Contemporary Art In India

New shows in 2011

2011-01-01T16:36:00.005+05:30

LET THERE BE LIGHT!
ART ON SPECIALLY FABRICATED
CANVAS LAMP SHADES

Concept: Jasmine Shah Varma

Artist: Priti Kyal
Acrylic on canvas

Artists:
Brinda Miller, Datta Bansode, Devangana Chhabria,
Nitin Dadrawala, Payal Khandwala, Pradeep Mishra, Priti Kyal,
Ramesh Gorjala, Sadanand, Shruti Nelson, Sheetal Gattani,
Smriti Dixit, Soumen Das, Sunil & Tanuja Padwal

From November 14 to 28, 2011
Hacienda Gallery,
Kala Ghoda, Mumbai

More information: www.indiancolours.com

A G A P E
A SCULPTURE EXHIBITION

September 19 - 30, 2011
Hacienda Gallery, Mumbai

Curated by Jasmine Shah Varma

Celebrating 10 years of Hacienda Gallery with an all sculpture exhibition featuring
noted contemporary sculptors working in various metals, stone and wood

NAGJI PATEL

SUBRATA BISWAS

DHRUVA MISTRY

ABIR PATWARDHAN

MAYUR KAILASH GUPTA

See the entire collection at
www.indiancolours.com

SHRUTI NELSON

Recent Works

on paper & canvas

January 24 - February 12, 2011

Curated by Jasmine Shah Varma

Hacienda Gallery

Great Western Building, Ground floor,

Kala Ghoda, Mumbai - 400023

Tel: 22837232

WWW.INDIANCOLOURS.COM

SOUMEN DAS

Shadows, dreams, forms
Casein on canvas

February 17 - 28, 2011

Curated by Jasmine Shah Varma

Hacienda Gallery

Great Western Building, Ground floor,

Kala Ghoda, Mumbai - 400023

Tel: 22837232

WWW.INDIANCOLOURS.COM

Coming up!

2008-05-17T20:06:00.030+05:30

Visit www.indiancolours.com

to view works from upcoming shows

HAREN VAKIL
LONG ON LOGIC
PAINTINGS & DRAWINGS
December 2 - 15, 2010
Hacienda Gallery, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai

Touch of Mosaic 36 x 36 Acrylic on canvas

________________________________________________________

COMING OF AGE: 18X18

HACIENDA GALLERY'S ANNIVERSARY SHOW

September 3-15, 2010

Artists:

Devangana Chabbria,

Farhad Hussain,

Gayatri Gamuz,

Payal Khandwala,

Pradeep Mishra,

Priti Kyal,

Sarika Mehta,

Shruti Nelson,

Soumen Das,

Sunil Padwal

Collection of new works

Soumen Das

Shruti Nelson

Artists: Haren Vakil, Gayatri Gamuz, Shruti Nelson,
Soumen Das, Sonatina Mendes and Pradeep Mishra

Venue: Hacienda Gallery, Great Western Building, Kala Ghoda
Mumbai 400023

Till February 27, 2010

___________________________________

Nothing Will Ever Be The Same Again

November 10 to 16, 2009
Hirji Gallery, Jehangir Gallery, Mumbai

Binu Bhaskar

Kim Kyoungae

Sonatina Mendes

______________________

Card-o-logy

Babu Xavier

Haren Vakil

300 original Picture Postcards created by 60 artists
September 4 to 18, 2009
Hacienda Gallery, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai

__________________________________________

SimplyCity

Nikhileswar Baruah's new works
at
Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai
from
April 15 to 21, 2009.

At Hacienda Gallery, Mumbai
from
April 22 to 30, 2009
For more details visit www.indiancolours.com

_____________________________________

Prelude to an Overture
by Sonatina Mendes
exhibition of oil paintings

Opening Jan 16, 2009

Curator Jasmine Shah Varma
Hacienda Gallery, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai

_____________________________________

Group exhibition of recent works

2008-04-14T10:13:00.015+05:30

Nikhileswar Baruah

TM Azis

Rajesh Salgaonkar

April 19 - 29, 2008
11 am - 6 pm

Presented by
Hacienda Gallery & Jasmine Shah Varma
Great Western Building, ground floor, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai -400053

Nikhileswar Baruah
Cloudy VII 2008 Watercolour & Acrylic on Paper 41" x 30"

TM Azis
Untitled 2008 Oil on Canvas 34" x 60"

Rajesh Salgaonkar

Untitled 2006 Mixed Media on Paper 11.5" x 16.5"

CLOUDY

Nikhileswar Baruah
Cloudy I 2008 Watercolour & Acrylic on Paper 41" x 30"

Nikhileswar Baruah
Cloudy II 2008 Watercolour & Acrylic on Paper 41" x 30"

Nikhileswar Baruah
Cloudy III 2008 Watercolour & Acrylic on Paper 41" x 30"

Nikhileswar Baruah
Cloudy IV 2008 Watercolour & Acrylic on Paper 41" x 30"

Nikhileswar Baruah
Cloudy V 2008 Watercolour & Acrylic on Paper 41" x 30"

Nikhileswar Baruah
Cloudy VI 2008 Watercolour & Acrylic on Paper 41" x 30"

RESONANCE

TM Azis
Untitled 2008 Oil on Canvas 60" x 34"

APPARITION

Rajesh Salgaonkar
Untitled 2008 Mixed Media on Paper 29.5" x 43.5"

Rajesh Salgaonkar
Untitled 2008 Mixed Media on Paper 12" x 15.5"

Rajesh Salgaonkar
Untitled 2008 Mixed Media on Paper 11.5" x 16.5"

Rajesh Salgaonkar

Untitled 2008 Mixed Media on Paper 12" x 16"

About the artists:

Nikhileswar Baruah (1967)

Nikhileswar was born in Guwahati, Assam. He did BFA and Masters in Painting at Fine Arts Faculty, MS University, Baroda. He was awarded Emerging Artist of the Year, Harmony Show in 2000. He has also explored the medium of ceramics and was awarded in 1997 by Unesco-Aschberg Bursaries to work at the European Ceramics Work Centre, The Netherlands. He has done seven solo shows from 1990 to 2007. Most recently he showed City-zens at RL Fine Arts, New York. He has taken part in numerous group and curated shows. In 2007 he participated in Pulsating Rythms on Paper, Tangerine Art Space, Bangalore, Young Guns, ICIA, Mumbai, Melodious Hues and Whispering Palette, Red Earth Gallery, Baroda, Embodied, Art & Soul Mumbai, Instiiling Life, Hacienda Gallery, Beyond Credos: Painting in Baroda Today, Birla Academy of Art & Culture, Kolkata. Previously he has shown with The Guild, Mumbai, Vadhera, Delhi, Gallery 88, Mumbai, among others.

TM Azis (1962)

Originally from Kerala, Azis graduated in Painting from College of Fine Arts, Trivandrum in 1987 then completed Masters in Painting at Jamia Milia Islamia University in Delhi in 1991. He has won various awards including the 25^th State Exhibition of Art by Lalit Kala Akademi in 1989, the 12^th All India Exhibition for Art in 1993, Bangalore and Regional Art Exhibition in 1992. He has been exhibiting since the 1980s, holding solo shows, two persons shows in various galleries such as 1x1 Gallery in Dubai, Threshold, Vadhera and Anant in Delhi, Sumukha and Crimson in Bangalore, Kashi Art Gallery, Cochi, The Air Art Gallery, London, Leboye Gallery, Kemang, Jakarta, Jumeira Beach Resort Dubai, Art Connoisseur Gallery, London and Gallery Asiana, New York among others. His works have been featured in art festivals and auctions. He is based in Bangalore.

Rajesh Salgaonkar (1973)

This exhibition is Rajesh’s first major showing in Mumbai. He graduated in Fine Arts, painting in 1998 from Goa University. He has participated in group shows in Goa and Delhi and held solo shows in Goa. He is based in Goa.

Intimate Dialects

2008-03-04T11:58:00.021+05:30

Works by Shruti Nelson and Sharmi Chowdhury

Curated by Jasmine Shah Varma

March 15 - 29, 2008 at Hacienda Gallery, Mumbai
11 am to 6 pm

'Intimate Dialects' explores the personalised languages that Shruti Nelson and Sharmi Chowdhury have created out the unassuming medium of watercolours. Dabs of colours on austere white surface leave markings – a visual language - that reveal the inner dialogues the artists have in their private moments in the respective studios.

An artist provides her world view through her paintings. This world could be that of human relationships as in the case of Sharmi or of that which brinks somewhere between the fantastical and the experiential as in the case of Shruti.

- Jasmine Shah Varma

Sharmi Chowdhury / Recollections in Silence
Watercolour on paper, Ten panels, 16 x 12 inches each

Sharmi Chowdhury / The Abductor
Watercolour on paper, 12 x 9 inches

Sharmi Chowdhury / A Theatre of Fragments

Watercolours on paper 24" x 24" after framing 2008

Sharmi Chowdhury / Skin Deep Impression
11 x 16 inches Watercolour on paper 2008

Sharmi Chowdhury / A Parable of Gift
11 x 16 inches Watercolour on paper 2008

Sharmi Chowdhury / Careless Whispers
9 x 12 inches Triptych Watercolour on paper 2008

Sharmi Chowdhury / Pierced Past

Watercolour on paper, 9 x 12 inches

Sharmi Chowdhury / To Mirror a Desire
Watercolour on paper, 34 x 26.4 inches

Sharmi Chowdhury / Dreaming About Damaru
Tempera on Silk, 78 x 24 inches

Shruti Nelson / Untitled
Watercolour on acid-free paper, 30 x 22 inches

Shruti Nelson / An Elusive Genie
Watercolour on acid free paper, 30 x 22 inches

Shruti Nelson / Untitled
Watercolour on acid-free paper, 30 x 22 inches

Shruti Nelson / Untitled
Watercolour and collage on acid-free paper, 24 x 24 inches

Shruti Nelson / Untitled
Mixed media on acid-free paper, 12 x 12 inches

Shruti Nelson / Untitled
Mixed media on acid-free paper, Two panels, 12 x 12 inches each

Shruti Nelson / Untitled
Watercolour acid-free paper, Two panels, 12 x 12 inches each

Shruti Nelson / Untitled
Watercolour on acid-free paper, 30 x 22 inches

Shruti Nelson / Whispers
Mixed media on acid free paper, 36 x 36 inches

Shruti Nelson / An Epoch of Dreams
Watercolour and collage on paper, 29.5 x 36 inches

Shruti Nelson / Amidst the Earth Dwellers
Mixed media acid-free paper, 30 x 22 inches

Shruti Nelson / Untitled
Watercolour on acid-free paper, 30 x 22 inches

Biographies:

Shruti Nelson

Shruti graduated obtaining BSC from MS University, Baroda before obtaining a Diploma in Painting, Faculty of Fine Arts, MSU in 1994. She then pursued Post Diploma in Creative Painting, in MS University in 1996 and in the same year she attended a Residency Programme in France for three months at École Regionale Des Beaux Arts, Normandie A Caen. She has attended workshops learning paper making, natural dyeing and drawing. Shruti has had solo shows since 1998 with galleries such as Prithvi Gallery, Mumbai, Apparao Galleries, Chennai, Nazar, Baroda and most recently with Hacienda Gallery, Mumbai. Her work has been showcased in several important group exhibitions including galleries in New York, Mumbai, Baroda, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, London and Singapore. She is a visiting faculty at the painting department, MS University, Baroda. Her works have been auctioned for charitable causes and are part of important private collections. Born in 1969 she is based in Baroda.

