Saturday 27 November 2021

POSTER

 


These are all subjects of area which reflects on my recent sculptures.” - Rajesh Ram

 

“During lockdown, many things came to my mind like people survival, development of civilization, technology, political and historical studies. These are all subjects of area which reflects on my recent sculptures.”
- Rajesh Ram
Featuring in 18 Dimensions, Ram’s works will be on display alongside works by 17 other contemporary artists at Bikaner House from 28th November through 6 December.


Friday 26 November 2021

Jai Bhim: The Indian film that overtook The Godfather on IMDb

 Jai Bhim, a Tamil language film, has been rated the top film by users on IMDb, beating classics such as The Shawshank Redemption and The Godfather. It's the latest in a line of hard-hitting Indian movies telling stories of repression against Dalits who are at the bottom of a rigid Hindu caste hierarchy, writes film journalist Aseem Chhabra.

Suriya as Advocate Chandru Tamil star Suriya plays the role of a crusading lawyer in Jai Bhim

At the beginning of Jai Bhim, police officers are shown separating a group of suspects based on their caste.Those who are from the dominant castes are asked to leave, while others who are Dalits (formerly untouchables) or belong to tribal communities are asked to stay back. Later, police file false charges against those in the second group.It's a stark, disturbing scene, with frightened men standing in the corner, somewhat aware of their fate - a reminder that such activities occur routinely, and how precarious are the lives of the marginalised, especially Dalits, in small towns and rural India.Dalits make up about 20% of India's population, and despite laws to protect them they continue to face discrimination and violence.

Why a doomed love story has become India's sleeper hit

Jai Bhim's title translates to "Long Live Bhim", a slogan made popular by the followers of BR Ambedkar, a Dalit scholar and leader, who was the chief architect of India's constitution and also the country's first law minister.

Directed by TJ Gnanavel, and backed by Tamil star Suriya, the film tells the true story of a crusading lawyer - played by Suriya - who fought for a petition filed by a pregnant woman whose husband was placed in police custody and later declared missing.Jai Bhim is part of a new movement in Tamil cinema where a number of young filmmakers are narrating stories of repression against Dalits."In the last 30 years, beginning with the observance of Ambedkar's centenary in 1991, the Dalit movement has been growing in Tamil Nadu," said film historian S Theodore Baskaran."Forgotten Dalit ideologues of the 20th Century were redeemed from history. The ideas of [social activist and politician] Periyar and Ambedkar spread through the writings of many Dalit writers. In the last decade, some of the writers moved to cinema and made films. But they used the usual ingredients like songs, fights and melodrama."

Now, Dalit narratives have also found space in independent or indie films in other Indian languages, including Anhey Gorhey Da Daan (Punjabi), exploring the lives of Dalit Sikhs; Masaan (Hindi), a romance between a young man from a family of crematorium workers and an upper caste girl; and Fandry and Sairat (both in Marathi). The last two films were directed by Nagraj Manjule, a Dalit himself.

Kaala, starring Rajinikanth, makes a strong statement on discrimination against Dalits


Kaala: India superstar Rajinikanth mixes swagger with politics

Fandry narrates the story of a young boy whose family catches pigs in the village, and his unrequited love for an upper caste girl. Sairat, an inter-caste romantic musical, was a huge box office success. Also in this group is the Tamil indie, Pebbles (Koozhangal), India's official entry for the 2022 Oscar for Best International Film.But now there are many filmmakers in mainstream Tamil cinema whose protagonists are Dalits - who after a long period of discrimination fight for their rights. And when the legal recourse does not end their suffering, they are willing to take the fight to a physical level.The directors include veteran filmmaker Vetrimaaran, who made Visaaranai, a 2015 film about the plight of Tamil migrants in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, and Asuran, a plot inspired by a massacre of Dalits. Mari Selvaraj and Pa Ranjith, both in their late thirties, are two key directors who have created narratives where the Dalit man is the central character.


Sarpatta Parambarai



Sarpatta Parambarai, deeply influenced by Mohammad Ali, explores boxing culture among Dalits

"The representation of Dalit characters was painful," Dalit filmmaker Ranjith, often referred to as the Spike Lee of the Tamil film industry, told The Wire in a 2020 interview, referring to earlier Tamil films. "Either they were written out, or just their inclusion in the story was considered 'revolutionary.'""In this context, I had to reflect on what my stories could say," he added. "I wanted to show that my culture itself is based on discrimination and violence…Today, directors are more conscious when they write Dalit characters."Ranjith produced director Mari Selvaraj's first film Periyerum Perumal. The film opens with a card that reads "caste and religion are against humanity." The film's protagonist wants to become a lawyer like Ambedkar.


