02 : Note from Studio Shantiniketan, Bolpur./ Artist : Ramu Das

The concept and the subjects of my works, with the treatment, talk all about the vocabulary of my works. While the basic concept is to depict the conflicting characters of human life, the subjects range from personal sexuality to a broader ground of socio-political problems. On one hand my works are imaginary, dramatic and distinctive; on the other hand they are strongly Surrealist in character and bear other specific art historical references. The basic concept of my works depends on my observation of the world, molded through my imagination. In other words, my works may be called solely individualistic. 

Artist : Ramu Das

Human figures in various actions and gestures are the main element in my paintings. Often, relating to the subject the figures are given very specific expressions. Also the figures are rendered to be very unattractive and grotesque in appearance. Most of the characters (both male and female) are imperfectly huge and muscular. They have thick lips, large puffy eyes and often bear peculiar expressions. I avoid the perfect rendering of the human bodies which automatically creates a distraction from a sexual provocation. I like to leave it to the beholders to think over it and feel the absence of the perfect beauty so that their urge for the perfect beauty move their minds. This is my intention to play with the beholders’ psychology. A supposed smooth and palpable skin of a nude woman is being replaced by a rough textured snake-like surface. All these somewhere disturbs the erotic fantasy and contradicts the viewers’ urge to see the perfect beauty. 

While growing as an artist, it is quite natural for the art works to go through an evolution in terms of both concept and content. There are lots of pictorial elements that have been added or deducted from my paintings in the course of changing time. Experiences of moving to different places have highly inspired me to shape up the body of my works. Nature and natural elements have been an integral part of my works throughout. Human figures, mostly grotesque and distorted, are placed within the natural space. Conch, cowry shells and recently beehives have become major symbolic features of my works. These are the elements that build up the body of my works and changes occur through the continous journey of my life. Apart from that there are many reflections of some of my very personal thoughts that come from my daily observations. I often come up with a scene, revealing some story about an individual or a group of people, stating them in an environment. I like to unveil the story quite dramatically with an expressive rendering of colour-play, finishing and appearances/expressions of the characters. Apart from that there are many reflections of some of my very personal thoughts that come from my daily observations. I often come up with a scene, revealing some story about an individual or a group of people, stating them in an environment. I like to unveil the story quite dramatically with an expressive rendering of colour-play, finishing and appearances/expressions of the characters.

My colour palette is quite strong. I use brilliant range of colours and juxtapose them to create vibrancy corresponding to the subjects of my paintings. I always want to create a certain contrast between contradictory elements and I do it by combining strong colours. My palette appears very strident and it may often resemble to be quite expressionistic yet the final rendering surely has reference of the Renaissance paintings. The smooth finishing, delicacy of the draperies, use of chiaroscuro and subtle highlights on the human figures are derived from by understanding of the classical painting, resulting as my own spontaneous interpretation.

I like to work in a way evaded from directness. There are more than a few layers in my works in terms of subject and concept. My main intention is to criticize and highlight various nuances of our society. I have extensively painted subjects like sexual biases, class struggle, and terrorism etc. I handle these concepts with a very political or sometime with a spiritual angle. I use various metaphors and symbols to convey my thought while articulation. The metaphors I use are created with my personal vision and interpretation from various experiences of life. Dealing with concepts like ‘Man and woman relationship’ I have used various metaphoric elements like snails, cowry shells and conch symbolizing the female sexuality and elements like tiger as male. There are references in my work criticizing the male dominance over females by showing a tiger, sharply gazing towards a woman. Tree has become a symbol of femininity as its process of creation resembles to the women’s’ power of giving birth.  Side pillow, another object of the interior has been shown repeatedly as a phallic symbol. There are a few subjects that I have dealt with a spiritual angle, using religious symbols (swastika symbol or a man seated like Buddha) against terrifying objects to generate good hope and positivity against fear. Apart from this, I have been capturing changing personality or mood of different people by showing characters with multiple heads. Dramatic combination of different expressions of joy and dismay of those multiple faces upon a single body, suggests the journey of that person throughout different phase of his life. My works are highly metaphoric and constantly connote a conflict between different aspects of human life. Contrasts and contradictions between different things like sexuality and gender biases, war and peace, brutalities of urbanization are symbolically depicted in my works.

by

Art Blogazine Team

Bombay

Tathi Premchand

01: Note from Studio Shantiniketan, Bolpur. / Artist : Ghanashyam Latua

Mainly my art practice is based on physical environment and its conflict with the artificial environment. The physical environment consists with the living and non-living components. Unfortunately, the natural environment has been under tremendous threat due to never ending human greed. The lands are mindlessly being excoriated by us through agonizing mechanical process. The poignant saga regarding the issues of land acquisition, environmental and migrant crisis and modern age slavery comes into my mind as myself being a locale from a suburban area.