Sharmi Chowdhury

Sharmi completed BA in painting at Kala Bhavan, Shantiniketan in 2003 and MA at the MS University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda in 2005. She’s had solo shows in 2005 at Sarjan Art Gallery, Baroda in 2005 and in January 2008 at Art Alive Gallery, Delhi. She has participated in several group shows including RL Fine Arts, New York in 2007, Hacienda Gallery, Mumbai in 2006, Bengal Artists at Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata, 2006; Lalit Kala Akademi, Delhi, 2006; Sarjan in 2006, Birla Academy of Art and Culture Annual show, Kolkata in 2003 and 2004; Academy of Fine Arts annual show, Kolkata in 2005. She has also participated in Emerging India organised by Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi at Royal College of Art, London and Singapore Art Fair, Singapore in 2007. She was awarded a scholarship by Kala Bhavan, Shantiniketan (1998 - 2003). She is recipient of the Nokia Art Award for painting in 1999 and Camlin Award in 2004. Born in 1974, Kolkata Sharmi is currently based in Baroda.

February 2008

2008-01-18T10:51:00.000+05:30

Showing the works of two artists Haren Vakil and Abhay Gaekwad from February 2 - 10, 2008 at Hacienda Gallery, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai

Stretching the Line
Haren Vakil's drawings on paper

Haren Vakil’s drawings are a series of humorous non sequiturs. Men have cracks in their egg-shaped bald heads with birds coming out of them. Birds have animal heads and human clothes, and bipeds have physical features of birds. A musical instrument sticks out of a human. On the one hand a building has a human head, on the other there’s machine and man as one entity.

The lines move without inhibition. The artist liberates our imagination in his land of the absurd. Jazz, Indian and Western classical music, everyday life, architecture, human beings, animals and birds feed his thoughts. Vakil translates the mental picture that conjures up spontaneously in his subconscious. He refrains from attaching any narrative or symbolical meaning to his “doodles”. The viewer may draw meaning out his images; see rhythm in the line, chaos, joy or cynicism in his compositions. But Vakil says once he sets the pen on paper he doesn’t know where it leads him and when it stops.

That said nothing comes out of nothing, and surely training, experience and aesthetic preferences seep into one’s own creations. Vakil is trained in architecture and his background as a draughtsman brings in tautness in the structured compositions. The details and neatness, however spontaneous, also come from this end. His pen enjoys the freedom but there’s a sure sense of when to abandon and when to adhere to a recognisable framework. In spirit his works are reminiscent of surrealists Hieronymus Bosch and Rene Magritte. Bosch’s works evoked consciousness of sin, malice and violence. From Vakil’s compositions one draws a sense of comical absurdity of life. That said even if his sequences are plainly implausible they have familiarity and certain reality that reaches out to the viewer.

Vakil has lived in Victoria, Canada for almost 35 years. British Columbia is noted for Native Art and home to several tall, carved totem poles with colourful imagery. There’s an affiliation between Vakil’s imagery and American Native Art in essence. At root in both is the primeval element. There is semblance also to images from Hindu mythology whether it’s multi-headed demons, or multi-limbed deities or the Nandi bull. But then emblems of the contemporary mingle with all this.

Vakil subconsciously binds various strands with his vivid imagination producing a unique visual language.

Jasmine Shah Varma, curator and writer on art

Dimension of all featured works: 10 x11 inches
Medium: Ink, acrylic, pen, brush on acid free paper

TerraKutta & Friends
Abhay Gaekwad's miniature terracotta sculptures

Abhay Gaekwad is a Baroda based artist who works in terracotta, watercolours and canvas. His love for nature and wildlife is depicted in his works. This exhibition showcases Abhay’s unique talent in sculpting animal forms in animated expressions, delightful postures and an array of textures. Abhay first made these playful sculptures for the MS University, Fine Arts Faculty Fun Fair, Baroda as a student. It was his way of participating in the fair while others were making pots and pans. He drew inspiration from his senior Jyotsna Bhatt who is acclaimed for making birds and animals in clay and ceramics. From the beginning he was keen to sculpt a variety of creatures. This collection includes starfish, dogs, cats, sheep, cows, roosters, owls, crocodiles, octopus, frogs and tortoise among other creatures. Each piece is hand-sculpted and treated uniquely to give individual character.

Dimension varying in the range of 4 to 6 inches x 2 inches x 3 to 4 inches
Medium: Terracotta

2007 collection by Kim Kyoungae

2007-11-23T17:11:00.001+05:30

M O D E R A T O

Paintings on canvas
Hacienda Gallery, Mumbai

December 6 to 15, 2007

Moderato 1 Acrylic on canvas 72 x 48 inches 2006

Moderato 2 Acrylic on canvas 72 x 72 inches 2006

Moderato 3 Acrylic on canvas 72 x 72 inches 2006

Moderato 4 Acrylic on canvas 48 x 72 inches 2006

Moderato 5 Acrylic on canvas 60 x 60 inches 2007

Kim Kyoungae’s latest collection is titled ‘Moderato’. This is a term used to describe music that is not too fast and not too slow. Kyoungae is inspired by this word which means moderate. She says in life one tries to perform a balancing act and practice moderation in action and decisions one takes. As a Korean living in India for several years and adapting to the life here, Kyoungae says:

“My life is hybrid. I am replanted in a different soil. I have to maintain moderation between my Korean roots and my Indian surrounding. These paintings reflect my age and stage in life.”

For Kyoungae, 41, painting is a kind of meditation. Her understanding of life and what she is experiencing is reflected in her work. For her painting this collection was like writing poetry. This suite marks her ambitious attempt at painting on a bigger scale. There are three 8 x 6 feet paintings, besides other sizes.

Curator Jasmine Shah Varma says about her work: “How does one imbue the idea of moderation in the medium of painting? Two worlds seamlessly come together in Kyoungae’s works. One is the world that surrounds us and the other is within thoughts and memory. She metaphorically expresses the middle path between what one has and what one aspires to have, between this path and that path. Her works are not literal but experiential.”

Moderato 6 Acrylic on canvas 60 x 60 inches 2007

Moderato 7 Acrylic on canvas 96 x 72 inches 2007

Moderato 8 Acrylic on canvas 96 x 72 inches 2007

Moderato 9 Acrylic on canvas 96 x 72 inches 2007

Moderato 10 Acrylic on canvas 48 x 48 inches 2007

Select biography

Kim Kyoungae was born in 1966 in Sunsan, Kumi, South Korea.

She completed MA in Museology at the Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University, Baroda in 1996. Before that in 1992 she completed BFA Oriental Painting, Faculty of Fine Arts, Andong National University, South Korea.

Kyoungae has had five solo exhibitions between 1996 and 2006 including ‘Beyond Horizon’ at Hacienda Gallery, Mumbai in 2006. Her works have been exhibited since 1993 in various group shows organised by different galleries in South Korea, Indian cities such as Baroda, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and in New York, USA. Her recent participations are “Baroda’s Most Wanted”, Space, the Artists’ Studio, Baroda 2006; through 2007 she showed her works in “A Slice of Art from India” RL Finearts, New York, “The Female Hero”, Lemongrasshopper, Ahmedabad, “Contemporary South Korean Art” and “Instilling Life” Hacienda Gallery, Mumbai, and curated show at Birla Art and Academy, Kolkata.

She has participated in art camps such as “Monsoon Moods” at Vasind, Thane, by the Jindal South West Foundation and the 10^th Oberoi Art Camp, 2007, Mumbai.

The artist is based in Baroda, living and working here since 1994.

See Kim Kyoungae's collection from February 2006 here

Paintings by Gayatri Gamuz

2007-10-09T14:10:00.000+05:30

In a land without trees

at Hacienda Gallery from October 18 to 25

Desolation 33 x 11 Oil on linen

At 41 Gayatri Gamuz is not a novice in the world of art. This exhibition however is the first opportunity for Mumbai’s art lovers to see an entire collection of her works under one roof. Trained in Spain, Gayatri moved base to India 15 years ago. She has had seven solo exhibitions since 1996 in Spain, UK, Australia and Kochi, India besides participation in several collective shows.

“In a land without trees” brings out Gayatri’s core concern – the consequences of the inevitable evolution in culture, lifestyle, behaviour and psyche of the humankind from organic to the current scenario empowered by technology. She traces the transition from the natural to the fabricated and imagines a scenario where nature is endangered. She acknowledges the comforts made possible by technology yet feels nostalgic about the past. She detects a sense of loss for the ways of the past.

In her paintings I see the desire to return to childlike innocence. There’s a sense of purity and tranquility in her paintings. In some works there is delightfully ironic humour. Her uncluttered compositions that have select few forms reflect clarity in her evolved visual thought process. She portrays animals, human beings and objects in a realistic fashion with sensitive rendition of shadows and nuances of such kind. But there’s a twist in the compositions. She paints imaginary circumstances that reflect the present human condition in a language that is phantasmagoric. That adds zing to her paintings.

Her observation and the inclusion of the local cultural aspects are reflected in her visual language and commentary. It would be expected of a ‘foreigner’ living in India to make paintings of kitsch, imagery inspired by religious icons or Indian street life. Gayatri’s scope is not limited to an Indian or Spanish canvas. She observes the 21st century human condition and incorporates symbols, metaphors and instances from her immediate surrounding and blends them well with her roots and her beliefs.

Her paintings are endearing because they strike a chord with the innocent, carefree and humourous aspects within us. She speaks of a crucial concern with tenderness thus making her works intimate.

Artist representative, curator
Jasmine Shah Varma

Life got complicated (II) 22 x 20 Oil on linen

Provisional tree 58 x 58 Oil on linen

In a dream 39 x 39 Oil on canvas

Wandering Bird 39 x 39 Oil on canvas

Window 39 x 39 Oil on canvas

Critical Times 32 x 22 Oil on canvas

"In my paintings I play with the symbolism of toys and plastic elements
as a metaphor of the capitalistic culture which separates
us from the natural world and at the same time creates the
perfect substitutes to give contentment to the modern man.
The plastic elements are a sarcastic portrait of the
unconscious human presence in the natural world."

- Gayatri Gamuz

Somebody is bugging me 22 x 18 Oil on linen

Portrait of a girl 54 x 54 Oil on canvas

Egg and boy 39 x 39 Oil on canvas

School boy 27 x 27 Oil on canvas

Maze 27 x 27 Oil on canvas

Musk deer $ 45000 per kilo 54 x 54 Oil on linen

“My work is a reflection on the nostalgia of the human psyche,
a reflection on the psyche of the loss.”

- Gayatri Gamuz

Life got complicated (I) 54 x 54 Oil on linen

Father and daughter with plastic flower 39 x 39 Oil on linen

Elephant and pseudo-elephant 39 x 39 Oil on canvas

Feet and snail 54 x 54 Oil on linen

Come September

2007-09-08T18:26:00.000+05:30

Hacienda Gallery presents Come September, an exhibition of paintings
by 17 artists from September 18 to 25, 2007

Alok Bal Chinmoy Pramanik Debraj Goswami Dilip Chobisa Gayatri Gamuz Kim Kyoungae
Malavika Rajnarayan Nikhileswar Baruah Pooja Iranna Pradeep Mishra M Pravat Sharmi Chowdhury
Shruti Nelson Soumen Das Smriti Dixit TM Azis Vanita Gupta

Chinmoy Pramanik
There is no Reason, Watercolour, Pastel, Ink on Paper
32 x 44 inch (including frame), 2007

Shruti Nelson
Untitled, mixed media on Waterford paper, 30" x 44", 2007

Alok Bal
Untitled, Watercolour on paper, 24" x 18", 2007

Alok Bal
Untitled, Watercolour on paper, 24" x 18", 2007

Smriti Dixit
Untitled, Mixed media on canvas

TM Azis
Untitled, Acrylic on Canvas, 24" x 24", 2007

Debraj Goswami
Ceasefire, Acrylic on canvas, 34" x 17", 2007

Pradeep Mishra
Fragrance of Earth, Charcoal, Watercolour and Oil on paper, 30" x 22", 2007

Malavika Rajnarayan
Carrier of Memories, Acrylic on Canvas, 60" X 36", 2006

Malavika Rajnarayan
Waterman", Acrylic on Canvas, 58" X 30", 2006

Nikhileswar Baruah
The Collector, Acrylic on Canvas, 36" x 48", 2007

Soumen Das
Sajjangadh, watercolour and casein on paper, 22" x 30", 2007

Soumen Das
Lake Pichola, watercolour and casein on paper, 22" x 30", 2006

Vanita Gupta
Untitled, Ink on paper, 42" x 27", 2004

Pooja Iranna
Inner Space - 49, Watercolour on paper, 10.5" x 12.5", 1997

Pooja Iranna
Inner Space, Watercolour on paper, 10.5" x 12.5", 1997-98

Gayatri Gamuz
Pass By I, Pen on paper

Gayatri Gamuz
Girl with Ribbons, Pen on paper

Gayatri Gamuz
Pass By II, Pen on paper

Sharmi Chowdhury

Kim Kyoungae

M Pravat

M Pravat

Embodied

2007-08-28T10:01:00.000+05:30

Gallery Art & Soul, Mumbai presents Embodied, an exhibition of paintings and sculptures by 11 artists curated by Jasmine Shah Varma
September 5 to 28, 2007

“[A]ll are fragile things made of just 26 letters arranged and rearranged to form tales and imaginings which will dazzle your senses, haunt your imagination and move you to the very depths of your soul.”