Why are India's Dalit students taking their lives?

Towards the middle of Periyerum Perumal, Selvaraj has a group of men dancing to a 1983 film song Poradada. Composed by Ilaiyaraaja, a legendary musician and a Dalit himself, the song's lyrics include: "We will take over your throne/… Our cry for victory will be heard/ Our light will fill up this world/ We the proletarians will fight back."The song also plays in the background in Selvaraj's Karnan (2021) and is now referred to as a Dalit anthem.


Ranjith's films were boosted with the support of Rajnikanth, the superstar of Tamil cinema. The actor was moved by the stories narrated to him and agreed to play the lead in Kabali (the tale of a violent gangster world of Tamil migrants in Malaysia) and Kaala (set in Dharavi, Asia's biggest slum located in Mumbai, with a large Tamil migrant population).And in his latest film, the nearly three-hour-long Sarpatta Parambarai, Ranjith explores the boxing culture among Dalits in Chennai city, deeply influenced by Mohammad Ali, and his activism, whether it was against the Vietnam war or racism in the US.

There are some who feel that the representation of Dalit characters in Tamil cinema does not deserve all the praise that it receives. Leena Manimekalai, director of the 2019 film Maadathy: An Unfairy Tale - a disturbing story about a young woman from an ostracised Dalit community - feels the new cinema has not exactly moved the needle."It is feeding into the same hero, hyper masculine, omnipresent, 'larger than life' saviour narratives," Manimekalai said."I still see women characters portrayed as mere props or cheerleaders to their husbands/lovers and the underprivileged communities 'waiting' for their heroes to save them with their axes, guns and sickles, from generations of discrimination."

But it is clear the audience is watching the new cinema. Jai Bhim did not open in theatres so there are no box office numbers to support its popularity. But its 9.6 user rating on IMDb has propelled it to the number one slot on the online database.

With inputs by Sudha G TilakAseem Chhabra is a freelance film writer and author, most recently, of Irrfan Khan: The Man, the Dreamer, the Star.

source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-59219595

Sunday 21 November 2021

N.S. Bendre - Pundole's

 


N.S. Bendre was not only a highly skilled artist but a gifted and dedicated teacher who spent 16 years at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Baroda, imparting knowledge and encouraging an entire generation of budding artists to think out of the box and push themselves beyond the traditional schools of painting popular in India. He encouraged individual creativity and wanted them to be inspired by music and visual arts outside of India. To this end, he introduced art history classes of various world cultures into the teaching program. Freedom and innovation were the cornerstones of his teaching philosophy, and the best example to follow was himself as he himself experimented with several Westerm styles and recreated them within his Indian context. The varied examples we offered in our sale on Thursday are testament to his unique artistic sensibility. 

#bendre #indianart


source / facebook/google

Saturday 20 November 2021

KOLKATA CLASSIC & CONTEMPORARY ART SHOW

 




NIPPON FRIDAY

Presents
KOLKATA CLASSIC & CONTEMPORARY ART SHOW
NIPPON FRIDAY
Presents
ARTISTS
A Group show -1
Curated by Moumita Sarkar
Venue
Altamira Art Gallery
Address: 8-A, Lake View Rd,
Hemanta Mukherjee Sarani, lake Terrace,
Ballygunge, Kolkata, West Bengal 700029
In Gallery - Date: 14th to 18th January 2022
More details Contact: +91 7439119228 (West Bengal – Kolkata)
-------------------------------------------
In online - Date: 20th to 27th January 2022
30/32, 2nd Floor, Deval Chambers, Nanabhai Lane, Flora Fountain, Fort, Mumbai – 400 001, India.
Warm Regards
Moumita Sarkar

Wednesday 17 November 2021

BOOK OPEN STUDIO Mumbai / Fort / Kala Ghoda Gallery Mumbai Location -Churchgate- Fort -Kala Ghoda

 

BOOK
OPEN STUDIO
Mumbai / Fort / Kala Ghoda
Gallery Mumbai Location -Churchgate- Fort -Kala Ghoda
Available Booking form - Upload file
.
.
Open Studio 30days - Rs. 20,000/-
Solo/ Group show - Space 7-days - Rs 18,000/-
Solo/ Group show - Space 7-days -Rs 38,000/-
For 7days- Email Digital Marketing-
social media - Live Video
Press Release - Digital Magazine
.
.
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For more details contact-
+91 74391 19228
+91 98810 10953
+91 95820 03792
+91 81302 22971
NIPPON
30/32, 2nd Floor, Deval Chambers, Nanabhai Lane, Flora Fountain, Fort, Mumbai – 400 001, India.