Artist : Ghanashyam Latua

I am currently working with a long and time consuming method of creating layers like formation of a land for many years. It continues then by pecking and skinning the paper with a sharp tool, which defines the violence towards it due to human interference to acquire resources for industrial and ‘developmental’ purposes.

The skin of the paper is the metaphor of the land to me and the method of pecking represents the human rapacity in form of the encroaching land. Before pecking, I use to do some treatment on the paper. It might be an application of water colour tint, soft pastel, charcoal, pen strokes or might be left the paper un-treated as it is. 

I have been constantly encountering the changing features of these landscapes from my childhood at my ancestral village near Kharagpur, Jhargram and during my student life at Shantiniketan, Bolpur. I have explored the spiritual affinity and relationship between the man and nature through my works. It questions the burning social issues like encroaching and land grabbing, which changes the whole ecology of a landscape and the people depending upon it. The endless human greed has lead towards a socio-political disharmony due to misinterpretations of modernism.

In that sense my works are empathic reaction towards these issues as we are constantly being enslaved by our own greed and ecstasy of power in a capitalist society. By getting divorced from the nature day by day, we have murdered our own divine and spiritual self.

......

by

Art Blogazine Team

Bombay

Tathi Premchand

Pin Poster : Kolkata Ink

Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is the capital of India's West Bengal state. Founded as an East India Company trading post, it was India's capital under the British Raj from 1773–1911. Today it’s known for its grand colonial architecture, art galleries and cultural festivals. It’s also home to Mother House, headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, whose tomb is on site.

Knowningness - Presence of unknown within known, Nippon Art Gallery

Harshda Nirgun, an alumni of J.J. Schools of Fine Arts is conducting a solo Exhibition at Nippon Art Gallery, near Kala Ghada, Mumbai from 10th to 15th December 2019. The exhibition is free for entry and is based on experiences of life, natural harmony, womanhood and growth of society .The artist aspires to increase awareness and maximum inclusion of people from different age group to experience, understand and spread the message.

My artwork captures glimpses of the current state we live in, the visuals that I believe to shake us to our core and awaken our restrained emotions. It’s linked with my life experiences and my identity in our society.

Artist : Harshda Sadanand Nirgun

When I am in the process of creation I tune with my inner self, work with my intuitions, everything in my surroundings gets blurred and I just deep dive with myself, add colour to my feelings and express it,  its not always planned,  it just happens. My artwork is similar to an onion, layers upon layers covering the inner emotions. My efforts are to express everything I see, the myriad waves that I feel and try to collate them in my artworks. At times I also detach from myself and observe it as a third person, it kind of makes you think and new perspectives and answers just reach out to me.

Being an Artist one doesn't have to perform any kind of stunts it should be your experiences, feelings and your way of expression. It doesn't have to be in particular way or adulterated with outer manifestations. It has to be open and free of any glass ceilings and limitations.

Other mind jolting work is my Street art for Kalaghoda installation based on Corruption. I have installed a life size match box, with sides made of currency bundle. There is only one stick standing symbolic of an individual’s fight while Inside of the matchbox are burned sticks that came in contact and burned due to the friction of the never ending greed of “human want”. This artwork was inspired from a real-life event in my kitchen which I  related with the corruption and greed in the society.

My other works are related to human relations from women’s perspective. Women is the giver of life and it’s linking with mother earth. How in the name of progress we are disturbing the natural balance of other animals and birds and destroying the beautiful nature in our surroundings.

Regarding my current solo exhibition in Mumbai

The very existence of any particular thing, living or non-living, is in its existence within that time, it’s the momentariness, the fleeting moment that lets us glance the substance of life. The interrelated expression, the flash realisation, the static imprints. It’s outer conditions and surging inner situation merged in the state of trance, that evolve out of it. Unspecific certainty with its own grace  without any external force acting on it.