- Neil Gaiman talking about his stories on the back cover of Fragile Things, Short Fictions and Wonders

THE human body is to visual artists what the 26 letters are to writers. It has been central to visual language since the beginnings of art. Phases of non-representational art have come and gone but the human figure is constant in creative expression. ‘Embodied’ explores the power of the human form and the ingenious means used to depict it.

One of the earliest forms of worship, fertility figurines were found both in the Indus Valley civilisation and the earliest aboriginal art of Australia. Tribal art such as Warli is characterised by simple but effective horizontal, diagonal and vertical lines used to create male or female forms performing sundry activities. Human forms have been integral to the depiction of religious themes. However abstract the religious notion be, the human form has been used to express it as seen in ancient Hindu art. God is portrayed as the perfect entity, superior to the human. Yet a deity is imagined in the image of the human being.

In more recent times, 19th century artist Edgar Degas, known for his draftsmanship, chose to observe in his contemporary life the dynamics of movement, posture and line of body by drawing, painting and sculpting young female ballet dancers. In Degas’s dancers one can feel movement, grace and poise. In the early 20th century Pablo Picasso did away with narrative details and depiction of form as in nature when he put together five provocative nudes in ‘Les Demoiselles d’Avignon’. The sharp, crude lines exuded brutality. In the context of ‘Embodied’ it is significant how both artists eliminated the use of allegorical motifs and effectively influenced our senses with polar approaches to the female human form. The body contours, the softness or hardness of line, the subdued pastel colours or solid tones, the placement of the figure are tools that aid in conveying certain ideas through the human figure.

The purpose of art has shifted from religion to recording history to sundry intentions of the day. But what’s remained is that a large number of artists’ world-view is incomplete without the human form. It is employed in figurative and narrative art – and portraiture too. ‘Embodied’ focuses narrowly on some contemporary artists who use the human figure as a singular form in their vocabulary. The works in this collection are stripped of motifs signifying place or time. The visual cues about the context arise from the individualistic rendering of the human form. There’s mystery: at times gestures and postures relate emotions, and in some instances an iconic image evokes reverence. The human figure is used as a metaphor by some, for others it’s a study of pure form, and some narrate stories through it.

The artists gathered here go beyond rendering the form as seen in life.
- Jasmine Shah Varma, Mumbai

Samir Aich
Untitled, 2007, 60” x 36”, Acrylic on canvas

Sunil Padwal
Untitled, 2007, 36” x 36”, Acrylic on canvas

Jehangir Jani
Untitled, 2006, 61 x 17 x 11, Mild Steel & Gold Leaf

TM Azis
Untitled, 2007, 48” x 48”, Oil on canvas

Trupti Patel
White heat... burnt light 2007 44 x 46 Acrylic, burnt marks on paper

Sonatina Mendes
Sleep, 2007, 72 x 96, Oil on Canvas

Nilesh Kumavat
Our Choice but not in Our Hands, 2007, 52"x34"x12", Paint on 28 glass sheets

Prasanta Sahu
No Title, 2007, 27” x 36”, Acrylic and watercolour on paper

Payal Khandwala
Untitled, 2007, 40" x 50", * Oil on canvas

Payal Khandwala
Untitled, 2007, 48" x 60", Oil on canvas

Farhad Hussain
An Amorous Amphitheatre, 2007, 48” x 48”, Acrylic on canvas

Nikhileswar Baruah
Looking Out (L), 2007, 66” x 78”, Acrylic on canvas

Coming up

2007-08-13T20:32:00.000+05:30

In September 2007
Art & Soul hosts 'Embodied' a curated show including paintings and sculptures by artists such as TM Azis, Prasanta Sahu, Payal Khandwala, Jehangir Jani, Farhad Hussain, Sonatina Mendes, Nikhileswar Baruah, Nilesh Kumavat, Sunil Padwal, Trupti Patel and Samir Aich.

Hacienda Gallery hosts a group show including works of young artists such as Alok Bal, Debraj Goswami, Shruti Nelson, Kim Kyoungae, Soumen Das, Pradeep Mishra, M Pravat, Gayatri Gamuz, Sharmi Chowdhury, Dilip Chobisa among others.

Both shows will display new works by artists.

City-Zens

2007-04-23T16:39:00.001+05:30

May 3 to 20, 2007 RL Fine Arts, New York hosts

City-Zens

acrylic on canvas
by
Nikhileswar Baruah

To view the entire collection visit
RL Fineart, New York

Mirrors of Time

2007-03-29T18:37:00.000+05:30

Bridging Gaps

setu – an artists’ initiative organised an art camp in Guwahati, Assam in October 2006 with the objective of initiating a process of bridging the gap between the art scene of Assam and the rest of the country.

There are many artists working in Assam and it has an active cultural life. But apart from the artists who have studied outside Assam most of the people are exposed to only a certain kind of art. Especially they are not aware of the works of younger generation of artists seen in the major centres of art in India.

This camp was visualised as an opportunity for a two-way exposure: the artists and art lovers of Assam gets an opportunity to feel the pulse of the contemporary Indian art; and the artists from outside get to see an area they are not much aware of. At the close of the art camp an exhibition of the works produced there were exhibited in Guwahati followed by an exhibition in Mumbai.

- Nikhileswar Baruah on behalf of setu

Works on display at Hacienda Gallery, Mumbai from April 2 to 10, 2007

Anjum Chaturvedi

Journey, 2006, 36 x 46 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Anpu Varkey

The Yellow Portrait, 2006, 46 x 36 inches, Oil on canvas

Anpu Varkey

Chitra, 2006, 46x 36 inches, Oil on canvas

T M Azis

Untitled, 2006, 36 x 60 inches, Oil on canvas

Debananda Ulup

Chakrabyuh 1, 2006, 36 x 46 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Debananda Ulup

Chakrabyuh 2, 2006, 36 x 60 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Kishore Kumar Das

Battlefield, 2006, 46 x 36 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Lokesh Khodke

Constructing the 'Real', 2006, 46 x 36 inches, Oil on canvas

Nikhileswar Baruah

Sunset, 2006, 36 x 46 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Poushali Das

Aham, 2006, 10 x 54 inches, Wash, Tempera on silk

Rajendra Kapse

Untitled, 2006, 28 x 60 inches, Oil on canvas

K P Reji

The Blue Sky, 2006, 46 x 36 inches, Acrylic on canvas

K P Reji

Untitled, 2006, 46 x 36 inches, Oil on canvas

Raj Kumar Mazinder

Endangering Trust, 2006, 36 x 60 inches, Mixed media on canvas

Raj Kumar Mazinder

Doordarshan, 2006, 46 x 36 inches, Acrylic on canvas

BV Suresh

5.34 am Joypur, 2006, 36 x 46 inches, Flashe on canvas

Surjit Khuman

Sh..h..h..h, 2006, 46 x 36 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Yunus Khimani

Washed, Wrung and Hung, 2006, 27 x 28 inches on extreme edges,
Oil on canvas

A Confluence of Images

2007-03-16T08:00:00.000+05:30

This exhibition is a celebration of diverse visual languages, experiments with idioms, and the effort towards individuality. Abstract, figurative, narrative and conceptual art coexist.

A Confluence of Images includes artists from different schools and artists practising languages that they have arrived at after deliberating over years. There are two abstractionists Sanjay Sawant and Madhuri Kathe, each of who have a distinct approach to exploring the concept of space. Texture, colour, form and line create an enriching visual experience.

Nikhileswar Baruah expresses urban experiences through his figurative works such as ‘Man Creating Ripples’. Abhay Gaekwad comments on the dismal state of wildlife affairs in India focusing his attention on the issue of poaching of black bucks. Shruti Nelson creates a fantasy world with a trail of animals such wild goats leopards and tigers showing a transmogrification of their skin. She experiments with the surface of paintings, extending her compositions to the mount. Gurcharan Singh’s paintings are an expression of love, compassion, tenderness and innocence. Papri Bose’s exploration of identity, Sudhangshu Bandopadhyay’s Kolkata landscapes and Aniket Khupse’s works that dwell in a realm between abstract and figurative lend further diversity to the collection.

- Jasmine Shah Varma

Abhay Gaekwad

Untitled, 2006, 36 x 24 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Aniket Khupse

A Page from My Diary I, 2006, 36 x 48 inches, Acrylic on canvas

A Page from My Diary II, 2006, 36 x 48 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Untitled, 2007, 15 x 30 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Untitled, 2007, 15 x 30 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Gurcharan Singh

Untitled, 2006, 30 x 22 inches, Acrylic on paper

Untitled, 2006, 30 x 22 inches, Acrylic on paper

Madhuri Kathe

Untitled, 2006, 48 x 48 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Untitled, 2006, 41 x 41 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Untitled, 2006, 48 x 48 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Nikhileswar Baruah

Man Creating Ripples, 2006, 72 x 68 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Papri Bose

Satori, 2006, 40 x 68 inches, Acrylic on canvas

The Return, 2006, 47 x 47 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Sanjay Sawant

Untitled, 2006, 28 x 32 (including frame) Mixed Media

Untitled, 2006, 29 x 25 inches (including frame) Mixed Media

Untitled, 2007, 88 x 41 inches (including frame) Mixed Media

Untitled, 2007, 77 x 60 inches, mixed media

Shruti Nelson

Untitled, 2006, 35 x 27 inches, Watercolour on
Waterford paper and acid-free Mount

Sudhangshu Bandopadhyay

Fiction and Space Between, 2006, 48 x 60 inches, Oil on canvas

Instilling Life

2007-02-25T23:28:00.000+05:30

Being Still

Jasmine Shah Varma

There is a painting by Vincent Van Gogh called ‘The Chair’. It is a self-portrait. In it, of course, the chair is much more than furniture.

Objects are ordinary things. But when imbued with suggestive meaning by artists, they become extraordinary. Indeed, it is not unlikely that the very first artist, whoever and whenever, began to explore the universe and the human condition through stationary objects, filled with life by the force of art.

As a genre in art, though, the term ‘Still Life’ began to evolve around the mid-17th century. It is hardly used today. In earlier centuries, genres tended to be clearly demarcated, while today they tend to blend into one another. As a result, Still Life is only mentioned in a historical context and in academic courses these days.

The premise of this exhibition is to contend that Still Life is a potent force in contemporary art, and that its definition has evolved over the centuries. Instilling Life presents some of the ways in which inanimate objects are being used to bring contemporary art to life.

Still Life is actually less a genre and more a motif that runs through different art movements. The Dutch painters of 17th century, the Impressionists, the Cubists, the Pop Artists and Conceptual Artists have all used Still Life in their works. There were paintings that were no more than skillful imitations of luxurious, beautiful objects or exotic flowers in vases; there were those which combined technically sophisticated skills with allegory and symbolism; paintings that specialised in creating an illusion of reality; compositions with things such as snuffed out candle, time piece or skull that were reminders of frivolity of material desires and inevitable death; painting of factory-made identical objects like the Campbell soup cans; and revolutionary use of readymades by Marcel Duchamp’s ‘Fountain’.

