Opening Preview Of Fibre Fables: A Collaboration Between Artists and Weavers

New Delhi: Sumeet Nath, Managing Partner of Raj Group, hosted the opening preview of Fibre Fables, a collaborative show between eleven artists and weavers of Panipat which was held at The Stainless Gallery in New Delhi on Saturday evening. The artworks in this exhibition have emerged from a year-long interaction between the artists and factory weavers with an idea to put the spotlight back on our weaving traditions that are slowly facing extinction in the face of competition from machine-made products.

Curated by Shailin Smith, all the artworks in the exhibition have been created using the techniques involved in weaving industry – tufting, braiding, kilim and pitloom weaving to name a few. ​Through this creative process, each artist has gained an insight into many new techniques that they hope to use in future as well, while the weavers have begun to look at their daily mechanical chores with a new, respectful gaze, as something that can be used to create a piece of art.

Those who attended the opening included Sumeet Nath (industrialist) with wife Mandira, Shailin Smith (curator), Susham Bahl (curator), Alka Raghuvanshi (artist and art critic), Matisha Sahni (architect), Mona Kapoor (fashion designer), Manisha Gawade (artist), Kanchan Chander (artist), Anoop Kamath (curator and artist), Ritu Kamath (artist), Abeer Gupta (artist), Dhvani Behl (artist), Durga Kainthola (artist), Nikheel Apahle (artist), Puneet Kaushik (artist), ​Sahaya Sharma (artist), Sandeep Biswas (artist), Shivani Aggarwal (artist), Vibhu Galhotra (artist), Achal Kumar (photographer) among others. 

Raj Group presents Fibre Fables @ The Stainless

New Delhi: Panipat-based Raj Group, one of the oldest home furnishing exporters from the area, is presenting in Delhi in November an exhibition of artworks that has emerged from a year-long interaction between eleven Delhi-based artists and factory weavers. The idea is to put the spotlight back on our weaving traditions that are slowly facing extinction in the face of competition from machine-made products.

Curated by Shailin Smith, the exhibition – titled FIBRE FABLES: An exhibition in collaboration with artists and weavers - including installations, photographs, video and sound art, will be held at The Stainless Gallery, Old Ishwar Nagar, New Delhi from November 21 till December 31, 2015, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The eleven participating artists are ​Abeer Gupta, Brahm Maira, Dhvani Behl, Durga Kainthola, Nidhi Khurana, Nikheel Apahle, Puneet Kaushik, ​Sahaya Sharma, Sandeep Biswas, Shivani Aggarwal and Vibhu Galhotra.

Unleash Your Dark Side with ENVY After Dark Series

New Delhi: Vanesa care Pvt, Ltd one of the top manufacturers of deodorants and perfume in the country, has launched Ultra range of perfume body spray under brand name ENVY. ENVY 1000 in current fiscal is one of the India’s fastest growing brand in the country and known for its excellent quality and unique communication mix.

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Manjunath Kamath's solo show titled ‘Postponed Poems’@ Gallery Espace: January 16-February 28, 2015

New Delhi: Renu Modi, Director, Gallery Espace, presents Postponed Poems, a solo show of terracotta sculptures and drawings by Delhi-based artist Manjunath Kamath at Gallery Espace, 16, Community Centre, New Friends Colony, New Delhi, from January 16 till February 28, 2015, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Phone @ 26326267.

Postponed Poems is the aggregate of Kamath’s distinctive imagery rich with the narratives of everyday life, interwoven with mythologies and intimate stories. Kamath’s collecting hobby of over 30 years forms the basis for understanding of his new body of sculptural work. The old and aged classical and folk sculptures holding the trace and weight of time becomes the subject for his work. The artist is fascinated with the amazing forms of the past such as traditional temple sculptures, broken parts of old havelis, ritual masks and icons of god and goddesses. The artist pours out his heart and soul and captures such antiques in terracotta sculptures. His works signify beyond the mere meaning of realistic representation, to becoming a kind of shamanistic process that honors aged things and elaborately traces the various lives and sensibilities inherent in the objects.

