Yuriko Lochan Creates a new ‘self’ portrait in her solo exhibition at Alliance Francaise

New Delhi: It’s not easy to live in a foreign land, make it your home and even more creditably, make a mark for yourself as a creative person. Yuriko Lochan has not only done all of these, but gone a step ahead by adding a refreshingly new element of nudes and self portraits on her canvases for a solo show of watercolours and acrylics titled Immanence to Transcendence at Galerie Romain Rolland, Alliance Francaise de Delhi from November 27, 2009 to November 30, 2009.

Born in Osaka, Japan in 1962 and a Masters in Fine Arts from Kyoto University, Japan, Yuriko married Prof Rajeev Lochan, the present Director of NGMA, to settle down permanently in Delhi. Her work, therefore, carries frequent references to Indian philosophy and myth, and in a way that’s impossible without a deep appreciation of the Indian way of life. She has been actively participating in various group exhibitions and art camps, and has gained an enviable popularity in the art circles.

The current solo exhibition, coming after a gap of over five years in Delhi, offers a comparison between two kinds of expressions that the artist calls “Immanence and Transcendence”. While Immanence refers to works done in watercolour on Japanese paper that create a soft and subtle subconscious imagery, the latter consists of recent works done in acrylics on canvas and are replete with images that are loud yet simple in presentation and direct in expression like the language of nature.
Says Yuriko Lochan: “Since I have started to live here, I have been continuously trying to transcend any category of identification which one may think for me - as a Japanese, Indian, artist, woman, married and so on. But, it’s my aim to become truly universal, only by sheer excellence of the work which I create.” She further adds: “This universal quality is gained by always being conscious of one’s own origin yet looking out at the world with responsible, intelligent and flexible eyes.”

The current body of work in the exhibition is divided into five series namely Prakriti series (2004 – 2007), Tree of Life series (2004 – 2008), Banana Leaf series (2005-2008), ‘Self’ series & Calligraphy in ink on paper. Explains Yuriko: “My earlier watercolours are an interpretation of visual elements that India has given me, combined with the medium and technique imbued from my origin. The Banana Leaf series and Prakriti series, done on Japanese paper are kind of a mindscape. Here, I dwell in images which are more subtle, vague and soft.”

While Prakriti (the counterpart of Purusha) series consists of a woman’s glory that is representative of the elements of this world, Tree of Life series displays a dominant use of grapes which is considered as the symbol of life in Christianity. Banana Leaf series is the output of artist’s inspiration from her stay in Kerala. She says: “The experience of the beautiful place is marked with the vast impression of the Arabian sea, the air of the jungle filled with energy, and powerful but modest people living with nature. These are the motifs which lead me to create a series of paintings, surround the feeling of loneliness, sea breeze, and flowering banana trees promising a plentiful yield within no time!” The banana leaves in her watercolors are full of intricate details that are in perfect harmony.

In Yuriko’s more recent acrylics on canvas portraying the same banana leaves, the consciousness in the landscape grows into a definite viewpoint in a large work titled Shore.

The most recent ‘Self’ series, done in acrylics on canvas, are the artist’s effort to realize a new state of existence of her own ‘self’. Here, she consciously uses self- portraits not to make a socio-political statement but to represent the universal image of a woman’s existence. Her Self series is a departure from being the sophisticated, observant artist who is consciously deciphering Japanese and Indian nuances of art to become the totally relaxed, free flowing and a definitely more open ‘self’. She refrains from making her Japanese origin evident in this series, of course, other than the golden cloud on the background dominantly embellishing the main iconic image that subtly suggests the Indian traditional knowledge - Mudra.On the other hand, her series of calligraphy in ink on paper is a spontaneous, free flowing yet controlled expression of art.

Says Yuriko: “In the large acrylic canvases, the sudden appearance of ‘self’ in the natural landscape inevitably breaks the composition into three or more panels. It is slightly different from the panels in the watercolour landscapes on Shikishi mounted paper. While in both the cases, the composition of each panel actively and consciously relates and influences each other, yet in the earlier watercolours, the panel effect was more intentional but later the purpose of using panels was thematic.”