There is an outer shield, which hides the core idea engrossed in captivated experiences. Nothing to oppose, nothing to support, as it cannot be shared or explained. Those endless stories, travel, brief moments, that eagerness and its volume can only be felt.

My artwork captures these glimpses of the current state we live in, the visuals that I believe to shake us to our core and awaken our restrained emotions. It's linked with my life experiences and my identity in our society. 

Few more of my works in the current exhibition:

v Living Halt:

An interactive installation where you can actually stand amidst the scaffolds and experience a Halt at a construction site. Architecture has a life too, it’s state continually changes as it endures external elements and requires routine maintenance just as our skin.

v Parallel I:

Three adjoining spheres depict parallel memories of past, present, and future. Living and breathing without knowing each other like insects crawling in their own little world, unknown of the nearby worlds but connected in space.

v Parallel ll:

Play of shadows, objects with multiple overlaps, changing their forms with moving light source with passing of time.

v Under construction Bride:

Photograph of myself in a green construction cloth as saree, keeping Indian 'Ghoongat', it's new development in progress on old roots, progressing ahead and restructuring for better future.

v Inside out:

A glasswork displayed with metallic Lotus. To know yourself inside-out the blissful inner core and the flow of energy within, transforming and evolving through different experiences.

v Reality Check:

A rusted Lotus symbolizing the transition period of a city from old to the present progressive state leaving it's murky scent behind as it transforms.

v Esteem:

The composition consists of construction worker’s hands signifying hardship that goes into making others dreams a reality and keeping their younger generation alive.

v Dream Home:

Creation of personal-space to dwell is a structuring of our own physical and mental space. 

v Noise:

A visual noise of construction and continuous reengineering of the surrounding that overlaps and blocks the tranquil chirp of a ‘City bird’

v Reach:

Constant human interference effects the navigation of migratory and local birds. They get stressed and disturbed by heavy noise pollution created in the city area. A composition with the mating call of Cuckoo bird is suppressed by cement mixture machines and road roller.

No one teaches you art it comes from within though I am an academic Masters  in fine arts from Mumbai. I have always found different ways and mediums to  experiment and express my work. Looking forward to inspire young minds to respect mother earth, women, expand their thoughts beyond the horizon and include everyone in their growth.

Nippon Gallery

Deval Chambers 30/32

2nd Floor, Flora Fountain

Nanabhai Lane, Kala Ghoda

Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

PIN POSTER : NIPPON SOLO

Address: Deval Chambers 30/32, 2nd Floor, Flora Fountain, 2, Nanabhai Ln, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

Dr Sudhir Patwardhan A retrospective 29th evening NGMA Mumbai

Dr Sudhir Patwardhan
A retrospective
29th evening
NGMA
Mumbai

Wandering Violin Mantis | Nibha Sikander

About the Exhibition

The team at TARQ is delighted to present Wandering Violin Mantis– Nibha Sikander’s first solo exhibition. In this exhibition, Sikander expands on her growing practice of looking at and recreating various species from nature, some real and some imagined. The artist uses layer upon layer of intricately cut out paper to create form after form of moths, mantises and birds, each one meticulously assembled in her studio in Murud-Janjira.

This exhibition focuses on Sikander’s observations of a variety of insects and other creatures that surround her. Fascinated by nature since childhood, and more particularly since moving to her current home, the artist began experimenting with making birds in her medium of choice – paper. The paper, according to her, mimics nature in its versatility – soft, stiff, malleable and flexible, almost like wings, feathers and antennae. In some of her works, Sikander delves deeper into her engagement with her subjects, deconstructing, and even abstracting the individual elements of the bird or insect that she is recording.

In his catalogue essay, Ranjit Hoskote says of Nibha’s work “Wrought with unerring accuracy, and with a heightened attentiveness to delicate and often elusive detail, Sikander’s moths and birds testify to the dazzling enchantment of the natural world as well as to the magic of taxonomical science. Presented in segments, as a row of disjecta membra laid out from wing to beak and head, her birds make a graphic transition from field guide to portrait gallery. They come across, not primarily as representatives of a species, but as sharply individual denizens of a world menaced by predators, surly winds, changing weather patterns.”