Inanimate objects made an appearance in India art when Western academic training was introduced. Objects were not independently rendered in miniature painting, ancient Buddhist cave art, temple carvings or regional traditional art. Objects held in hands of deities held symbolic meaning, but were never the central subject. That changed around the middle of the last century. Still Life has been used by Indian artists since in a variety of contexts. But Instilling Life is not a historical tour. It is a series of snapshots of how some of our artists who have made inanimate object the central image in their work.

- an excerpt from the catalogue

Click on the images below to enlarge them

Indrapramit Roy
Untitled, 2006, Oil on canvas, 48 x 36 inches shaped (Sold)

Indrapramit Roy
Untitled, 2006, Oil on canvas, 48 x 36 inches shaped

Deepak Kannal
Shishiragam, 2006, bronze, 72 x 36 inches

Gayatri Gamuz
Manjal Pye (Yellow bag), 2007, Oil on canvas, 54 x 54 inches

Sold

Gayatri Gamuz
Homage to a Grain of Rice, 2007, Oil on linen, 40 x 40 inches

Gayatri Gamuz
Intensive Care, 2007, Oil on canvas, 54 x 54 inches

Kim Kyoungae
Nostalgia 2, 2006-2007, Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 24 inches each (2 panels)
sold
Kim Kyoungae
Nostalgia, 2006-2007, Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 24 inches each (2 panels)
(sold)

Debraj Goswami
Still Life, 2007, Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 inches (sold)

Debraj Goswami

Steel Life, 2007, Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48 inches (sold)

Nehal Rachh
Comfort Zone (set of 3) 2007, 12 x 12 inches, ceramic

Nehal Rachh
Security Blanket, 2007, 55 x 29 inches, ceramic and fabric

Nehal Rachh
Comfort Zone, 2006, Ceramic, 12 x 12 inches (sold)

Dilip Chobisa
The Surface, 2007, Drawing on paper, 31.5 x 23.5 inches (sold)

Dilip Chobisa
Untitled, 2007, drawing on paper and fluorescent light, 41 x 29.5 inches each (Sold)

Abhay Gaekwad
Untitled, 2007, 48 x 60 inches, Acrylic on canvas

Abhay Gaekwad
Untitled, 2007, Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48 inches

Chinmoy Pramanik
Multi Vitamin Capsules, 2007, Acrylic on canvas, 76 x 40 inches
Sold

Abir Patwardhan
Such A Long Journey, 2006, beaten copper, 48 x 10 x 7

Abir Patwardhan
Emotional Landscape, 2007, beaten copper, 18 x 4 x 4 inches

Abhimanue VG
Unclaimed Objects 2, 2006, Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 24 inches

Abhimanue VG
Unclaimed Objects 3, 2006, Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 24 inches

Abhimanue VG
Unclaimed Objects 1, 2006, Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 24 inches

M Sashidharan
A Rose Without A Name, 2007, 53 x 20 (flower) x 4 (stem) inches and 4 meter fabric
Beaten metal, rust, colour and fabric (Sold)

M Sashidharan
Study for A Rose Without A Name, 2007

M Pravat
Untitled, 2007, Oil on canvas, 1.5 x 1.5 each (4 panels) (sold)

Nikhileswar Baruah
Still It's Life, 2007, Installation with Broken crockery, satin cloth, table

Shruti Nelson
Untitled, 2007, Acrylic on canvas and bag;
30 x 22 inches (canvas) + 18 x 13.5 inches (bag painted on both sides)

Shruti Nelson
A Gesture, 2007, mixed media on Waterford paper, 12 x 12 inches
Sold

Shruti Nelson
Untitled, 2007, mixed media on Waterford paper, 30 x 22 inches

Yashwant Deshmukh
Against Light, 2007, Acrylic on paper, 30 x 22 inches (sold)

Yashwant Deshmukh
Somebody is Listening, 2007, Acrylic on paper, 30 x 22 inches (sold)

Pradeep Mishra
Untitled, 2007, 30 x 22 inches, Charcoal, pastel and watercolour on paper
(sold)

Pradeep Mishra

Untitled, 2007, 30 x 22 inches, Charcoal, pastel and watercolour on paper
(sold)

Shruti Nelson - A Visualsmith

2007-02-10T12:41:00.000+05:30

Recent works on canvas and paper by Shruti Nelson at Hacienda Gallery, Mumbai from February 16 to 24, 2007

This collection is like a book of dreams. Every page takes us into a fantastical journey of shadowy alleys in a forest. Some artists are inspired by ancient myths and fables but Shruti creates her own mythical place where animals, birds and human beings are in a state of metamorphosis.

Hope you enjoy this visual ride in the wild.
- Jasmine Shah Varma

Visual Translation; 36 x 36 each (2 panels); acrylic on canvas (SOLD)

Untitled; 48 x 36 inches; acrylic on canvas (SOLD)

A Play of Light; 12 x 24 inches; acrylic on canvas (SOLD)

Morphogenesis; 48 x 36 inches; acrylic on canvas (Sold)

Ambiguous; 12 x 12 canvas; acrylic on canvas (SOLD)

Untitled; 12 x 12 inches; acrylic on canvas (SOLD)

Untitled; 48 x 36 inches; acrylic on canvas (SOLD)

In Pursuit of Shadows; 48 x 36 inches; acrylic on canvas (SOLD)

Untitled (stitched bag painted on both sides)
24 x 17 inches approx; mix media on canvas

Untitled; 37 x 29 inches; mixed media on acid free paper (SOLD)

Untitled; 40 x 26 inches; mixed media on acid free paper (SOLD)

Untitled; 40 x 26 inches; mixed media on Waterford paper (sold)

Sculpting an Unknown Mystery; 30 x 22 inches;
mixed media on Waterford paper, certain areas burnt (SOLD)

Untitled; 36 x 36 inches; mixed media on Waterford paper (SOLD)

Carnival (Fete); 36 x 36 inches; mixed media on Waterford paper (SOLD)

Untitled; 35 x 27 inches; mix media on Waterford paper (SOLD)

In Quest for Twilight; 30 x 22 inches; mixed media on Waterford paper (SOLD)

Impression of a Dream; 30 x 22 inches; watercolour on Waterford paper (SOLD)

A Maze; 30 x 22 inches; mixed media on Waterford paper (SOLD)

Mirage; 30 x 22 inches; watercolour on Waterford paper Sold

In Search of the Horizon; 17 x 17 inches watercolour and collage on Waterford paper (SOLD)

A Murmur In the Mist; 17 x 17 inches watercolour and collage on Waterford paper (SOLD)

Untitled; 12x12 inches; watercolour and collage on acid free paper (SOLD)

Untitled; 17x17 inches; watercolour and collage on Waterford paper (SOLD)

Contemporary Art from South Korea

2006-12-28T17:22:00.000+05:30

An exhibition of paintings by four South Korean Artists at Hacienda Gallery, Mumbai from January 18 to 30, 2007

Genres of Contemporary Korean Paintings

Seo Seongrok, art critic
(Seo Seongrok’s writing interpreted in a conversation between Kim Kyoungae and Jasmine Shah Varma)

In Korea there are two distinct genres in painting. One is Western Painting that came from Japan during the Colonial period under Japan. The other is Korean Painting which is an altered form of Sumukhwa (Chinese ink painting). Geographically Korea is surrounded by powerful countries hence there has been a constant political and cultural influence of one power or the other. Korea adopted and incorporated various influences and what we see today is a result of both these genres coexisting and evolving over time.

Contemporary artists continue the use of Korean Painting material and follow its aesthetics. Typical material used includes paper, ink stick, ink stone, pointed brush etc. The understanding of space in Korean Painting is distinct from that in Western Painting. In the former the use of space and the application of strokes and ink are given importance but in Western Painting the emphasis is on description of ideas, rendering texture and telling a story. But contemporary Korean artists do not follow the peculiarities of each genre strictly. They borrow from both traditions to create a unique contemporary visual language.

Lee Jongmok is a good example of Korean Painting. He exhibits well the harmony between paper, water, brush and ink. In Korean Painting various hues of black are explored by varying the amount of water used in a stroke. In Jongmok’s work handling of water and ink is remarkable. His linear brush strokes are noteworthy. The strokes are natural, gossamer and flow easy. The brush stroke is not applied with force on paper, ink gently permeates the surface. When the tip of the brush touches the paper, the paper seems to want more brush strokes.

Kim Kyungsun explores the metaphysical aspects of lotus leaf form. Compared with Jongmok her paintings are more process oriented and physically involving. She drips colour, spreads and scatters colour and ink on paper. She makes imprints of colour. The paper absorbs colour and the overlapping of hues is apparent. Her brush strokes are like clouds in the sky. In her compositions the main elements appear like coincidence or unplanned, but they do not result from impulsiveness. Her process involves using calculated amount of water, ink and preplanned strokes. The idea however is to make it appears natural in the final painting. The intense process of creating is not apparent, on the contrary the paintings appears serene and detached. Her work brings out an internal expression and surpasses corporeal qualities. Looking at the painting is not just a visual experience but a deeper mystical one.

Shin Hyundae’s painting displays another aspect of Korean Painting. Hyundae paints in the style of Silkyoungsansoo — depicting actual scene or landscape. This practice of painting flourished in Korea before Impressionism in France. During the Chosun Period (1392 to 1910) the tradition of Kwannyumsansoo — painting from memory or reference and not directly from life — was practiced until Silkyoungsansoo came about in the later years. Korean painters went outdoors and painted from life.

In contemporary times they continue to the practice Silkyoungsansoo as seen in Hyundae’s work. He visits remote rural areas, ancient monuments, scenes in urban cities, mountains and seashores and observes life and people there. For him the brush has a different function. It is not a medium for holding ink, but it is a means for the artist to express himself. The difference from the traditional and Hyundae’s practice is that the latter adds more colour which helps to express emotions and feelings more emphatically. In one of his earlier painting of pine trees and white snow fields you can experience the freshness and purity in the air.

Kim Kyoungae’s paintings are expressive and reminiscent of Minwha, a late Chosun period practice, which became popular among low middle class. Minwha is a form of Korean traditional painting created by self-taught artists. It’s decorative, colourful and does not conform to rules and regulations of formal Korean Painting. It brings in the essence of the common Korean people and conveys joyfulness. Kyoungae’s work does not strictly belong to the Minwha tradition but one can see some relevance of this style in her work. The use of decorative motif and bright colours is similar to Minwha paintings. But the artist’s emphasis on composition and structure and the content are different from Minwha tradition. In Kyoungae’s painting clouds, trees, flowers, circles and squares suggest more than the physical aspects of the painted image. The colours are used to express personal memories and experiences. In her painting two different realms — the real and the dream co-exist. They seem to be in the past or in the dream and create a nostalgic feeling. The painted images are from the real world but are rendered to create mystery. There’s also a sense of illusion of travel in fantasy. She creates many kinds of worlds in one painting.

Contemporary Korean artists have found an independent visual language in spite of proximity to China and Japan. They use bright colours, some follow the tradition of Silkyoungsansoo and there are others who emphasize the harmony of water, ink and paper. The works of each of the four artists display a critical part of Korean Painting. Their art practice is distinct from each other and yet it is held together by the peculiarities of Korean Painting. This group exhibition offers an opportunity to understand a part of contemporary painting in Korea.

Seo Seongrok, art critic has been teaching History of Art and Aesthetics at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Andong National University, Andong, South Korea since 1990. He was awarded Best Art Critic in 2001 by Walgan Art. In 2006 he was awarded best author for his writings on Korean Art. Some of his major publications in Korean language are: Park Soogun, biography of the late Korean artist, Rembrandt, The God You Met in the Art Gallery, Dreaming Hand, Footprints of the Korean Contemporary Painting, Korean Contemporary Art, Perspectives on European and Oriental Arts and Issues of Contemporary Art.

SOUMEN DAS

2006-11-12T13:11:00.000+05:30

Imprints of Space

Paintings by Soumen Das from December 1, 2006 at Hacienda Gallery, Mumbai

Certain spaces leave misty impressions after we have visited them. One recalls a site as a visual code. It may be challenging to verbalise the description of these memories. Photographic details too may not do justice to the emotions attached to such places. It’s a personal picture of a place seen and experienced.