Sums up Yuriko about her art practice in India: “The journey is not always easy. The achievement is that I am still at it! Till the time I had not realized that I could not do anything else other than painting, it was very difficult. Now that I am on my way towards finding my niche as an artist, I am a fulfilled person.”

Colombian Sculptor Claudia Hakim Shows Sculptures In Metal For The First Time In India

New Delhi: To commemorate the celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between India & Colombia, National Gallery of Modern Art presents Signs of Skin; a solo show of metal sculptures by Colombian sculptor Claudia Hakim from November 11, 2009 to November 30, 2009 at National Gallery of Modern Art, Jaipur House, India Gate, New Delhi.

Says Prof Rajeev Lochan, Director, NGMA: “The constant factor in Claudia’s different thematic investigations throughout the diverse stages of creative process is a sense of modular construction, geometry and purity. Claudia Hakim’s sculptures, a significant milestone in Colombia’s artistic landscape, communicate a particularly rich artistic language in a clear, direct and concrete manner and are being shown in India for the first time.”

Beginning her artistic career in the late 1970s, Claudia Hakim has explored different thematic interests and always proposed precise and clear responses. In the creative process, she applies her skill and clarity to the definition of the sculptural language. She transmits her ability to see beyond appearances through the diversity of her formal creations; constructing forms by building, weaving and assembling the different elements which she later wraps and unwraps in a playful definition of her sculptural aesthetics but, always within an essential modular format.

Hence, inspired by fabric weaving, jewellery (magnified necklaces and arm rings) and textiles, the sculptor manipulates and transforms basic elements into superlative large sculptures with the use of rings, bolts, screws, nuts, springs, metallic sheets and steel mesh to create geometric shapes, triangles and circles for her present exhibition. The work proposes a variety of orderly and rigorous geometrical forms. At times, the forms are looser, they move more freely. The multiplication of forms leads, invariably, to a purist aesthetic proposal - clear, clean, defined. The tactile, sensorial appeal and the malleability of the sculptures make them even richer and more magnificent environmental sculptures.

The themes that the sculptor addresses and the new ideas that are suggested are conveyed to the visitor in a magical way, encouraging them to participate in her works. She has the capability to induce senses to the point of generating a wish to interact with it and, even to caress them, by a spatiality that generates in the observer a shuddering surprise before leading the observer to immersing in the always encouraging environment of fantasy. Perhaps the apparent contradiction that takes place between the materials and the idea, without leaving aside an astonishing result, establishes a game that has a playful intention and, in turn, an undertone of irony. In this process, the assembly of objects and the ensuing formal findings, that entangle with the most uplifting modernist tradition, has allowed the artist to move about the twists and turns of a permanent essay which is in turn, and fed by a meticulous rigor, pushes away the results of any type of formula, or of a conceptual monotony, to produce an endless number of images and insinuations.

The need to express herself through a textile language, in which she makes the eastern expression of her lineage and the Andean richness of her living environment manifest, the artist is able to establish an unsettling grammar of geometries and suggestions that bring to mind an untold number of associations with some of the large art movements in the 20th century. It is a piece of work with an exceptional refinement, which endless readings establish many possible levels of interrelations with the spectator based on a deep reasoning by the artist that, consequently, suggests a permanent reflection by the audience.

Thus, her piece of works exudes extraordinary formal freedom and suggests very long-winded paths. There is no doubt that, based on what could be defined as a visual instigation established by a series of elements apparently unusual, Claudia Hakim ends by rendering valuable, and especially audacious testimony, of the unending possibilities that matter has when related to art and, in particular, with the plasticity that, no doubt, struggles between abstraction and figuration, without losing sight, in any way, of a lucid dimension that fascinates the spectator.

Claudia Hakim is, thus, a weaver of dreams and of radiance, who works with materials that result from the industry and from the overt contemporaneousness of everything that is related to technology. She proposes, in line with the great constructivists, all kinds of geometric and luminous abstractions thanks to the masterful use of spaces or orifices. It is then, a proposal that nourishes particularly from that counterpoint offered by light and opacity and that strives to give a new dimension to the creator-spectator and creator-space relationships, based on the establishment of some sui generis environments, like immersed in a universe of fiction full of poetry, that arise from the interaction of everything that under other circumstances would have a commonplace and un-transcendental reading.