About the Artist

Nibha Sikander (b.1983) has done her Bachelors in Visual Arts (2006) and Masters in Visual Arts (2008), both specialising in painting, from the Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara. Since her graduation, she has been part of several group exhibitions, some of which include ALCHEMY: Explorations in Indigo, KasturbhaiLalbhai Museum, Ahmedabad (2019); Beyond Borders, curated by the CONA Foundation at the Whitworth Gallery/Museum, Manchester, England (2017-18); A New Space, Nazar Art Gallery, Vadodara (2016); Back to College, VADFEST, Faculty of Fine Arts, Vadodara (2015); A Construal of Mourning and Rage, Emami Chisel Art, Kolkata (2014); Group show at Studio X, as part of the Paradise Lodge International Artist Residency, Mumbai (2013); Beauty and the Beast, Matthieu Foss Gallery, curated by Anne Maniglier, Mumbai, (2011); Show Girls!, Strand Art Room Gallery, curated by Anne Maniglier, Mumbai (2009); From our Cabinets to the Museum, Open Eyed Dreams Gallery, curated by Aparna Roy, Kochi (2009); and Class of 2008, Art Konsult Gallery, curated by Bhavna Khakkar, New Delhi, (2008-09)

She has taken part in residencies like Paradise Lodge International Artist Residency, Lonavala, Mumbai (November 2013); Sandarbh International Artists Residency Programme, Jaipur (November 2012); and Residency at the American School of Bombay, Mumbai (March - May 2010)

She is the recipient of the Nasreen Mohamedi Scholarship, Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara, 2004-2005. Nibha currently works and lives in Murud-Janjira and Mumbai

Preview: Thursday, 28^th November 2019 | 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm

11:00 am – 6:30 pm | Tuesday – Saturday | Closed on Public Holidays

For Images and Further Enquiries Contact Vanessa Vaz: press@tarq.in or +91 22 6615 0424

Address: F35/36 Dhanraj Mahal, C.S.M. Marg, Apollo Bunder, Colaba, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001

Hours: 

Open ⋅ Closes 6:30PM

Phone: 022 6615 0424

Altruism of Lines Solo by Yashwant Deshmukh ,Curated by Prabhakar Kamble

Altruism of Lines 

Solo by Yashwant Deshmukh

Curated by Prabhakar Kamble

Yashwant Deshmukh is a contemporary conceptual artist, born in 1963,  growing up in Akola, Vidarbha, in the scorching interiors of Maharashtra. He graduated with a BFA from Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai in 1988 . In this exhibition he presents works from 2007 to 2019. It’s his short journey with his works. In the span of his career of thirty years Yashwant made various crossings between figuration and symbolic abstraction. He accentuates the lyrical and meditative elements of the object, and preserves the resonance in a monochromatic painterly treatment. He brings it with his personified ways that demonstrate his bounteous visualitics that proves it’s crest of minimalism. In fact it is a maximization of minimalism. Minimization is not to be the least nor is it for the emptiness, moreover it is an actuality and vitality. How would he forget the ascendancy of his village life, the experiences that left a deep imprint on his mind whilst building his life . Vidarbha is an extremely hot region with low rainfall. Until the age of twenty a boy who had never left his village and seen the outer world and thus never obliterated his deep interest in his in village life in later life and art. His expression is as clear and as simple as he lives and it exists with its individual and an exclusive identity.

Artist Yashwant Deshmukh

The extensive moorland under the scorching hot sun that is dilated straight to the horizon, in between is the sporadic appearance of the Acacia and Neem trees that breaks the horizon; the houses arise from the land itself and stand as the globe becomes the textured walls of the vista. There is a special kind of extinction throughout the scorching afternoon in the field, it is a different kind of quiescence. Sometime it is secluded from people. Habitations of small houses, sparse trees, deep arid bottoms of the well, when you peek into such deep wells you can experience a particular kind of eerie darkness, and silence in it sometimes it is haunted too. In this scenario underneath the roof of the immense blue sky and the desert gives you the realisation of your insignificance. This realisation calms you and it can push you to explore and discover yourself. What could be the end of life? The death? What would be the situation after death? Is it the same calmness and peace that will be there after death? It is the same voluminous vacuity? These experiences and consciousness of dialogue within ones self makes a balance between sphere of consciousness and context of visual expressions. His direct and indirect living within this realm endears in his art.