Such reminiscence seems to be at the root of Soumen’s inspiration to paint. His paintings are somewhere between representation and his impression of the physical experience of visiting or seeing the space. He photographs various locations and uses the images as a starting point in the paintings. With a foundation structure in line drawing of the architecture he begins portraying his impression of the place. The structures that interest him could be his neighbouring terraces and tenements, historic forts, temples or palaces.

The likeness between the physical appearance of the place and the painting are irrelevant to Soumen’s concerns. Neither naturalistic representation nor providing information about a location is his intention. He could be painting fragments of a structure, like an arch, a staircase, or one section of a building. Details or semblance to any particular structures are replaced with layers of repetitive patterns. Inside spaces collide or integrate with outside spaces. Layers of pastel shades overlap as do horizontal, diagonal and vertical planes, and patterns. These graduated expanses of surfaces create a serene tone in the painting.

Starting from an architectural source of inspiration to a process where its details and identity are reduced, Soumen’s approach is quasi-abstract. His endeavour is to recreate the feelings that come from being in or witnessing the space that he has chosen to portray. He plays with multiple perspectives in each composition. Depth comes from the different layers of colours and motifs. In recreating an impression of a place visited or seen around him, he builds spaces, creates space between those spaces and moulds the space.
Broad swabs of brush in single colour glazes are overlaid on the structures, patterns and shapes, erasing some of the contours and details. Colour is Soumen’s primary concern. Casein, powdered pigments mixed with a binder solution, is used on canvas in this collection. The freshness and brightness in these pigments add to the sense of vast space even though his compositions are busy with overlapping patterns such as triangles, wavy brush marks and lines.

To see Soumen’s work in the context of the Baroda art school where he did BA and MA in Fine Arts (Painting) is interesting. It is known that in the early years after its inception the Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda, has bent toward a figurative visual discourse giving importance to the roots of Indian tradition of narrative folk, temple and miniature art. At the same time, the faculty has been receptive to myriad approaches of expression. Soumen has allowed his own voice to express even as he has apprenticed with senior artists such as GM Sheikh and Nilima Sheikh in his formative years. He attributes his familiarity with casein to her. Living in an artistic environment that has been preoccupied with premeditated subjects stemmed in social, personal and political issues, Soumen departs in the direction of expressing intangible experiences through form and colour. Apart from the initial reference to a physical structure, his work process is spontaneous.

Soumen has lived in Baroda for the last 15 years. He is originally from a place near Kolkata called Mecheda. In his childhood Soumen lived in various places in West Bengal as his father, a civil engineer had a transferable job. Wherever they travelled, Soumen was close to nature he says. He was born near a river and he has grown up in green and tranquil surroundings. The serenity in Soumen’s paintings could also be attributed to these early memories.

Jasmine Shah Varma
November 2006

Soumen Das at work at his studio in Baroda
Photographs by Manish Mehta

Soumen is an emerging artist to watch out for.
His works are quasi-abstract. Inspired by architectural buildings, his
paintings evoke the feeling of a place rather than its physical details.
In this show he is showing works in Casein on Canvas. Very few artists use casein. Powdered pigments are mixed with casein — a binding solution. The mix results in a grainy, tactile texture and allows the artist to make translucent brush strokes. The brightness in his works is due to the freshness in these colours.

Soumen has done BA and MA in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University, Baroda. His previous solo shows include

2006 Artist of the Month (July), Saffronart.com
2005 Epiphany / The Moment, Sarjan Art Gallery
2001 Memories, Nazar, Baroda
1999 The Fine Art Company, Bombay
He has participated in several group shows including Stirring Quartet in 2005.

Also see

Gallery Collection

STIRRING QUARTET 2006

2006-09-02T21:36:00.000+05:30
IN THE second edition of Stirring Quartet we present the works of Gayatri Gamuz, Alok Bal, Sharmi Chowdhury and Pradeep L Mishra from September 18 to 30, 2006 at Hacienda Art Gallery, Mumbai. Curated by Jasmine Shah Varma, Stirring Quartet continues to showcase artists with distinct visual languages.

The first exhibition of Stirring Quartet was held in November 2005. This year the artists come from different backgrounds and art schools. Spanish artist Gayatri is based in Thiruvanmalai. Her work projects possibilities in a future where there are no trees. She speculates the relationship between humans and wildlife in such a scenario. Alok, who is from Orissa is currently based in Baroda, Gujarat. The concrete blocks of houses in his paintings are inspired by the scene from his 10th floor studio. A nature-loving person, Alok observes the slow and steady replacement of greenary with concrete in sombre toned paintings. Sharmi comes from Bengal and is also based in Baroda currently. Her narrative works are visually playful and provide a sense of drama. She explores the delicate nature of human relationships and the changing nature of gender roles in society. Pradeep, alumnus of the JJ School of Art is based in Mumbai currently. The youngest in the group his work exudes wonder and questions that have no easy answers. The large scale of his works and technique of painting to bring about more than photographic likeness adds to the viewer's sense of wonder.

ALOK BAL
Baroda

Black Landscape
70 x 70 inches
Acrylic and Emulsion on Canvas

"THE paintings in this show are from the series of landscapes. I get a
view of the urban landscape from my studio, which is on the tenth
floor of a corporate office building. Everyday I am witness to the
gradual change in the landscape – the actual nature is being replaced
by second nature, which is manmade. I record on canvas this
transformation. The use of black and greys is symbolic of ignorance."

GAYATRI GAMUZ
Thiruvanmalai

In A Land Without Trees
54 x 54 inches
Oil On Canvas

Behind The Pink, 2006
39.5 x 39.5 inches
Oil on Canvas

"LATELY, when I wonder what to paint, my thoughts turn to a persistent picture: a dreamy world of a land without trees.

Both in the imaginary and in the real “land without trees”, there is still something exceptional about the human that is worthy to think or to imagine about, and this is what I paint.

In my paintings humans appear with a conscience -- they offer themselves for things to turn from this reality to another, and there are particular combinations of elements: eggs, nests, monkeys, black bucks, birds, sheep, elephants, humans, stones, they get together and melt in a high conscience of deep understanding, of an elemental urgent understanding of intentions."
-- Excerpt from the text in the catalogue

About Extinction, 2006
40 x 40 inches
Oil on Canvas

PRADEEP L MISHRA
Mumbai

Untitled, 2006
66 x 72 inches
Oil on Canvas

"THERE are no statements or stories behind this image besides the presence of the painted being. What I paint is “common”, in the present with memories from the past. I am interested in observing how viewers receive, and what they feel on encountering my work."

SHARMI CHOWDHURY
Baroda

The Garden of Earthly Delights!
84 x 54 inches
Oil on Canvas

"I RAISE the curtain once more for my exhausted patriarchs. They share the space, and their identities intersect. Each performance is staged, and being fully aware of the implied spectacle, my characters set out to enact their roles. Their identities are slowly erased, with the shifting sexual dynamics that characterises the queersome change they are all going through. A small patch of pink or a morose grey marks this metamorphoses – it’s a whole new set of human relationship that waits at the corridor.
Everybody has an equal share in my inexplicable allegories."

2006-09-02T21:18:00.000+05:30
ALOK BAL
Baroda

Black Landscape
70 x 70 inches
Acrylic and Emulsion on Canvas

"THE paintings in this show are from the series of landscapes. I get a
view of the urban landscape from my studio, which is on the tenth
floor of a corporate office building. Everyday I am witness to the
gradual change in the landscape – the actual nature is being replaced
by second nature, which is manmade. I record on canvas this
transformation. The use of black and greys is symbolic of ignorance."

2006-09-02T17:57:00.000+05:30
GAYATRI GAMUZ
Thiruvanmalai

In A Land Without Trees
54 x 54 inches
Oil On Canvas

Behind The Pink, 2006
39.5 x 39.5 inches
Oil on Canvas

"LATELY, when I wonder what to paint, my thoughts turn to a persistent picture: a dreamy world of a land without trees.

Both in the imaginary and in the real “land without trees”, there is still something exceptional about the human that is worthy to think or to imagine about, and this is what I paint.

In my paintings humans appear with a conscience -- they offer themselves for things to turn from this reality to another, and there are particular combinations of elements: eggs, nests, monkeys, black bucks, birds, sheep, elephants, humans, stones, they get together and melt in a high conscience of deep understanding, of an elemental urgent understanding of intentions."
-- Excerpt from the text in the catalogue

About Extinction, 2006
40 x 40 inches
Oil on Canvas

2006-09-02T17:55:00.000+05:30
PRADEEP L MISHRA
Mumbai

Untitled, 2006
66 x 72 inches
Oil on Canvas

"THERE are no statements or stories behind this image besides the presence of the painted being. What I paint is “common”, in the present with memories from the past. I am interested in observing how viewers receive, and what they feel on encountering my work."

2006-09-02T16:02:00.000+05:30
SHARMI CHOWDHURY
Baroda

The Garden of Earthly Delights!
84 x 54 inches
Oil on Canvas

"I RAISE the curtain once more for my exhausted patriarchs. They share the space, and their identities intersect. Each performance is staged, and being fully aware of the implied spectacle, my characters set out to enact their roles. Their identities are slowly erased, with the shifting sexual dynamics that characterises the queersome change they are all going through. A small patch of pink or a morose grey marks this metamorphoses – it’s a whole new set of human relationship that waits at the corridor.
Everybody has an equal share in my inexplicable allegories."

GALLERY COLLECTION

2006-07-05T12:48:00.000+05:30
For purchase enquiries email indiancolours@gmail.com

Shruti Nelson
Untitled, 36 x 36 inches; Acrylic on canvas

Gayatri Gamuz
Homage to a Grain of Rice; 40 x 40 inches; Oil on lines

Anjum Chaturvedi
Journey; 46 x 36 inches; Acrylic on canvas

B V Suresh
5.34 am Joypur; 46 x 36 inches; Flashe on canvas

K P Reji

Untitled; 46 x 36; Oil on canvas

Sudhangshu Bandopadhyay

Fiction and Space Between; 48 x 60 inches; Oil on canvas

Sudhangshu Bandopadhyay

Fiction and Space Between; 48 x 60 inches; Oil on canvas

2006-07-05T12:38:00.000+05:30

Pulak Sanpui
Untitled, 2005
Acrylic on Canvas, 54 x 24 inches
Rs 32,000

2006-07-05T12:35:00.000+05:30

Pulak Sanpui
Untitled, 2005
Acrylic on Canvas, 56 x 20
Rs 30,000

2006-07-05T12:22:00.000+05:30

Pulak Sanpui
Untitled, 2005
Acrylic on Canvas, 56 x 20 inches
Rs 30,000

2006-07-05T12:20:00.000+05:30

Nikhileswar Baruah
You Turn, 2006
Acrylic on Canvas, 70 x 24 inches
Rs 90,000

2006-07-05T11:56:00.000+05:30

Nikhileswar Baruah
Meandering I, 2006
Acrylic on Canvas, 27.5 x 32 inches
Rs 60,000

DEPARTURE - Nikhileswar Baruah's recent works

2006-03-20T23:59:00.000+05:30

Hacienda Gallery, Mumbai presents Nikhileswar Baruah's solo exhibition from March 31 to April 8. Titled Departure, this is a collection of acrylic on canvas.

Baruah is based in Baroda. Born in 1967, Assam, he completed BA and MA Painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University, Baroda. This is his fifth solo exhibition and has shown in several important curated shows across the country. He was awarded 'Emerging Artist of the Year' award, Harmony in 2000.

Baruah's works are visually stimulating and thought-provoking. He has always maintained an independent visual identity among his contemporaries. His paintings have an international feel and address issues that are universal. Baruah's dedicated approach to his metier has seen him evolve steadily over the years and brought maturity in his works. This is best demonstrated in the Departure series.

Into The Blue

2006-03-20T23:43:00.000+05:30

Hacienda Gallery, Mumbai presents Nikhileswar Baruah's solo exhibition from March 31 to April 8. Titled Departure, this is a collection of acrylic on canvas.