She oscillates between two artistic proposals: bi-dimensionality and tri-dimensionality. This oscillation is typical of those who craft their work on the basis of the multiplication of a basic element. Hakim understands the language of weaving, and she applies it and transports it to the realm of sculpture, where an oscillation is created between the rigidity of the material and the flexibility of the results. There are hardly any Colombian artists who can handle such extremes. The power of conviction, the passion and the creative charisma are the best weapons of Hakim’s sculptural communication. Another constant in her work is the presence of industrial materials. During the years in which she worked with fibres (1978-1990), preparing the basic modular element implied weaving the fabric. In the last two decades, her work is being made out of industrial remnants. For many, the use of industrial material involves recycling. In the hands of Claudia Hakim, industrial refuse is turned into sculptures of tremendous artistic magnificence.

Gallery Ragini presents Rohit Sharma’s Romance with Delhi Roads

New Delhi: With its aim of supporting the emerging contemporary artists, Gallery Ragini presents Romancing the Road, a solo exhibit of artworks by Rohit Sharma at Choko La, Khan Market, New Delhi from November 13, 2009 to December 10, 2009.

What’s interesting is that the opening of the exhibition will be marked with an evening of poetry by art curator Alka Raghuvanshi, poets Robinson, Laxmi Shankar Vajpayi and Ravinder Malhotra. Says Nidhi Jain, Director, Gallery Ragini: “Art and poetry have an interminable bond and evoke feelings of oneness. Both are reflections of sensitive souls trying to create, understand and contribute to human growth at the highest level. Through this endeavor of bringing the two art forms together, we attempt to explore the romance between poetry and art in an evening of poets reading their works amongst art works and people who love and care about art and poetry.”

Coming back to the exhibits, Rohit’s works focus on the various nuances of everyday life associated with the city roads. Says Rohit Sharma: “Every city has a way of encompassing individuals in its own way. The diversity of the Delhi is extremely spell-binding as there exists landmarks representing the ancient, medieval and modern that gives Delhi a unique identity. The roads that lead on to these landmarks have their own stories to tell. These works thus, talk about Delhi, its antiquity, rich cultural heritage and constant growth.”

Rohit’s romance of the roads has a timeless quality about it as he documents the various periods and the transition that has taken place. His fascination for minute details makes the works subtle-offering a whole new perspective to the viewer making one wonder if there is more to a road than just the destination.

The cow, that plays an integral part of the works, finds itself at crossroads within the changing urban scenario. Interplaying with the maze of the road-converging, diverging, Rohit’s cows are in a state of question, answer, conflict, dilemma and most of the time in deep meditative contemplation.

Rohit explores the idea of Kamadhenu- the mythical cow of fulfilling all desires and wishes it to be true in today’s context. He shows the helplessness of the Kamadhenu by painting it black, showing it is impossible for the Kamadhenu as well to fulfill the needs of today’s time. His portrayal of the white and black Kamadhenu together shows that they are very much two sides of the same coin. The work titled Kamdhenu with milk displays how human breed wants to empty it of all that it has to offer merrily leaving it as a shadow of its former self.


The use of red in the background in most of the works is a conscious effort to draw attention to the road rage evident in our city. It also in many ways signifies attraction for the outsider. The riddle for the young child to make the calf reach its mother in the work titled Puzzled is a beautiful way to communicate about the present state. On the other hand, Modern Cow shows the replacement of cows by the milk vans. The modern cow (milk van) which travels everyday from the outskirts of Delhi on four wheels makes an interesting satirical comment. The depiction of the vehicles with tails, bringing milk into the city and is a reflection of the cultural change with life moving at an uncontrollable pace.

Rohit is touched by the obvious and easy to ignore but none can deny the role played in the life of denizens of Delhi by the ubiquitous auto-rickshaw. The young man with a backpack pushing the auto-rickshaw makes a subtle comment as how much goes in everyday journey-the cajoling, pleading and threatening. His vintage car of a bygone era is a reflection of the attachment of the owner not willing to let go taking pride in his possession. He paints his vintage cars golden, showing what they truly are.