The works that you are seeing in this exhibition are not a straight trajectory of practice as you may perceive them to be, Yashwant made many crossings to reach here, after graduating from Sir J.J. School of Art he was experimenting with many art forms also he had a great influence of typical style of JJ's schooling, that he later refused to pursue . Initially he had done experimentation with all the forms including figurative, abstraction, still life, portraits. The change and the search within is the identity of a rational and logical mind. This logic is the beginning of wisdom. While walking to this path of wisdom and in search of self he turns to recall his roots where he spent memorable life moments at his village where he gets his source of fascination. It carries ingrained associations, for him, such as the hayrick, anthill and the grain store. He has done a solo show on the subject of the grain store. One can imagine how quotidian objects can play the impactful and important role in his practice and in discourse after seeing Yashwant’s work. The experience from the terrace in the dark night, the moonlight lightens the trees and the small houses; only the brighter edges are visible in the dark; it is the combination of line space and form in the atmosphere. Such frames live in depth of his mind. In daily life somebody feels the subject, somebody finds the content but Yashwant gets forms and those forms are enough to become a painting. Usual  common objects come in his art and it become uncommon and spectacular. Kites, human figures, pot, cycle, instruments, houses and many objects are the elements of his work. His work is born through his way of his seeing and experiencing the objects and surroundings. It matters, because I can see such things everyday, though I can not experience them like him. His observation and understanding is specific towards it so he sees it particularly.

Curated by Prabhakar Kamble

Yashwant never needs anything else to represent his objects other than the line, and limited simple colours, it is fulfilled by it only. He doesn’t rely on any other support for it. his visual patterns are very simple but exclusive and significance sensitization of his feelings. Only a form/ object can be the effective subject of painting for him. A rhythm of line, a construction and deconstruction of form, a single colour are enough as elements to construct a strong visual image. The object, form or a line this is the only content and context of his work. How it seems to him is more important, the feeling, emotions within it are important, and this feeling keeps exclusiveness in his art. He denies all the natural sources and effects on the elements like light, shadow, its volume, velocity; he wipes it out, nurtures it in his own way and simultaneously he brings the new image within it. At the same time he breaks the regular image while upgrading the same with a new form which is a key factor of his expression. The original form lifts slightly from the surface and separates it from the background with simple line-plays becoming the mysterious magic of wealthier visuals as a painting. These outer lines and forms, invisible movements of the plains slowly led me to discover varied forms within hidden spaces. The interrelation between form and space kept on adding new dimensions to his paintings.

Prabhakar Kamble 

Mumbai

14 November 2019

NGMA MUMBAI

National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai

National Gallery of Modern Art

Sir Cowasji Jehangir Public Hall

M. G Road, Fort Mumbai - 400032

HUMAN -Daily living conditions - Events / Struggles of human beings / human's encroachment on nature...

George Orwell, the eminent author, said that true politics lies in the statement which differentiates between art and politics'. However, the development of art is a political and social situation embedded in a particular time. Man has assumed that he is different and superior and that his brain is more powerful than other animals. Also, industrial revolution and modernity have apparently brought humankind to the center of the creation.

In the last few decades, the process of globalization has only added to this. The immense advancement in information technology has led to the fragmentation of human persona. The uproar in the community has increased; competitive jealousy has led to increments in violence. Gradually, the man has become more self-centred.

Today's man competes, fights, quarrels, and even ends up on occasion in a race for the maximum benefit of himself. In these trying times, the culture of the civilization stands the risk of annihilation and the human being is turning into a mere animal. 

Considering different aspects of this animal, the inhuman culture of today's modern-day man and the nurturing spirit of him are on the rise. All of this is affecting the life of the human, and it is certain that the result will be the loss of a human being. Many forms of violence stand before us in view of the events that take place in our society.  As a society we are becoming more and more violent.

Artist : Vikrant Bhise 

My pictures is my response to this increasing violence. Daily living conditions - Events / Struggles of human beings / human's  encroachment on nature / Untouchability and various forms of untouchability  in the ongoing society - racism / sexual harassment on women  /  questions of LGBTQ  / farmers suicides/ questions of marginal communities and  migrants, poverty all these various issues in our society and the human who is at the centre of it constantly upsets me. The rapidly changing society and the changing forms of violence make me uncomfortable. It disturbs the artists inside me. A painter always speaks about his times through his paintings. Through this series I have attempted to discover forms of violence and evolution of today’s Human.  the image of today’s Human and his evolution.

Vikrant Bhise

Solo show 

12-18th Jehangir Art Gallery