At the same time, Kamath imparts his signature flavor of witticism in his interpretation of the secular, mythological and the historical. Hence, his terracotta sculptures in this show are inspired by classical aesthetics but turned into a modern metaphor replete with humor and satire.

Says the 42-year-old artist: “I have a great fascination for traditional classical sculpture and paintings from my childhood, and I still remember that I spent hours looking at those sculptures in temple chariots and on walls. The temples and churches are like art museums for me, and that was how I was introduced to art. I have spent hours with local craftsmen watching them make idols of Gods and Goddesses. Eventually, I even started collecting classical sculptures and paintings like ritual masks, wooden and metal sculptures, parts of temple chariots, old terracotta sculptures. It was natural then that I would want to bring the aesthetics of this classical style into my works but interpret them on my own terms. It is like reconnecting to our roots.”

Kamath tells many stories with his images but his narratives are altered and adjusted constantly, adapting fluidly according to the environment they are narrated in, and resulting in a different meaning each time a story is told. As a visual artist, Kamath feels impelled to regularly reinvent his method of storytelling. By relentlessly working on his articulation and modernizing his techniques, the artist continuously updates his visual vocabulary.

Apart from these sculptures, Kamath is also showing paper works which include 30 small drawings, 9 small Indian miniature-styled paper works and 15 gold leaf portraits drawing reference from the Buddhist Thangka paintings.

Live music acts to be played at Thespo16!

Mumbai, December 4,  2014: The annual drama festival for theatre-wallahs below the age of 25, the 16^th edition of Thespo, is back with a dramatic bang. Taking place from 15^th to 21^st December 2014, the festival is centered on the theme ‘Plug-In to the Tamasha’.  Continuing its support of all forms of artistic talent, Thespo 16 will intersperse its theatre performances with a host of live music shows.

You can sway to the acoustic folk and soft rock sounds of Shubhangi Joshi, a Mumbai-based singer-songwriter and guitarist based in Mumbai, India. A self-taught guitarist since the age of twelve, her musical style is primarily a mix of acoustic, folk, and soft rock, with the occasional outlier that sounds nothing like the above. Her debut EP, titled 'Talking away the Night', is a collection of four songs rooted in varying styles (16^th December 2014, 6 PM, Prithvi Theatre)

Enjoy as Pune’s Meera Shenoy croons her favorite folk/ jazz/ blues numbers. Meera Shenoy is a young blues jazz singer, who accidentally discovered her vocal skills while fiddling around in the school choir.  She is tinkering around with strange xylophones, harps, ukuleles, pianos you name it, for musical epiphanies ever since. Meera has grown up listening to big band jazz and small town blues and extends her love over a century from Dean Martin to Mac De Marco. She still does swear by Esperanza though. Her favorite musicians are currently Tom Waits, Elvis, Costello, Nick Drake and Yo yo ma (they change every week). Come watch her sing about lost picks and stuff. (17^th December 2014, 6 PM, Prithvi Theatre).

If classic rock is more up your alley, tap your feet to the tunes of bass guitarist Vivek Date who is a Bass guitarist, singer, songwriter purely into rock & roll music drawing heavy influences from bands like The Beatles, The Who, Cream etc. (18^th December 2014, 6 PM, Prithvi Theatre).

You can also watch out for Indo Gypsies, one of the most prolific Folk/Fusion/World Music Bands from India. They Seamlessly blend Folk Music with Myriad of Genres. This exceptional quality managed to win them the nation wide contest 'India Fest Channel [V] Launchpad 2013. Their songs are being aired on various national as well as international radio channels. Recently they have released an official music video, "Soldier's Love", with Pepsi MTV Indies. With their engrossing and colorful-vibrant attires, rooted in Indian Culture, Indo Gypsies appeal to a wide range of audiences and captivating everyone all over the places. (19th December 2014, 6 PM, Prithvi Theatre).

Having started out in 1999 as a one-act play festival, Thespo has surely come a long way. Surpassing boundaries of nationality, languages and art forms, its 16^th edition promises to be an occasion where all come together for the pure and simple love of theatre. As actors, dancers, musicians, writers, directors, enthusiasts and even first-timers meet on this dynamic platform, once can be assured of an invigorating, memorable experience like no other.