Tuesday 16 November 2021

Aakriti Art Foundation presents a group art exhibition showing the works of 26 contemporary artists from all over India at Cymroza Art Gallery

Participating artists: Ashwini Mandlik, Awapan Roy, Sachit Jain, Santosh Kumar Sahni, Vinay Kumar Paney, Sathyajit Arjunrao Shhiinde, Bira Kishor Patra, Monika Dewangan, Raj Saini, Qureysh Basrai, Rupal Saini, Shruti Goenka, Shilpa Patankar, Shweta Kumari, Abhijit Das, Ken Maloney, Mansi Dohval, Neela Rajendra Vidwans, R.C. Sharma, Shashikant Benurwar among others.


A Group Exhibition of artworks by 26 contemporary artists from different regions of our country having diverse culture and background will be held at Cymroza Art Gallery, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai from 17th to 20th November 2021 between 11am to 7pm. 

 

“Colours of Spring 16”

 

Aakriti Art Foundation presents a group art exhibition showing the works of 26 contemporary artists from all over India at Cymroza Art Gallery, 72, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Breach Candy, Mumbai from 17th to 20th November 2021 between 11 am to 7 pm. The artworks will be in the form of paintings created by the artists from different parts of India such as Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jamshedpur, Kolkata, Hyderabad etc.

 


This show will be inaugurated on 17th November 2121 at 5.30pm at the hands of honorable guests -   Manju Lodha Author & Philanthropist, Manish Shah Bussines Tycoon, Parvez Damaniya Bussiness man, Ajoykant Ruiya Director Allstate Group, S.P. Ahuja All India Anti- terrorist front, Mumbai Chairman, Khemchand Bhagnani Business Tycoon & Socialist, Dinesh Kochar MD of Kochar Fabrics & Rupani, International, Suresh Vaidya Business & property,  K. P. Bakshi IAS (Retd.), Ex-Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Maharashtra, Rekha Gaur Social & Cultural Activist, Charul Malik Actor, Anchor, News and Entertainment, Raju Subramanyam Iyer Writer/Director in Indian Cinema, Leela Gajra Builder, Harish Mehta President  India Fine Art Council, Rajesh Shrivastava, MD, Films Today Magazine, Ritesh Chauhan MD Care One Solution & Just Chill, Uttam Jain Member of Film Censor Board ok, Peeyush Gupta Educationist & Public Speaker, Mangesh Naik Ex Sub- Inspector Mumbai police, Leslie Tripathi Actres, Influencer, Anchor Debator, Salim Kashmiri Bussiness man Bikram Aditya Singh Deo Business Man, Rakesh Dulgaj Film Maker, Akash Rajpurohit Corporator, Peenaz Bhatena Socialist, Kaivalya Shah Lyricist & video editor, Chandra Pradip Mehta Socialist, Mahendra Kalantri CEO, Acclaim System Pvt. Ltd. Jay Motwani MD, Cigma Media Strategy & Planning, Archna JainFashion show organizer, Neeta Bhansali  Fashion show & musical events Lakki Karar Events, Bharti Chhabariya Social Events, Sunettha Acharya Actress, Jyoti Chhabariya Model & speaker, Akshta Dayal Malhotra Actress & Model, Loveena Josef Model & events, Zeenat Kapadia Anchor & Actres, Kumari Shreya Actress, Soumya Doll Beauty expert & Actress, Faisal Banaraswala Socialist,  Parvez Banaraswala Media Person, Madhushree Shah Actress, Sweety Walia Film producer & actress, Zessica Harisson Actress, Sachin Sant Film Producer, Distributor & Finance, Nagesh Yadav Property Dealer, Ravindra Arora Film Writing Association, Poonam Tiwari Producer & actress, Dharamveer Gurdashini, Financer J. P. Singh Financer, Aneel Jain Media Person, Watan Swaraj Architect & art lover Dr. Gautam Bhanshali Dr. Bombey Hospital, Mumbai, Gaurav Bafna Art & culture Department BJP South Mumbai Kanbihari Agarwal Business man, Rajendra Jadhav International event Orgniser & art dealer, Rajkumar Sharma Digital Media marketing & Branding

 

The show has been organized by Mr. Manmohan Jaiswal – the founder of Aakriti Art Foundation.

There will be about 100 artworks presented in this show. The various works in different styles, techniques, mediums will be displayed on a common platform in this show. These works will be in Oil colours, Acrylic colours, Water colours, Pen & Ink, Pastels, Mix Media, Charcoal etc on canvas and paper and include vivid types such as figurative work, beauty of nature, seascapes, landscapes, cityscapes etc in realistic, semi-realistic, abstract, surrealistic and fantasy styles.