These works overall, are a reflection of Rohit’s intimacy with his city, his love of its various simple aspects from the roads, the cows, the old cars, inviting all of us to look at the obvious with a new understanding and sensibility.

Going Back to the Darkroom to find Order in Chaos

New Delhi: In an era where art photography has become synonymous with digital prints and dependent on photoshop manipulation, here is a photographer who makes the fast-vanishing dark room his studio and a Buddhist concept his muse! Investment banker-turned photographer Siddhartha Tawadey exhibits yet another remarkable collection of more than twenty photographs in his upcoming solo exhibition titled ‘TRANSIENCE - A photographic salutation to Impermanency’ at Travancore Art Gallery, Travancore Palace, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi from November 12, 2009 to November 22, 2009.

Born in Calcutta, Siddhartha Tawadey’s first creative influences came from his mother who taught him “how to look and wonder at the natural world” around him, inheriting her love of collecting and finding beauty in the smallest pebble or leaf. Though his ambition was always to be a fine art photographer, family pressures led him to pursue an MBA from Middlesex School of Business (London) and enter the corporate sector as a banker with Global Funds Solution, London. As providence would have it, a failed business persuaded him to pursue photography with a renewed passion. He studied Art Architecture and Photography from St Martin’s School of Design (London), Painting and Photography from City University (London) and Photo Fusion - Advanced and alternative Darkroom printing (London) and returned to fine art photography to express ideas and concerns from an individual standpoint with a particular theme.

Siddhartha Tawadey says: “I create from various references that I find in art; whether it be the surrealist qualities of the paintings of Rene Magritte or Salvador Dali, to the abstract expressionism of Rothko and Mondrian to the sheer beauty of a Monet and Seurat or the striking and involved imagery of Van Gogh.”
“My ideas, references and inspiration have been largely influenced by my education and work spanning continents and cities. Thus, my photographs reflect a more prosaic approach to photographic seeing - a fascination with the everyday things, with landscape, both natural and urban, repetition, shadows of memory, the layering of history, order and chaos is all present in my work.”

“There may be other, more descriptive or poetic words that may be used to define the “pattern” that connects the images, but the simplest meta-pattern is this: I take snapshots of moments in time and space in which a peace washes over me, and during which I sense a deep interconnectedness between my soul, the moment and the everyday world around me.”

“I work abstractly and non-linearly – however, my designs do have trends over time, usually with the goal of delaying recognition so a photograph may have a better dialogue with its viewer, free of labels. Recent techniques have included seeing without gravity, designing in soft focus, and using shapes to continue the photograph beyond the physical frame.”

The theme of his current show is based on Mujo, a medieval concept of Buddhism, literally meaning ‘no’ (mu) ‘permanence’ (jo) and also known as Anittya in Sanskrit, Transience encompasses the impermanent and momentary aspects of our existence and that of the things around us, including birth, growth, change, decay, death, organic forms, constructs of society and time. Transience exists in organic forms, constructs of society and time itself. The past consumes the present while we move constantly into the uncertainty of the future.

As a photographer, Tawadey, however, has moved from the figurative genre that he showed in his debut show titled ‘Silent voices of an Unseen India’ in September 2008, where he displayed an intimate philosophical exploration of time, memory and history. His second show titled ‘Un Vague de Reves’ in March 2009 set a trend of sorts with Triptychs in photography where he juxtaposed three images in one picture to portray the inner realities of the subconscious.

In the current show, through the universal language of abstraction and the use of metaphor, he reflects on his personal and universal concerns about the transience of life and nature. By creating work without the constraints of representation, the work can exist in its own right, as an object if you like, which may draw from the viewer a sensation, a memory, a collective recognition of the beauty of form, a perception of space or the purity of a line.

According to him: “Photography can be described not as capturing reality, but rather as an abstraction of time and place. What may have been real now only exists on paper in the swirl of chemicals and fixatives that hold it in place."

He continues: "What then of the photographic image that is in itself abstract? Our focus shifts from the recognizable, indexical form, to composition, tone, line and the intent? But what if the image gives us both? What if the image presents a real, recognizable form in an abstract presentation? The results are much more complex than in abstract painting because the eye is conditioned to read photographs by their surface, to take it for what it is, and therefore not question more than what the eye can see. The images challenge the viewer to these specific assumptions that we draw from the photography mediums so called reality."