Baruah is based in Baroda. Born in 1967, Assam, he completed BA and MA Painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University, Baroda. This is his fifth solo exhibition and has shown in several important curated shows across the country. He was awarded 'Emerging Artist of the Year' award, Harmony in 2000.

Baruah's works are visually stimulating and thought-provoking. He has always maintained an independent visual identity among his contemporaries. His paintings have an international feel and address issues that are universal. Baruah's dedicated approach to his metier has seen him evolve steadily over the years and brought maturity in his works. This is best demonstrated in the Departure series.

HOW often have we fantasized to take wings into the expanse of the sky, to soar above the crowded space in our mind and settle where clutter doesn’t find its way. Nikhileswar Baruah’s Departure series emits that kind of aspired, tranquil space. One is drawn into a zone of boundless blues, turquoise greens, magentas and purples and pink-red horizons.

These paintings are peopled with men who train their gaze upon us, like the chiseled-face models who stare at us from enormous hoardings to gain access into our mind. Sometimes Nikhileswar’s characters train their eyes away from us on to an object, compelling us to follow the trail of their sight. It seems these men yearn to rise above the din of the cityscape.

Nikhileswar’s characters are from unspecified locations, and are anonymous just like the models on the hoardings selling us dreams. Nonetheless they are common faces, expressing familiar thoughts and feelings. One can identify with the limp figure walking away from a wire fence, the pensive expression and the grimace. We know that we are looking at or being looked at by an urban, suave person.

The objects such as the chair, plane, fence and rocket are symbolic, yet open to varied readings. The painting with the chair between two faces is thought-provoking. A chair can be used as a metaphor for power. Ironically, Nikhileswar has painted an easy-chair rather an authoritarian throne between two individuals, both facing away from it and from each other. A number of questions arise. Who is this chair of power for? Has someone shirked one’s responsibility? Or it could be read as someone leaving the easy-chair in order to face the real world. Either way a sense of departure comes through.

Stylistically, Nikhileswar’s departure from previously busy compositions is remarkably evident. In the past he dealt with complex issues in the social context. Violence in and around the lives of the ordinary in the modern urban setting was a key focus. He has always focused on the experience of the individual in the gamut of happenings rather than looking at the issue at hand as an outsider. And he continues to focus on the individual. But the character’s experience itself has changed. Thus this is an important collection in the artist’s career as it displays an evolution in the thought process, painterly techniques, and the look and feel of the paintings. Indeed it is a departure of sorts.

Jasmine Shah Varma
Mumbai, March 2006

2006-03-19T14:30:00.000+05:30

Beyond Horizon — Kim Kyoungae's works on paper and canvas

2006-02-12T20:55:00.000+05:30
Hacienda Gallery hosts South Korean artist Kim Kyoungae's first solo show in Mumbai from Feb 18 to March 4

Kim Kyoungae is based in Baroda for the last 10 years and this is her first solo show in Mumbai. After graduating in Oriental Painting in South Korea she came to India travelling to various universities before choosing the MS University to study further. She did her Masters in Museology in Baroda and has stayed back in the city of artists to pursue painting.

2006-02-12T20:19:00.000+05:30

2006-02-11T10:36:00.000+05:30
The fastidious details and dreamlike paradise scenes make Kim Kyoungae’s paintings alluring. The idealised foliage, stylised clouds, mountains, floating lanterns, an illuminated bungalow, partially seen buildings and pieces of furniture — all these elements are strung together in various combinations in the cosmic universe of her canvases. The artist’s inner rhythm ties together all these seemingly unrelated abstracts into a collective like the planets in the solar system. These are elements from Kyoungae’s everyday experiences, keen observations and projected realities.

One is reminded of Veristic Surrealism seeing the dreamlike clarity and a sense of illusions at play in her large canvases. Her roots in Oriental painting, and quasi abstraction through minimalism create a delicate aesthetic balance with her immediate Indian influences such as the burst of luminous colours.

She keeps her brush so light that the precise brushstrokes hardly seem like they have been applied. The layers and layers of colours are like whispers on canvas. Some works reveal a different imagery altogether in the slightest of illumination. Forms, not apparent in the first instant, emerge on different levels to complete the picture. She highlights with radiant colours certain aspects of the painting, drawing our attention to both the obvious and the obscure.

I find there’s an analogy between Kyoungae’s compositions and the different levels of consciousness that Buddhism speaks of. The nuances in her paintings can be interpreted as various levels of perceptions and realities one awakens to after years of meditation. One sees more dimensions of the apparent over the years; there is no one single truth the paintings seem to suggest to me. There’s a mystical quality in Kyoungae’s paintings.

The paintings evoke the harmony that one experiences as a result of meditation. The darker shades of the leaves and the gradual toning up of cobalt blue, green, yellow, white and red are calm like breathing in and breathing out. The paintings reveal the transient nature of life with its now-seen-now-not aspects. In one of her canvases in the Beyond Horizon series there is a pattern of black and white triangles evoking the idea of illusions. Another work from the series, numbered 4, resonates the metaphor for changing seasons of life. The Soliloquy series of acrylic on paper are like jottings of the mind’s impressions or fleeting visions.

She describes them as “visual prayers”. The mythical creature Garuda appears in some of her works alongside other symbolic objects such as trishuls, lotus, bows and arrows. In Buddhist thought the bird-man Garuda symbolises our primordial nature, which is eternally complete. The Garuda chick is fully developed when still in the egg, but it cannot fly until it hatches. There is a time and place for everything it is believed.

For Kyoungae, Beyond Horizon is a collection of paintings that are a personal journal of her journey up to now. What she sees, her responses to day-to-day happenings, her surroundings, her thoughts, her past and its memories all seep into her paintings spontaneously in a dreamlike, idyllic setting. The stylised nature imagery that predominates her paintings comes from her proximity to nature during her years in her hometown Sunsan, Kumi. The architectural references seem to indicate the distance from her motherland and the new setting she has adapted to. She invents her own space – an idealised paradise in which she introduces symbolic objects like furniture pieces.

Jasmine Shah Varma
Mumbai, 2006

SHRUTI'S WORLD

2006-01-08T19:45:00.000+05:30
The paintings featured here are SOLD OUT.

January 21 to February 2, 2006 at Hacienda Gallery, Mumbai

Shruti’s world is peopled with a quixotic mixture of creatures primarily belonging to the animal kingdom and the world of fashion with cameo appearances of playing card king, tarot card hanged man and assorted other characters from the world of cartoons and comic strips.

The first thing that draws attention to the paintings is the seductiveness of the surface worked in multiple layers and the teeming vibrancy of the creatures; drawn, painted, scribbled and embedded in it. The riot of imagery and the colours lead to a Garden of Eden, albeit a slightly kitschy one.

Shruti’s earlier body of works had a whole pantheon of hybrid creatures; grasshoppers with pretty faces, anthropomorphically inclined centipedes and millipedes, humanoids in ace flying glasses sporting butterfly wings and antennas. In them one sensed a parallel to the somewhat abridged mythologies akin to those of say, the Pokemons.

The recent works have real animals; antelopes, monkeys, giraffes, zebras, armadillos and horses. But these are, more often than not, turned into motifs of a larger design. Repetition — a favorite trope that Shruti often uses — sees to it that they are customised into spaces that are far removed from their native Serengeti Plain. The humans that cohabit or share these spaces with the animals are from the world of glamour.

It will be trite to claim that all her works have an autobiographical core but Shruti does identify with these characters subliminally. A desire to walk into the looking glass and emerge transformed in her personalised wonderland is unmistakable. The steadfast refusal of any reference to the reality of her middle class surrounding is indicative of this. Shruti is in the business of concretizing desire and intimate fantasies; embracing little girl Barbie dreams of glamour and haute couture, beauty and grace, chic style and page three glitter in a straight faced manner that emphatically seeks recognition for what it is.

The set of jackets and dresses are markers of her impatience with the uniform rectangular flatness of the canvas and the passion to craft something that encases the human body. In this quest the paraphernalia of sequins, glitter, readymade stencils, photo transfer, collage, tattoo, paint, gel pen, all are welcome and nothing is taboo.

The zany fast-paced, dazzling randomness of the MTV meets the NatGeo world is arraigned in the deceptively simple proposition, ‘what you see is what you get’. There is no attempt to claim the moral high ground of social critique, no pontification and no Existential angst for Shruti. The unabashedly celebratory imagery belong to the generation ‘X’ that proclaims their comfort level in watching Harry Potter on the screen rather than reading the tome. Yet, the surprising handcrafted feel of Shruti’s works remain refreshingly positive in this era of media inspired realism. She is not alone in sourcing inspiration from print or the electronic media but what marks her out is her use of the painterly language. Neither the declamatory posturing of ‘appropriation’ nor the skilled mechanical finish but a rather tentative, probing, adventurous, not-afraid-to-commit-mistakes approach that ultimately humanizes and lends it the vulnerable edge.

Shruti’s methodology itself is very revealing. She works straight on the canvas with no preparatory drawings, filling up spaces with her drawings. As she goes along she uses scribbling, superimposing, cutting and then drowning her images in broad swathes of colour washes and just when the painting is on the verge of collapse under the ensuing chaos she sets about to rescue them. Sometimes she misses but the hits adequately compensate for them. This desire to undergo the pleasurable torture each time she starts a painting remains, perhaps, the most singularly unique trait that makes them so fresh, so endearing.

Indrapramit Roy
Nov, 2005
Baroda

(Indrapramit Roy is a Baroda-based artist who has held a number of exhibitions in India and overseas. He has been teaching in the Department of Painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University, Baroda since 1995)

Indefatigable Shruti

2006-01-08T19:28:00.000+05:30
The passion with which Shruti Nelson works is infectious. Her paintings are infused with an energy one wouldn’t expect from her deceptively slim and small physique. Shruti pours her heart out into her paintings with a no-holds-barred attitude.

Shruti is vivacious, full of beans and this is reflected in her working process. She works on several paintings at once, sometimes in different mediums, and even those don’t seem to be enough to do justice to creative juices. Her works are process-intensive, using layers and layers of colours, whether they’re acrylic on canvas or the sensitive medium of watercolours on paper. Her hold over watercolours is especially remarkable.

She doesn’t stop at painting, and expresses herself by pasting cutouts of animal figures over painted surfaces, burning paper, puncturing the surface in neat circles, and sticking sequins. Today most artists rest at their “arrived language”. For Shruti there’s no stopping. She explores and innovates, unwilling to use the same mould again and again. Everyday, or after every night when she wakes up, she has renewed zest to portray her latest dream. Having said that, there is an amazing continuity in her work, from when she started to now. Her signature style is versatile: it contains her essence, and yet, is not repetitive.

One enters a world of familiar creatures, but the setting is unfamiliar and one is unleashed in to the fantasy land of Shruti’s making. Every corner, every square inch of her surface draws you in, as she works passionately to bring out minute details of her imagination. She treats the mount and the frames also as surface, applying colours and sequins on them. Her fascination for unconventional surfaces has her spend hours with tailors stitching up skirts and jackets that she will transform into her personal style statement.

Working with her over the months for this exhibition I have realised, it’s hard to expect the expected from the indefatigable Shruti.

Jasmine Shah Varma
(Mumbai based independent curator and writer on art)

NEW BEGINNINGS

2005-12-20T10:17:00.000+05:30

An Elegant Armour by Shruti Nelson

The year 2006 will begin at the Hacienda Gallery with an array of solo shows of artists who hold the future in their hands. We begin with the zestful Shruti Nelson on January 21.
February 18 will see the methodical and precise Korean artist Kim Kyoungae exhibit a breathtaking collection of works.
From April 2, Nikhileshwar Baruah will hold a solo of large works in Mumbai after a long hiatus.
We hope you will join us on our journey on appreciating the works of these artists.

Kim Kyoungae will be exhibiting a set of 12 paintings on the four seasons, besides other works. This is from a set of three works on winter.