Press Release

 From: 17th to 20th November 2021

Aakriti Art Foundation presents

“Colours of Spring 16”

16th Annual Art Exhibition 

 


 VENUE:

Cymroza Art Gallery

72, Bhulabhai Desai Road

Near Breach Candy Hospital

Mumbai 400026

www.aakritiartfoundation.com

Contact: 81082 76864

Monday 15 November 2021

I am naturally drawn to the forms that Mukhtar composes on the canvas

Mukhtar Kazi paints like he speaks; in a measured and calm tone, pausing and thinking before each sentence and with a depth and baritone that makes you hang on to every word.

Artist: Mukhtar Kazi

I have been acquainted with Mukhtar’s work for the last decade or so; since the time I bought my first work by him not having known him or his oeuvre personally. I was simply attracted to the work itself. There was a stillness yet a gentle vibration in the work that captivates me even now after a decade and I continue to find layers, dualities and depths that I was unaware of when I acquired it.

Being an architect, I am naturally drawn to the forms that Mukhtar composes on the canvas. I can almost imagine him in the process of painting, gently applying the brush to the canvas with the lightest of touches and then building up the layers as he goes on, extracting a balance between the different personalities and tones of the same color at times and teasing out the various nuances of chiaroscuro to achieve depth and volume on a simple two-dimensional canvas.

Recent Painting by Mukhtar Kazi

There is no rushing of the brush, not a casual stroke here or there, nor a sign of the artist’s ego. Instead, there is a driven commitment, both personal and artistic to draw out the slivers of light that seem to be hiding behind these veils of colors and which want to break free.

His canvases draw you in and hold you in a grip once you drop your guard and decide to enter them. Your eyes move furtively across the canvas following the angled forms and sharp edges and then turn when they encounter color which then pulls you further into the deep abyss of its multifarious shades. There is no escape.

I believe Art should not only be about the “pretty picture”.

Art is a medium of communication that needs to have the capacity and the depth of character to make its viewer want to converse with it and go back renewed.    

And in Mukhtar Kazi, that medium has found a sensitive and devoted messenger.

 Prashant Prabhu

Architect.

October 21 2021

Press ReleaseFrom: 16th to 22nd November 2021

“Silent Forms”An Exhibition of Paintings by well-known artist Mukhtar Kazi



VENUE:

Jehangir Art Gallery

161-B, M.G. Road,

Kala Ghoda, Mumbai 400001

Timing: 11am to 7pm




Paintings like A Prayer of Hope and Solace of Crashing Waves usher this quiet sense of peace and positivity in the viewer.

Various artworks made by a contemporary artist. Dr. Ishita in oil colours on canvas reveal her intense urge to adorn them with apt icons of beauty of nature in different seasons. Her forte lies in an attempt to depict in each work with the wonders of Nature and their impact on the human mind via relevant visual metaphors. She has been impressed by the countless moods of Nature, from vast skies, to deep valleys, blossoming meadows, snow peaks, frothing seas, and all the dynamics of their constantly shifting light and shade. 

Artist: Dr. Ishita

She was deeply obsessed with an inner urge to create artwork using the eternal wonders of nature. She came in contact with Artist Sayaram Waghmare, senior contemporary artist of international repute who, as her guru, played a pivotal role in her journey in art. Dr. Ishita is a Life Member of Art Society of India, Bombay Art Society, and Artist Center, Mumbai, and has participated in various solo and group exhibitions across reputable galleries throughout the country, including Kala Ghoda Art Gallery, Mumbai, Kamalanayan Bajaj Hall & Art Gallery, Mumbai, Parijat Art Gallery, Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur, Lokmanya Tilak Art exhibition, Pune, Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata and has now reached the Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai. 

Recent Painting by Dr. Ishita

Her latest series, Boundless, to be presented at Jehangir Art Gallery, exemplify subtle nuances of various happenings in seasons throughout a year. A burst of colours and the mad beauty of Nature find voice in her works like A Skyful of Madness, A Paradise in Bloom, Morning Revelation, etc. Her paintings give solace and hope to the suffering souls in these turbulent times. Paintings like A Prayer of Hope and Solace of Crashing Waves usher this quiet sense of peace and positivity in the viewer. 


This show will be inaugurated 

on 16th November 2021 at 4pm 

by eminent artist 

Pramodbabu Ramteke 

at Jehangir Art Gallery.

 



 









Press Release

From: 16th to 22nd November 2021

“Boundless”

An Exhibition of Recent Paintings by contemporary artist- Dr. Ishita

 

VENUE:

Jehangir Art Gallery

161-B, M.G. Road

Kala Ghoda, Mumbai 400 001

Timing: 11am to 7pm