Thespo is organized by QTP, under the aegis of Theatre Group Bombay, it will be taking place in two venues this year: the iconic Prithvi Theatre, which has been the home of Thespo since 2008, and Sitara Studio, the city’s latest indie cultural space that used to stage Marathi plays back in the 1970s.

Renu Modi, Director, Gallery Espace hosted the preview opening of ‘Drawing 2014’ at IGNCA

New Delhi: Renu Modi, Director, Gallery Espace hosted the preview opening of the gallery’s 25^th anniversary show titled Drawing 2014 at Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) on November 10, 2014 amidst a gathering of the who’s who of art fraternity. Featuring drawings by over hundred Indian contemporary artists spanning seven decades, the show has been co-curated by Prayag Shukla along with Annapurna Garimella and Sindhura Jois DM. From works of stalwarts like M.F Husain, K.G Subramanyan, Jogen Chowdhury and Ganesh Pyne to younger ones like Mithu Sen, Manjunath Kamath, G R Iranna and Rollie Mukherjee, the show captures the staggering diversity in Drawing as an art practice.

Gallery Director Renu Modi said, “Artists bare their souls in drawings. Drawings are also the foundation of any art. Also the approach to drawings has changed so much, they are no longer pen and ink works, or mere sketches on paper. For instance, in this show, while we have classically minimalist works by Somnath Hore, there are also embroidered drawings by Rakhi Peswani, print-based scrolls by Paul Sengupta, and even a video by Sonia Khurana - all celebrating drawings.”

Those who attended the opening included Prayag Shukla (curator), Annapurna Garimella (curator), Maneka Gandhi (BJP leader), Alpana Gujral (jewellery designer), Shobha Deepak Singh (director, Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra), Rajshree Pathy (art collector), Rahul Kohli (art collector), Sita Raina (theatre personality), Subodh Gupta (artist), Paramjit Singh and Arpita Singh (artists), Amit Ambalal (artist), Jatin Das (artist), Siddharth (artist), Manu Parekh and Madhvi Parekh (artists), Amitava Das and Mona Rai (artists), Rameshwar Broota and Vasundhara Tiwari (artists), Manisha Gera Baswani (artist), Manjunath Kamath (artist), Anjum Singh (artist), Manisha Parekh (artist), G R Iranna and Pooja Iranna (artists), Seema Kohli (artist), Shruti Gupta Chandra (artist), Atul Bhalla (artist), Ranbir Kaleka (artist), Shobha Broota (artist), Ravi Aggarwal (artist), Samit Das and Mithu Sen (artists), Vivan Sundaram (artist), Vibha Galhotra (artist), Ina Puri (curator), Alka Raghuvanshi (curator), Uma Nair (curator), Geeta Kapur (curator), Priya Pall (curator), Prof Rajeev Lochan (NGMA director), Uma Ravi Jain (gallerist), Amol Vadehra (gallerist), Anjali Sen, Mayank Mansingh Kaul among many others.

Gallery Espace celebrates its 25th anniversary with a mega-show on DRAWINGS: Nov 10-28

New Delhi: To celebrate its 25^th anniversary this year, Gallery Espace is hosting one of the most ambitious shows ever featuring drawings by over hundred Indian contemporary artists. Titled Drawing 2014: Seven Decades of Indian Drawing, the show is co-curated by Prayag Shukla along with Annapurna Garimella and Sindhura Jois DM from Jackfruit Research and Design, Bangalore, and will be on at The Exhibition Hall, 11, Mansingh Road, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), Mansingh Road, New Delhi from November 10 till November 28, 2014. 11a.m. to 7 p.m.

