Punch-O-Tantrm show, Waterscapes 2013 Monsoon Regatta and more..

NEWS

A Quest for Cultural Nostalgia

Artisans Gallery, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai presents a photo documentation of public art in the pink city of Jaipur. The documentation and project have been curated by art historian, Khushboo Bharti. The show is titled,’ A Quest for Cultural Nostalgia’.

Khushboo has been looking at the murals works , sculptures in private and public places, on roads over bridges, railway stations, entry gates of the old city and other open air display spaces.The show also has video works on display of excerpts of interviews with artists, artisans and officials involved in the making of the artworks.

The show is on view till the 30th June 2013. For any further details please write to artisanscentre@gmail.com

Reviving traditional art

(Bishnu Prasad Mishra with his art works)

The Sri Sankara Hall, Chennai hosts the Rajasthan Crafts Fair each year bringing together artists and artisans from all over the country to display their works. Most of these traditional artworks and art style are slowly fading away owing to lack of interest in their preservation especially where these are family run units handed down generations. In an attempt to revive and save some of these dying traditional Indian art practices, the art fairs and crafts fairs take place all over the country.

Patachitra paintings are indigenous to Orissa and some of the exquisite techniques and art works are being presented by artist Bishnu Prasad Mishra in the Rajasthan Crafts Fair. Bishnu derives inspirations from temple architecture and statues of god and goddesses from the Jagannath temple which form the basis of his fine art works.

Bishnu’s Patachitras, which are on display at the Rajasthan Crafts Fair, include Krishna and Rasleela themes as well as innovative Buddha and Ganesha images. Delicately conceived in soft colours, they have traditional borders such as ‘dahania maachi’ and ‘goolai.’ They captivate with their melange of mythology and limpid colours.

The show is on view till the 30th of June 2013.

Waterscapes - 2013 and the Monsoon Regatta

(A photograph on display at the show)

The Deloitte Monsoon Regatta’s annual art exhibition titled, ‘ Waterscapes - 2013’ aims at highlighting not just the arrival and celebration of monsoon int he country but also the social and environmental message of the depletingwater bodies in the country due to pollution and abuse.

This is the fourth edition of the Waterscapes exhibition and it brings to light the beauty of the lakes, rivers, ponds, waterfalls and the ocean.The show is organized by the Yatch Club of Hyderabad and the artists and photographers participating in the show are, Sudhir Shivaram, Kalyan Varma, Arati Rao, Ganesh H. Shankar, Sandesh Kadur, and paintings by Thota Tharrani, C.L.D. Gupta, N.S. Manohar, J.M.S. Mani, Malikarjuna and S. Jayaraj.

The show is on view till the 7th of July 2013 at the Muse Art Gallery, Hyderabad.

The Punch-o-Tantrm show

Gaganendra Pradarshashala, Kolkata, presents a group show of fine art photography works by five Kolkata based executives. The group is named ‘Chhobiwala’ and the five photographers are Atish Sen, Arijit Talukdar, Bijit Bose, Soumya Bandopadhyay and Debarshi Duttagupta. 

The show titled, ‘Punch-o-Tantrm’ exhibits photographs based on various subjects such as environments, Kolkata streets, rivers, and various interlinked stories which play out in the visuals, portraying moods and replete with emotions.
The show previews on 28th June and will be inaugurated by eminent artist Sanatan Dinda at 4:00pm.

The show is on view from the 28th of June to the 30th of June 2013. For any further details please call : +91 98310 59450

FEATURE

Young artists find new ways to reach out to art lovers

Being an artist is hard if you live in Mumbai. Just take a walk on the footpath outside Jehangir Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda, and you’ll find street artists who can beat so-called contemporary masters at one-millionth the price. But some young artists continue to follow their passions in the face of stiff competition.

Aditi Rajpure is a 26-year-old dentist who makes time to put her emotions on canvas, in spite of her busy schedule. “I’ve been painting since childhood, but had to put it on hold when I started college,” she says. “Now, when I'm not extracting molars, I'm painting.”

Rajpure paints mostly for friends and acquaintances and her medium is acrylic on canvas or water colours on paper. She posts her work on Twitter (@misspinkpout) and can be reached there.

“I want to make this an alternate career by taking up freelance assignments, especially making bespoke painting for homes and offices” she says.

Another young city artist, Simran Kaur Walia, is a little more active with her work. “I took a commercial arts course at Sophia College and then started my own website, reflectionsonthewall.com, to retail my art,” says Walia. The 25-year-old was encouraged by friends and relatives to start her own venture. “My aim is to make art affordable,” she says.

Walia has held exhibitions in city five-star hotels before, with another one set to open in Boston, USA, in two months. You can buy her art online or get in touch with her on her Twitter (@ROTWarts) or Facebook page.

Art is not limited to just paintings, and Roanna Fernandes, 26, is exploring other media. She specialises in making beach jewellery and crafts. “I had my first sale at Candies in Bandra in 2009 and have been devoting whatever free time I have to my label Rosecraft,” says Fernandes. From customised wrapping paper and stationery to neckpieces and coasters, Fernandes makes it all. 

“I take up orders through Twitter (@JupiterSkye) and Facebook page and my my blog,” she says.

(Report by Sumedha Deo, courtesy Hindustan Times)