STIRRING QUARTET

2005-11-16T15:51:00.002+05:30
Hacienda Gallery presents an exhibition of four alumni of the noted Faculty of Fine Arts, MS University, Baroda. Each one of them has a distinct visual language that sets him/her apart from their colleagues in the incestuous art environment of Baroda. These are artists who have taken individual stances rather than follow a visual practices of one kind or another.

Kim Kyoungae, a Korean artist brings together a fine language that is informed by an Oriental style and a contemporary approach to painting. Soumen Das uses casein, a medium that supports his quasi-abstract works. The deviation from figurative and narrative subjects makes Soumen’s choices intriguing. Similarly with Pulak Sanpui, whose paintings are an escape into imaginary green lands with an emphasis on the experience of an ambience. Shefali Nayan, the artist from Ahmedabad, and the only figurative artist in the show, has taken the bold step to let childlike innocence lead her rather than be forced by a sophisticated visual vocabulary.

This show has been conceived by Jasmine Shah Varma, Mumbai-based writer and independent curator. The endeavour here is to present a wider canvas of talent that is ever-growing on the Indian contemporary art scene.

2005-11-16T15:43:00.000+05:30
Shefali Nayan
Born 1975, Ahmedabad
Lives and works in Ahmedabad

Innocence and playfulness are abundant in Shefali’s renditions. The childlike and naive quality of her paintings are balanced with proficient compositions and skillful handling of paint. The characterizations and deliberate postures of animal or human figures add to the narrative quality. In temperament her works remind one of French painter Jean Dubuffet whose paintings were inspired by what he called “raw art” —the work of children uncontaminated by culture. Also, Shefali cuts out excesses in her compositions.

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2005-11-16T15:40:00.000+05:30
Soumen Das
Born 1969, West Bengal
Lives and works in Baroda

Soumen’s meditations in partially-abstract impressionist strokes give a sense of known while leaving the viewer to ponder over the mysteries behind the layers. He begins with an elaborate foundation of perspective and geographical contours of actual or remembered spaces, and gradually builds the composition with colours applied in layers and textured patterns. He uses casein, a versatile medium, that allows opaque and transparent applications. The medium complements Soumen’s explorations of illusionist spaces.

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2005-11-16T15:35:00.000+05:30
Pulak Sanpui
Born 1969, Kolkata
Lives and works in Baroda

Having grown up in the neighbourhood of a luxuriant botanical garden in Kolkata, the inspiration behind Pulak Sanpui’s nature dreamscapes is traceable. One is reminded of Henri Rousseau paintings such as the ‘The Dream’ when one sees Pulak’s tranquil panels that are peppered with occasional twists like the dragonfly. Images of foliage from different geographical locations or even Pulak’s imagination are brought together through a spontaneous process to create an idyllic Neverland.

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2005-11-16T15:28:00.000+05:30
Kim Kyoungae
Born 1966, Sunsan, Kumi, South Korea
Lives and works in Baroda

Isles Within (Cupboard series)91cm x 152cm

In Kyoungae’s paintings the elements from everyday environment receive iconic stature. The precision of strokes and the unique arrangements of objects as varied as a leaf, knife, vase, lock or key, create a novel worldview to the mundane. She says, “My art is a reflection of my lived environment and I draw my images from daily life. In many ways the works chronicle my observations not unlike a traveler’s diary where the notations and descriptions finally transcend the event itself, and in the process get shared with many. There is an element of documentation and the autobiographical in the deliverance of an idea for me that touches upon a variety of events, profane and mundane; and the images transpire to convey beyond the representational, holding the potential of layered meanings.”

Isles Within (Cupboard series)91cm x 152cm

Isles Within (Cupboard series)91cm x 152cm

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IN SHORT

2005-09-04T19:32:00.000+05:30

Art tells stories. Stories evoke art

EVERY artist develops a painterly language over time and that becomes a means of visual communication with the viewer. Participants in this exhibition have used their visual vocabulary to respond to published works, whether they are novels, short stories, fairytales or socio-political essays. Each one has chosen a piece of writing that they felt inspired by, and brought out its essence in a visual form. This has been done in a series of small-format paintings, from which arises the title ‘In Short’.

Storytelling takes on a different meaning and role in the hands of the twenty-five participating figurative and abstract artists. The premise of this exhibition was that artists apply the same idiom for storytelling as used in their works otherwise. Some have used one source of writing and others have integrated works by multiple writers and genres.

Ernest Hemingway, Italo Calvino, Somerset Maugham, Rohington Mistry, Haruki Murakami, Kahlil Gibran, Arundhati Roy, Anees Jung, B K S Iyenger, Jataka tales, Ramayana, and daily comic strips are some of inspirations for the artists.

The tradition of narrative art goes back to the earliest surviving paintings in India like at the Ajanta caves. They relate scenes from the life of Buddha. The reliefs on ancient Hindu temples have serialised narrations of episodes from epics besides iconic representation of deities. In the Mughal paintings made under Akbar there are examples of illustrations of Persian poetry, literature and fables. Besides, there is the Akbarnama, which is a pictorial account of his reign. In that context it’s stimulating to note the role that contemporary artists are playing in narrating contemporary stories or written accounts of happenings in our times.

What's interesting to see is not only how the story is retold, but also how the artist picks on elements from a book to represent it or take the writer’s thought further. As a viewer, does one make the connection between the painting and the story that the artist has chosen? Will the artist's imagery, inspired by a particular book, match with the fleeting images that would have perhaps flashed in the mind of the viewer while reading that book? In the case of artists who have chosen timeless stories, have the interpretations brought out a dimension unexplored thus far?

Hope you enjoy this session of storytelling.

Jasmine Shah Varma
August 2005

2005-09-04T19:20:00.000+05:30
Alok Bal

Untitled (Fakr) • 2005 9" x 12" Acrylic on paper

Born: 1969 • Lives and works in Baroda

Alok Bal is inspired by Kahlil Gibran‘s ‘The Prophet’ to set aside his usual figurative style and express himself in abstract terms. These four paintings are not so much a planned narrative representation of the book, but a spontaneous reaction to it, with a vocabulary, in the form of circles, crosses and plus signs, created just for it.

Amit Ambalal
The Good Lion • 2005 • 15" x 20" • Gouache on paper
Born: 1943 • Lives and works in Ahmedabad

Amit Ambalal uses humour and irony to poignantly point out human nature in his paintings. In Ernest Hemingway’s short story ‘The Good Lion’ he found the inspiration to express wittily that basic instincts rule over nurturing in the case of this cultured lion, whose whiskers take the shape of a bow tie in the painting.

2005-09-04T19:01:00.000+05:30

Anjana Mehra
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari • 2005 24" x 36" Mixed media on canvas

Born: 1949 • Lives and works in Mumbai

Anjana Mehra has chosen to depict Robin S Sharma’s ‘The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’. A composition in blue and white tones suggests the haze of material greed clearing out and the mind becoming calmer. She creates drama with the flying, menacing creatures which must go away as the protagonist gets on the path of enlightenment.

Barun Chowdhury
Lajja (Shame) • 2004-05 • 11.5" x 11.5"
Acrylic, oil and pastel on paper

Born 1971 • Lives and works in Baroda
Barun Chowdhury responds to political and social affairs through his works. The ‘Lajja’ series is inspired by Taslima Nasrin’s book of the same name on religious persecution and extremism. Barun makes symbolic references to the womb and the child, anxiously raising the question about the future of the next generation especially of those lower down in social pyramid.

Babu Xavier
Summer (1) • 2005 • 7" x 9" • Gouache on paper
Born 1960 • Lives and works in Trivandrum

Babu Xavier’s idyllic imagery in the paintings here are inspired by Italo Calvino’s collections of stories, ‘Marcovaldo’. Without indulging in the narrative elements of the story, Babu picks on its essence and certain images that flash on reading the stories. The flowerbeds, the clear night skies, the stars and the park bench with a shining tubelight disturbing the central protagonist’s sleep are captured in the paintings.

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Birendra Pani
Pascimottan Asana • 2003 11" x 14" Watercolour on paper
Born: 1969 • Lives and works in Mumbai
Birendra Pani makes figurative drawings of yoga postures inspired by B K S Iyenger’s ‘The Art of Yoga’. He aims to revive a visual vocabulary that is stemmed in Indian tradition and relevant to our times and finds that Yoga straddles both. He portrays these poses as being performed by the male performers of the perishing dance form Gotipua of Orissa, which has its foundations in Yoga.

Datta Bansode
Vaha • 2005 • 7" x 9.5" Mixed media on paper
Born 1969 • Lives and works Latur
Since 1998 Datta Bansode has been painting Buddha’s image in a stylised manner. The paintings in the show are also a tribute to Gautama Buddha but he extends his visual vocabulary and colour palette in this set. His compositions are not accounts of the many fables but iconic representations of Buddha, evoking metaphorically the essence of his message.

Debraj Goswami
For His Baby • 2005
12" x 6" • Acrylic on paper
Born 1973 • Lives and works in Baroda

Debraj Goswami’s paintings have thought-provoking double-edged images, laced with acrid humour. ‘For His Baby’ and the paintings in this series are inspired by Czechoslovakian writer Julius Fushick’s story ‘The Electric Bulb Eater’, where the protagonist tries to earn a living by eating glass bulbs. Goswami extends his imagination, through striking visual metaphors, to the bulb-eater’s family and his struggle to feed them.

2005-09-04T18:07:00.000+05:30

Dhruvi Acharya
Sleep (tryptich) • 2005 5" x 5" Acrylic on panel
Born 1971 • Lives and works in Mumbai

Issues of a woman multitasking, motherhood, marriage, career and isolation are seen in Dhruvi Acharya’s works. In the triptych based on Haruki Murakami’s short story ‘Sleep’ from ‘The Elephant Vanishes’ collection she gives a visual essence of the story. The central character of ‘Sleep’ – a wife and mother – suffers from insomnia all of a sudden in her harmonious lifestyle.

Gautam Mukherjii
Charulata • 2005 8" x 8" Acrylic on board
Born 1960 • Lives and works in Mumbai
Gautam Mukherjii’s paintings of an ideal Bengali family are rendered in a style inspired by Bengal’s popular-art tradition of contoured figures and a face that is always seen from the side view. In line with his subject matter he has chosen characters of the popular story ‘Charulata’ here, evoking the stereotypical portrait of Bengali tradition.

Lalitha Lajmi
Siddhartha Sees Death • 2005
13" x 9" Watercolour on paper

Born 1932 • Lives and works in Mumbai

Lalitha Lajmi’s paintings narrate scenes from a woman’s realm in domesticity and her dreams and fantasies. In the Jataka tales Lalitha has found the material to relate episodes such as Maya’s dream of an elephant when she conceives Siddhartha and when Siddhartha sees human suffering and death through symbolic narration.

2005-09-04T17:50:00.000+05:30
Laxman Aelay

Chelima (The Spring) • 2005
12’’ x 12’’ Mixed media on canvas board

1964 • Lives and works in Hyderabad

Laxman Aelay has made a transition from being an illustrator of books and a signboard painter to a fine artist. This series is inspired by ‘Chelima’ by Telugu writer B S Ramulu set in rural India, where age-old matrimonial traditions are questioned by a young girl named Laxmi when she sets out to look for a spouse. Aelay portrays a patriarchal society, changing ethics and life in the village.

Milburn Cherian

Untitled • 2005
8.5" x 6.5" Acrylic on canvas
1957 • Lives and works in Mumbai
Milburn Cherian’s complex and detailed paintings set in an unidentified time and location offer manifold narrations. Consistent with her idiom she has based her paintings on Somerset Maugham’s mysterious short story Honolulu about a captain of a ship and a curse that is on him.

Nayanaa Kanodia
Devdas Woos Paro • 2005
11" x 7.5" Gouache on paper

1950 • Lives and works in Mumbai

Charged with humour and joyous playfulness Nayanaa Kanodia’s paintings comment on the rich and the urban glitterati. Here she has chosen the popular story of ‘Devdas’ and she uses her unique naïve art style to depict this love story in a vibrant colour palette.

