June 2011



Goan artisans teach children clay art at Down Under

PANAJI: It was a cultural exchange of sorts when Aussie children spent their holidays learning to make clay models with Goan themes including clay idols of the beloved elephant-headed god Ganesha. Two Goan clay artisans Verodina Ferrao de Souza and Arun Gawandi spent a week in March at Tallarooc, near Melbourne teaching Australian children the basics of Goan clay art and pottery.

The interaction was made possible through a programme sponsored by the office of development commissioner (handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India.

Both, Verodina and Arun, who were selected by the Goa Handicrafts Rural Small Scale Industries Development Corporation (GHRSSIDC), camped at the Crafts Victoria at Tallarooc from March 20-28.



Bharatanatyam Dancer Receives Horton Award

LOS ANGELES: Malathi Iyengar of the Rangoli Foundation was named a recipient the 2010 Lester Horton Award for Outstanding Achievement in World Dance, which recognized her recent production, “Shivaya.” She was given the distinction during an annual ceremony on May 15 at Live Arts Los Angeles.

The award, presented by the Dance Resource Center of Los Angeles, is named after contemporary dance pioneer Lester Horton. DRC established the peer-voted awards 20 years ago to recognize visionary teaching, choreography, performance, and technical contributions.

Iyengar holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in choreography and performance from UCLA. She is the recipient of numerous fellowships and recently served as an Indian Art advisor for National Geographic Kids magazine.



IPS officer to take part in UK painting contest

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat IPS officer Ajay Chaudhary will participate in an international painting competition to be held next month at London with his abstract paintings. The competition named Scope Art Takes London is a global art fair featuring emerging contemporary art with numerous markets worldwide. The event serves as a global platform for the emerging artists to showcase their talent in areas of arts such as sculpture, installation, painting, photography, design, illustration, film, video, performance, sound, new media and more.

Talking about the event, Chaudhary said that there has been a demand for Indian artists in the global scenario and it is a good opportunity. "More importantly, the event will be judged by members of public across the globe through an online voting system that can give a level-playing field to all artists," he said.

Chaudhary, an abstract painter based in Ahmedabad, has found a niche for himself and has got representations at a number of national events. He also participated in Indian Art Summit held at New Delhi last year where artists from 20 countries displayed their creations. Chaudhary is currently posted in Navsari as superintendent of police.



Remembering M F Hussain

CHANDIGARH: Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi organised a condolence meeting to remember the great artist M F Hussain. One of Hussain's colleagues and a close friend, Delhi based renowned artist Krishen Khanna, came all the way to Chandigarh and shared fond memories of his friend with the art lovers of the city. He narrated the events from Hussain's life with references to his freedom of spirit that marked him as a man who lived life to the fullest. Krishen Khanna said "He had the ability and conviction to say that art must not stay within the walls of the houses but get out". He also mentioned that Hussain was responsible for giving Indian art the kind of thrust, which it deserved. He was a man with a very strong belief in himself and always did what he wanted to do. Diwan Manna, photographer/artist and Chairman, Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi said that by not creating favourable conditions for Hussain to come back to the soil of his country the conscience of all Indians would keep pricking for all times to come. He further said that by not allowing him to express his thoughts freely and his death on foreign shores has left a question mark on the democratic and secular credentials of our country. The meeting had a large gathering of people from all walks of life including visual artists, musicians, dancers, theatre persons, writers, poets, journalists, advocates and many leading personalities of the northern region along with a strong presence of the print and electronic media.



Puducherry Blue: Around South Asia in 32 artworks

Puducherry: A collection of works by artists from across SAARC's nine member countries has gone on display at Male's National Art Gallery, ahead of the 17th SAARC summit to be held in Addu City later this year.

The Puducherry Blue exhibition, aims to bring together various works from South Asian artists. The collection presents a combination of various techniques; from more impressionist captures of national life such as Shwa in Tein Pagoda by Myanmar's Kyaw Shein, to more contemporary takes on regional art such as in the output of India's R Balu, whose Time proof exhibit does away with the conventional paint on canvas approach entirely.

The sole Maldivian work in the exhibition is provided by artist Mariyam Omar, whose work 'Epiphany' teases at traditional images of Maldivian dancing seemingly obscured by somewhat more contemporary artistic techniques or liberal splashing of paint depending on one's own viewpoint.

Indian High Commissioner Dnyaneshwar Mulay said at the exhibition launch that he believed that bringing together artists from across the region served to highlight the importance of connectivity between the SAARC nations as well as the role that art plays in it.



Snapshots of Indian subcontinent

DUBAI: Anyone attempting to offer a comprehensive survey of contemporary Indian photography will soon resemble the mythical blind men who were unable to comprehend the entire form of the elephant. The vast Indian subcontinent simply defies an all-embracing view, and can only be celebrated in its dazzling, kaleidoscopic plurality of visions.

The Empty Quarter Gallery has showcased the many stories told of India by photographers through an exhibition, “Sampling India: Of Blind Men & Elephants”.

Neil Chowdhury, an artist working in photography and digital media, is one of the artists featured. His work explores the relationships between individuals, their societies, and environments in different cultures.

New Jersey-born Michael Bühler-Rose, has also display his work at the exhibition. Discussing his series, Indian Still Lifes, the artist said, “Beyond the beauty of the Dutch Still-life lays the evidence of Dutch colonial power: its imports of exotic spices and goods from India. You can currently purchase any of these Indian imports, plus anything else you can find in the streets of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, or Chennai, in the “Little India” sections of various major cities of the world.”

“These photographs feature a mixture of contemporary and traditional items purchased in these “Little India,” while referencing the lighting, compositions, and scale of the Dutch still-life tradition.”Other artists featured include Mahesh Shantaram, an independent art-documentary photographer based in Bangalore, India; Priya Kambli, whose art has always been influenced by her experience as a migrant in the US; Vidisha Saini, a photographer who also teaches, researches and writes; and Zubin Pastakia, who is currently living and working in Mumbai.