For instance in one of his work, the photograph on first glance shows an eyelid but on a closer look you can see a foetus captured in those eyeballs. In another photograph, one really has to look deep and long to judge whether the eyes are of a child or a woman; the face being distorted so as to make the features unrecognizable. In yet another image, one can see two trees and an outline of a hut still intact while a strong wind is swirling pass by. The photographer tries to capture stability which is very essential in one’s relationships. For one of his photograph, the photographer had specifically gone to Dindigul, Chennai “just to capture the movement of windmills”. Other works include Elephant Boy, Mystic, Soul and Monet.

However, what remains his signature style is the desolation in each of his photographs. The lonely feeling in the vast spaces and the paradox referred to in this exhibition is that in order to be, we must change; when we cease to change we cease to exist. Everything is in movement. It is this movement that the photographer has attempted to capture through his images.

In an era dominated by digital prints, Siddhartha Tawadey still favours the traditional concept of darkroom and also incorporates photograms, which were made before the advent of photography. For him, the darkroom is where he is the happiest, as he is in control of everything – from the images taken from his 5 D Mark 2 Cannon or the F 90 Nikon that are processed by hand and then contact printed to the images which are enlarged using an old Fuji enlarger and rendered on resin coated Hahnemuhle archival paper. From scanning them on the latest technology scanners and then printing them from Epson Stylus 9880 professional wide format printer on the archival paper using the latest Epson Ultra Chrome K3 archival pigmented inks to the way he wants to play with lights of the lens, to the washing of the prints - everything gives him immense joy just to see how he can transform the photographs on to print.

Quiz him that one can do the same in Photoshop, pat comes the reply that “there is restriction in using the mouse on computer.” When asked about the difficulties he faces in his photographic journey, he quips “it’s been a Herculean task to find a darkroom or good quality printing paper in India. As each fine art print is made manually with a degree of dodging and burning, no two photographs ever come out exactly the same. I like to print on fiber-based papers, which are the traditional papers, but the handling, washing and processing is very time consuming. Also, apart from the expensive fees for studying photography, there aren’t any short term courses available here.”

Tawadey’s big break came with the photo – essay at the Tate Modern (UK) but the latest achievement that has him excited is a soon-to-be-launched book on lateral ties between India and Colombia titled ‘Una apasionada familia humana’ for which he has provided images. What also inspires him is his collaboration with the famous photographer Diego Ferago with whom he “will be putting up a video installation at Barcelona Airport (Spain) next year”, he adds.

National Gallery of Modern Art presents Indian Life and Landscape by Western Artists

New Delhi: National Gallery of Modern Art in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, presents Indian Life and Landscape by Western Artists, an exhibition of more than ninety paintings and drawings from the V&A 1790 – 1927, at National Gallery of Modern Art, Jaipur House, New Delhi from October 27, 2009 to December 6, 2009.
The exhibition is a collection from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum which shows rare and interesting watercolours, sketches, aquatints, lithographs and engravings by European artists who visited India between 18h to 20th century.
Says Prof Rajeev Lochan, Director, NGMA: “The first visual representations of India by western artists were of imaginary landscapes and settings. They were based on the written accounts of travelers to India from across Europe. It was only after professional European artists began to travel to India that they painted, for the first time, scenes based on direct observation. Their passionate interest in this new and exciting land led to the creation of a comprehensive pictorial record of India, in a visual style familiar to western audiences.”

India’s spectacular architecture, the immense natural beauty of her landscapes, and the great diversity of her people have inspired many artists world over. The exhibition is divided into four sections showcasing the works of various schools of art. The exhibit begins with a ‘Picturesque’ tour of India through dramatic pictures of splendid forts, temples, and palaces. The second section showcases works by amateur artists who were captivated by the landscape and architecture of India. Many of these amateurs were East India Company employees, who transferred to canvas their personal experiences. The third section is dedicated to the Romanticism of Indian art that depicts striking, decorative paintings entirely from the imagination. For instance, on view is a panoramic view of the Taj Mahal, paintings of busy street scenes, majestic princes, and doe-eyed nautch girls. The fourth section, based on realism, documents the social life and people engaged in various professions during that time.