Artists whose works will be showcased are Jogen Chowdhury, Ganesh Pyne, Bikash Bhattacharya, Ambadas, Ganesh Haloi, K G Subramanyan, Shyamal Dutta Ray, Somnath Hore, Arpita Singh, Meera Mukherjee, Chtrapatti Dutta, Dharamnarayan Dasgupta, Bhupen Khakar, Jeram Patel, Nagji Patel, Jyoti Bhatt, Nasreen Mohamedi, Ghulam Muhamed Sheikh, Nilima Sheikh, Amit Ambalal, Vivan Sundaram, Amitava Das, Manu Parekh, Madhvi Parekh, Himmat Shah, Mona Rai, Manjit Bawa, Shobha Broota, Jai Zharotia, Anupam Sud, Krishen Khanna, Ram Kumar, Jatin Das, K K Hebbar, F N Souza, Tyeb Mehta, Navjot Altaf, G R Santosh, Laxma Goud, K C S Panniker, S G Vasudev, Zarina Hashmi, Prabhakar Kolte, Prabhakar Barwe, Sudhir Patwardhan, Surendran Nair, Siddharth, Anwar Chitrakar, Akshay Rathore, Adip Datta, Anju Dodiya, Atul Dodiya, Bhajju Shyam, Basant Peringod, Dhruvi Acharya, G R Iranna, Jagadesh Tammineni, Jitish Kallat, Lavanya Mani, Meghana Bisineer, Manisha Parekh, Manisha Gera Baswani, Moutushi Banerjee, Mithu Sen, Manjunath Kamath, Mekhala Bahl, Nikhil Raunak, Naini Arora, Nityanand Ojha, N S Harsha, Om Soorya, Riyas Komu, Ravi Kashi, Poonam Jain, Paula Sengupta, Puneet Kaushik, Pratik Prabhakar, Rakhi Peswani, Rakshit Kadlar, Ramesh Pithiya, Shreyas Karle, Sonia Khurana, Snehal Chordia, Sumakshi Singh, Sisir Thapa, Samit Das, Tushar Joag, Umesh Madanahalli, Vibhuti Sharma, Vijay Hagargundgi, Valsan Koleri, Waswo and Rakesh Vijay, Subodh Gupta, Chinan Upadhyay, Rohini Sen, Rollie Mukherjee, Probir Gupta, Birendra Pani, Shailesh, Shanti Swaroopini.

“Drawing is the foundation of all art and the basis of all disciplines,” says Renu Modi, Director, Gallery Espace. “It was the legendary M.F Husain who introduced me to the finer nuances of drawings and the intimate, small format nature of this genre has remained a personal favourite with me ever since.” Gallery Espace held a show on Drawings as far back as 1994 and it’s only natural that its 25^th anniversary show should celebrate the genre with greater aplomb. Apart from this expansive show, there will be several collateral/outreach events that will reflect on the significance of drawings in art and other disciplines.

Incidentally, Gallery Espace was started in 1989 by Renu Modi at the suggestion of the Husain himself and was one of the first art galleries in India to introduce variable lighting and sound systems, in recognition of the crucial factor that is the environment within which a work of art is displayed. In a similar vein, Gallery Espace was a pioneer when it came to video installations, going so far as to organize a first-of-its-kind monthly out-reach programme (Video Wednesday I, 2008-09 and Video Wednesday II, 2011-12) in order to bring artists working in new media into the spotlight.

Drawing 2014 will showcase more than 100 artists from India and features works dating from 1947 to the present in which drawing is presented as a broad and inclusive practice. Along with works on single sheets of paper, there will be artists’ books, studies for other projects, multiples, laser drawings, animation and more. This breadth allows curators and viewers to understand how an academic practice moves between the pedagogic and the conceptual realms and between established and experimental ways of working.

Gallery Espace has served as a launch pad for emerging artists of promise (several of whom are now established names in the art world), whose work reflects their individual internal journeys of growth and self-discovery, resulting in a truly eclectic and protean collection. While the focus is predominantly on Indian artists, Gallery Espace has also promoted international artists and recently has diversified into displaying South-East Asian art. Gallery Espace laid the groundwork for curated exhibitions featuring leading art commentators and journalists. Past themed exhibitions like Drawing ’94, Sculpture ’95, Mini-Print ’96, Kitsch Kitsch Hota Hai ’01 and Bronze ’06 have explored different forms of artistic creation. Rather than using exhibitions as a marketing tool, Gallery Espace believes in creating opportunities for growth, showcasing new talent and enriching the world of art in India, thus becoming an important link between artists and buyers, viewers and auction houses