marine Drive (Mumbai) and a cup of chai on his native soil. It is perhaps the only example of its kind in the world, where an artist who has risen to the ranks of fame has been kept away by the fanatics of a newly dictated religion that draws up its own rules and touts globalism even as it defines a decadent diatribe in the name of Hinduism. more » |
|
|