SECTION 1: A PICTURESQUE TOUR OF INDIA

From the mid-eighteenth century, professional European artists began to turn to India for their inspiration. They were attracted by the opportunity to explore unfamiliar lands, to make their fortune, and to further their reputation.

The beginning of The Picturesque, a major literary and aesthetic movement in England led to a revolution in western art and promoted a particular way of observing and depicting landscapes. A typical picturesque scene included elements of roughness and irregularity, the inclusion of old ruined buildings or impressive architectural structures added variety and created an evocative atmosphere. India offered an infinite range of subjects to depict in this manner. The picturesque tradition of the 18th century helped create the order, balance and serenity of the magnificent aquatints of Indian scenery and architecture created by artists such as Thomas and William Daniell. The uncle-nephew duo traveled widely in India, painting magnificent buildings that have now crumbled to dust. Hence, these paintings are a priceless record. Ruins of the Palace at Madurai, Fortress of Gingee, in the Carnatic and Hindu Temple at Agouree on the River Soane are few examples of their noteworthy works.

SECTION II: AMATEUR ARTISTS

While professional western artists continued delving deeper into their Indian subjects, amateur artists as well tried their hand at drawing India. These artists sketched and painted for their own private pleasure, rather to earn a living through it. The majority of amateurs were servants of the East India Company or worked as civilians in the army, using their leisure time for painting. They sometimes formed social groups to share their knowledge. Many worked outside the artistic conventions of the time and had very different levels of skill. Their work also forms an important part of the display, as a record of personal experiences. The Taj Mahal by Thomas Longcroft, A Natch party by Robert Smith and Suspension Bridge at Alipore by Charles D'Oyly are few examples of works by amateurs that were in no way inferior to their professional counterparts.

SECTION III: ROMANTICISM IN INDIA
A different view of India was presented by those influenced by the succeeding Romantic movement, which emphasized the wildness and drama of the natural world resulting in some of the most striking and evocative paintings of India. The movement encouraged artists to focus on their intuition and imagination and create paintings that evoked strong emotions. Elements of the picturesque remained within the artist’s repertoire and at the same time, they embraced another aesthetic theory of the period, ‘the Sublime’. This favoured the depiction of subjects in a way that intended to produce a sense of great awe and wonder in the viewer. The dramatic mountainous regions of India and the grand architectural monuments lent themselves to Romantic interpretation. People were often idealized and portrayed in an enchanting manner. Artists used their imagination to enhance their work, some, who had never been to India, embellished the sketches of others and created engaging and powerful images. Perhaps the most striking of such paintings on display are William Carpenter’s glowing rendition of the marble interior of the Neminath Temple, titled Interior of the Neminath Temple, Dilwara, Mount Abu. Ancient Observatory by William Simpson, A Hindoo Female of the Konkan by Robert Melville Grindlay and A leopard attacking an antelope by Samuel Howitt are other examples of the romantic school of practice.

SECTION IV: REALISM AND THE INDIAN STUDENT
From the 1860s, the arrival of photography and increased access to western illustrations, cultivated a taste in the Indian public for real-life pictures. Indian artists began to use western modes of representation which included figure drawing. This trend was encouraged by the schools of Art in Bombay, Madras, Lahore and Calcutta which had come under the control of the colonial government. Artist John Lockwood Kipling (1837-1911), the father of Rudyard Kipling and John Griffiths (1838-1918) were appointed as the dean of the J.J School of Art in Mumbai, which produced many top Indian artists, including M. F Husain and F.N Souza. Kipling was commissioned by the government to produce a series of studies of crafts people, some of which are displayed in the exhibit. His sepia-toned images conjure up an age gone by, with sweetmeat sellers almost hidden behind mounds of sweets, farmers harvesting cotton by hand, and weavers creating fabric on the loom. One of John Griffiths’ most memorable paintings titled A woman holding a fish on her head, Bombay is his lifelike sketch of a local fisherwoman balancing a massive fish on her head, a classic Bombay scene that can still be seen today.

The charm of the exhibition, thus, lies not just in being able to travel back to a period in history that will never come back, but also get an invaluable sociological document from centuries ago.