2005-09-04T17:20:00.000+05:30

Papri Bose
Untitled • 2005 • 12" x 10" • Acrylic on canvas

1954 • Lives and works in Mumbai
Papri Bose’s paintings are laden with symbolism and contextual imagery. Here she presents a set of paintings inspired by Gregory David Roberts’ autobiographical ‘Shantaram’, and brings out an essence of his eventful and soul searching journey. Papri uses the emblem of a flower and thorn to evoke the heartbreak and gentleness of the central character.

Payal Khandwala
A Fine Balance (set of five paintings) • 2005
10" x 10" • Mixed media and oil on canvas

1974 • Lives and works in Mumbai

Payal Khandwala’s abstract paintings stem from her feel for textures and colours. But these spontaneous paintings are not just about impulse and the end result speaks about the artist’s thought process. This is revealed in the set of five paintings that emerged after a reading of Rohington Mistry’s ‘A Fine Balance’.

Priya Pereira
The Holy Rosary • 2004 • 4" x 4" • Offset printing on paper, cord and tassle 15 pages Artists’ Book Limited edition of 200
1967 • Lives and works in Mumbai
The artists’ book is a medium that suitably lends itself to the premise of this exhibition. Visual and textural vocabularies are woven together in this art form as seen in Priya Pereira’s ‘The Holy Rosary’. This 15-page book unfolds as a rosary — the prayer beads — and each page has a prayer.

2005-09-04T16:51:00.000+05:30

Rini Dhumal
Jataka Tale• 2005 • 9" x9" • Watercolour on paper
1948 • Lives and works in Baroda
In her inimitable style Rini Dhumal brings to life the enchanting fables of the life of Gautama Buddha. Here, the story of the Buddha offering himself to a hungry wild beast is retold in a compact composition. The swiftly drawn lines are the source of the passionate energy in her paintings.

Shamshad Husain

Untitled• 2005 • 6" x 9.5" • Pen and ink on paper
1946 • Lives and works in Delhi
In 2001 Shamshad Husain exhibited for the first time his paintings inspired by ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The extraordinary book continues to inspire him. Rather than illustrating or narrating the story he likes to depict the feelings the book has evoked in his unique visual interpretation.

Shruti Nelson

Untitled• 2005 • 16" x16" • Mixed media on acid-free paper and mount
1969 • Lives and works in Baroda

Shruti Nelson paints the world of fantasy with imaginary creatures and mythical characters. The fairy tale of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ became a fountainhead of inspiration for her, as did the humorous newspaper comic strips that she escapes into every morning with her cup of tea. Dreams of the imaginary and humour amalgamate in her innovatively rendered works.

Suhas Bahulkar

2005-09-04T16:43:00.000+05:30

Pasand Apni Apni• 2005 • 14" x 14" • Acrylic and gold leaf on paper

1954 • Lives and works in Mumbai

Suhas Bahulkar’s narrative is stemmed in the Indian idiom. His paintings of old wadas and havelis celebrate the past and comment on the corrosion of old values today. In this work he makes a social comment by contrasting the characters of Hanuman, a Brahmachari, and Ram, an ideal husband, with a common man who chooses to have more than one female companion.

Sunil Padwal

2005-09-04T16:27:00.000+05:30

Untitled • 2005 • 12" x 24" • Acrylic on wood

1968 • Lives and works in Mumbai

The unidentified man, who appears in several of Sunil Padwal’s paintings, represents the anguish of the urban man faced with ideological issues. In this series the issues that Arundhati Roy raises in ‘The Algebra of Infinite Justice’, become this urban man’s own as he cogitates over them. Padwal uses symbolism and in places gives a spontaneous response to the political writing.

Swarupa Shah

2005-09-04T11:22:00.000+05:30

Penne And Apple Salad • 2005 • 8" x 12"
Watercolour on paper, wire mesh and fur
1967 • Lives and works in Baroda
Swarupa Shah looks at the roles and the place of women in our society. In this exhibition she draws from three pieces of writing that are aimed at the female reader, who is seen through a set of stereotypes. Anees Jung’s ‘Unveiling India – A Woman’s Journey’, Tarla Dalal’s ‘TV Meals Delicious Mini Meals’ and ‘Cinderella’ come together in the artist’s expression.

Suryakant Lokhande

2005-09-04T11:03:00.000+05:30

An Opening to The Unknown • 2005 • 8" by 66"
Acrylic on wooden boxes and mirror glass
Born • 1969 • Lives and works in Mumbai

A search for self and concerns regarding the ultimate truth are seen in Suryakant Lokhande’s works. Here he takes up ‘The Ultimate Alchemy’ by Osho that talks of the Atma Puja Upanishad. Lokhande takes up issues of ultimate purity and innocence found in children but lost in adults. He does so using portraits of a young child and a symbolic mirror under each portrait.

T V Santosh

2005-09-04T10:46:00.000+05:30

Untitled • Year 2005 • 22" x 29" • Watercolour on paper

Born 1968 • Lives and works in Mumbai

He symbolically uses the severed finger that Eklavya sacrifices for Dronacharya. Inspired by a short story by the Malayalam writer Anand, Santosh says, "In this complex narrative history and myths become indistinguishable. The protagonist discovers a forgotten book titled ‘Nishada Puranam’ and reads the dialogue on knowledge between Eklavya and Abhimanyu during the Kurukshetra war." The use of the contemporary idiom for a thought from the Mahabharata
is refreshing.

Still Waters Run Deep

2005-01-15T09:52:00.000+05:30

More than a ‘gambler’s medium’

John Singer Sargent, the late-19th-century painter, once described watercolours as “a gambler’s medium”. Any artist who has used watercolours will know instantly what he meant. It is an unforgiving medium, where the slightest mistake can destroy a painting, and unlike in oils, one cannot start all over again. Not just the result – the painting – but also the process is revealed; we see not just the artist’s thought but also his thinking; not just the destination, but also the journey. Every wrong turn, every uncertainty is revealed.

But while Sargent’s phrase is accurate in terms of the perils of the medium, it is inaccurate when it comes to describing the artists who have contributed to this exhibition. They are not gamblers, but masters of the medium, who know precisely how to navigate its choppy waters. To borrow historian Paul Johnson’s words on watercolour artists, they have “the willingness to take enormous risks, and the skill to pull them off”.

Those risks, of course, are worth taking. The artists gathered here have described watercolours as a “lyrical medium”, with “a certain beauty and softness, and a delicate feminine quality”. They have spoken of how “the tender hues of water” return their “vitality”, of how their “human figures [are] seduced into festive mood”. They are stimulated by its “disciplinary demand”, and “excited and thrilled” by the results. And with good reason.

The artists in this collection do not belong to a single generation or any particular school of art. In this exhibition you will see abstract paintings, figurative works, landscapes and still life. They all arise from a single source: a love for the versatile and rewarding medium of watercolours. We hope you enjoy the labour of this love.

Curated by
Jasmine Shah Varma
January 2005

Rockscape by Vinod Sharma (2004)

2005-01-14T15:05:00.000+05:30

"It is the most interesting medium. One has to take quick decisions while painting. I have been painting rockscapes for 15 years. In oils I work with texture, blade and the works; with watercolours I play with water."

Details
Watercolours on Waterford paper
17.5" x 27.5"
Rs 16,000

Play of Colours by Sudhangshu Bandopadhyay (2000)

2005-01-14T15:04:00.000+05:30

"Through watercolours I can explore the recesses of my mind."

Details
Watercolours on paper
11" x 13"
SOLD

Night Sky by Asit Poddar (2004)

2005-01-14T15:02:00.000+05:30

"Water is life, life water,
Water is pure, colourless
Yet the various colours of life contained in water — watercolours
Flow of stream, the flow of tears
The gentle rain, wrath of the hurricane
Water has many a form
And in their midst, my little attempt at understanding watercolour
With watercolour, lives’ colours come to light."

Details
Watercolour on paper
14" x 19"
Rs 20,000

Rose Boy by Papri Bose (2004)

2005-01-14T15:01:00.000+05:30

"As a medium it has a yielding and sensitive quality that lends to great transparency. Spontaneity, layers, surprises are its key words."

Details
Watercolours on paper
22.5" x 12.5"
SOLD

Bull Fight by Nandalal Bose (1959)

2005-01-14T15:00:00.000+05:30

Details
Watercolours on paper
9.5" x 12"
Rs 1,50,000

Churches from Goa by Anandmohan Naik (1969)

2005-01-14T14:58:00.000+05:30

"Watercolours have a certain beauty and softness, and a delicate feminine quality. It lends itself to spontaneous work at one sitting. It takes me hours or days to think on the subject or treatment, but the actual painting is completed in a short while. This results in freshness and no over-work."

Details
Watercolours on Norway paper
13.5" x 20"
SOLD

Watercolour No.7 by Laxman Shreshtha (2004)

2005-01-14T14:57:00.000+05:30

"Art activity in watercolours (being truly a transparent medium) reveals its process that leads to ‘beauty’. After a difficult battle with oil paints, the tender hues of water return my vitality."

Details
Watercolours on Arches paper
29" x 49"
SOLD

Still Life With Fish by Lalitha Lajmi (2000)

2005-01-14T14:56:00.000+05:30

"I enjoy working in this medium for its lucidity and for the transparent colours which give off light through the paper. The only difference between oil and watercolours is that one cannot make any mistakes in watercolours or wipe off the form, whereas in oils one can start all over again."

Details
Watercolours on Arches paper
20" x 14"
SOLD

Untitled by Prabhakar Kolte (2002)

2005-01-14T14:55:00.000+05:30

"This medium is an extension of my inner being. I have used all mediums through the years, but the fluidity in watercolours and acrylics is what I was looking for. It’s more than a medium for me. It helps me best say what is going on inside me."

Details
Watercolour on Arches paper
30" x 22"
SOLD

Man With Bull by Jehangir Jani (2004)

2005-01-14T14:54:00.000+05:30

"Watercolour has freed the image into a delicate, translucent one. Its disciplinary demand excites me. It is my attempt to create a sensitive work on the white surface of the paper."

Details
Watercolour on Arches paper
11" x 7.5"
SOLD

Landscape by Gopal Ghose (early 1960s)

2005-01-14T14:50:00.000+05:30

Details
Watercolour on paper
5.5" x 11.5"
SOLD

Batasia Loop by Biren De (1953)

2005-01-14T14:46:00.000+05:30

Details
Artist's comment at the back of the painting: A goods train goes round the wellknown Batasia double loop north of Ghoom."
Watercolours on paper
5" x 7.5"
Rs 75,000

Santhal Woman by Ramkinkar Baij (1960)

2005-01-14T14:45:00.000+05:30

Details
Watercolours on paper
11" x 7.5"
SOLD

Untitled by Subhash Awchat (2004)

2005-01-14T14:44:00.000+05:30

"Watercolours provide a very lyrical medium."

Details
Watercolours on Waterford paper
21" x 24"
SOLD

Still Life With Fruits by K H Ara (1960s)

2005-01-14T14:42:00.000+05:30

Details
Watercolours on paper
21" x 27"
Rs 500,000

Untitled by Akbar Padmsee (2004)

2005-01-14T14:40:00.000+05:30

"I begin in the presence of a ‘void’; a white sheet of paper and a mind devoid of thoughts. The brush is plunged into a container of water, when the excess water flows out, only the tip of the brush is dipped into the bottle of ink. This is the ancient Chinese method of loading the brush. Water is ‘Shakti’, and ink is the male counterpoint; the stroke of the brush is the union of the two.
The first stroke creates two spaces, the second four, the third creates eight spaces, with each stroke the spaces expand exponentially. At a certain point of infrastructural complexity, the reverse process begins, silencing the manifested structures in order to release the single unique form which can finally be named, the thought process starts once again, and the ‘void’ is filled with voices."

Details
Watercolours on Arches paper
16.5" x 24.5"
SOLD

Village Woman by Laxman Aelay (2004)

2005-01-14T14:39:00.000+05:30

Details
Watercolours on paper and mountboard
SOLD

"The medium offers a transparent and a layered effect that lets the eye penetrate from one platform to the other. I try to personify this visual interplay in reference to the images drawn."

Details
Watercolours on Acid-free paper
30" x 22"
SOLD