Spotlight on B V Suresh

B V Suresh’s installations introduce a new point of departure for the understanding of painting, video and new media art practice. Originally a painter, BV Suresh is known for creating seemingly living tableau on a canvas and a screen. Suresh’s new media works continue producing an art in a third luminal space where tradition and technology is not as much a hybrid as a transmutation. As an artist whose earlier career was met with much acclaim for his paintings and assemblage, Suresh has challenged the typical demarcations of mediums by animating still surface of a painting while giving form and space to the light and fleeting presence of a video. Suresh’s unique audio-visual elements elevate the viewer in a transfigured moment of action. It is this phenomenological exploration that gives Suresh’s video installations the aura of experiencing a unique, visual poetry.

Golden Quadrilateral initially appears benign in content. The subject is based on a grandiose project of building a national highway network in India— the Golden Quadrilateral project, (the four- and six lane quadrilateral, 3,625 miles long running through 13 states and India’s four largest cities: New Delhi, Calcutta, Chennai and Mumbai), a smoother road grafting Western notions of speed and efficiency, onto a civilization that has always taken the long view.

The projection opens with a composite of painterly video shots and pictures of windmills, express highways, snails juxtaposed against the silhouette of a road worker. As the narrative progresses one sees newspaper and media images of state politicians, and maggots exposing a reality where a civil engineer, Sathyendra Dubey, was murdered for exposing corruption in the project.

Suresh’s installation encourages a thoughtful meditation on dynamic re-definition of art practice in relation to cultural change, and the dialogue between the poetic and the technological dimensions of art. These projects give us a glimpse not only into Suresh’s oeuvre but also into the dynamic visual language that addresses socio-political reality which is more jagged than straight.

The artist has woven many layers and motioned them to project ironic complexities in making right paths and directions.

B. V. Suresh was born in Bangalore in 1960, and studied at the Ken School of Arts in Bangalore. He received his Diploma and Post Diploma in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts, M S University in 1985 with a Karnataka Lalitkala Academy Scholarship, and received an MA in Painting in 1987 from Royal College of Arts in London with a scholarship from the Inlaks Foundation.

His select solo exhibitions include Facilitating the Beast, Vadhera Gallery, New Delhi, 2006, Gallery Chemould, Bombay, 1998, Gallery 7, Bombay, 1992, Venkatappa Art Gallery, Bangalore, 1991, Gallery 7, Bombay, 1988. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions such as ‘Through a Glass Darkly : Reflections on the self portrait', Guild Art Gallery, Bombay, 2008, ‘Mechanisms of Motion’, Anant Art Gallery, New Delhi, ‘Guru Poornima’, Sarjan Art Gallery, Baroda 2006, ‘Pachmadi Show’, ABS Gallery, Baroda, 2006, ‘Metamorphosis’, Asian Fusion Gallery, ACC, New York, 2005, ‘Generations’, Kaleidoscope Gallery, Baroda, 2005, ’ Are we like this only’, Vadhera Gallery, New Delhi, 2005, ‘Transgress’, Group Show, Bombay, 2004, ‘Looking Back - Looking Forward’, Sarjan Gallery, Baroda, 2004, ‘Highlights’, Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, 2003, ‘Banniyan Tree’, Nazar Art Gallery, Baroda, 2002, ‘Once Upon a Time’, Gallery Chemould, Bombay, 2000, ‘New Shoes For Mercury’, Sakshi Gallery, Bombay & Bangalore, 1997, Gift for India, Organised by SAHAMAT on the occasion of 50 years of Indian Independence. Delhi & Bombay, 1997, ‘A Broader Spectrum – IV’, Gallery Chemould.

His many awards include the 1996 Grand Prize at the Sixth Biennial of Contemporary Indian Art, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal and 1995-96 Senior Fellowship from the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India.

His works have been exhibited extensively throughout India, as well as internationally. In 2002, he exhibited at the 2nd Asian Art Triennial, Fukuoka, Japan, as well as CAN (Concerned Action Now) Show in Delhi. He took part in the AarPar2, India Pakistan Art Exchange Project in Mumbai and Karachi, and was Resident Artist ‘VAFA’ (Vibhavi Academy of Fine Arts) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, as well as ten years of Sakshi, Chitrakalaparishat, Bangalore. In 1997 he took part in the Gift for India, in Delhi and Bombay, Organized by SAHAMAT on the Occasion of 50 Years of Indian Independence. In 1995 he exhibited in Post Card for Gandhi, SAHAMAT, Delhi and other cities. His work has been exhibited in the UK, Australia and France, as well as New York.

Besides numerous art exhibits, Suresh worked on stage and prop design in 2000 in Navlaka – Lao Jiu (Ninth Born), Directed by Anuradha Kapoor at the Asian Art Festival, New National Theatre, Tokyo. He also worked on illustrations for children’s books in 1991 for “Gadbad Ghotala,” by Safdar Hashmi, and “The Walking Stick,” a Pictorial Story Book, IBH in 1988. “The Walking Stick” was made into a digital video (5 min) in 2000, which was shown at the Chemould Gallery in Bombay at the “Once Upon a Time” exhibit.

Suresh has taken part in numerous art camps throughout India and has conducted several workshops, including an Animation Workshop in 2005 at Sahyadri School KFI, Pune, and in 1997 as a visiting lecturer at S.N. School of Visual Arts, Performing & Communication, Hyderabad University.

Most recently, he has been involved in digitally generated video art, including “Retakes of the Shadow”“The Tale of the Talking Face”(5 min), shown at Durban, South Africa, 2006; (3 min) in 2006; `I` Are we like this only, (11 min) Vadhera Gallery, New Delhi, 2005, as well as “Introspection,” (5 min), which was shown in 2002 at the Apejay Media Gallery in New Delhi and in 2001 at the South Asia Film Festival at Kathmandu, Nepal.

Opening reception of Time Trancendent a huge hit

The December 18 opening reception for Time Transcendent was a huge success. Hundreds of of guests attended this gala event. This exhibition feature videos by Pratul Dash, BV Suresh and Manoj Baviskar, and a mulit-media instalation by Kausik Mukhopadhyay. Th guests were amazed by the works on display. This exciting show will remain on display until early Feburary allowing visitors time to visit after the Holidays.

Time Transcendent to open next week at Tamarind Art

Tamarind Art is pleased to announce “Time Transcendent”, an exhibition featuring four new media artists who will be showing work that is video, performance and installation based. Featured in this show will be works by Manoj Sardar Baviskar, Pratul Dash, Kausic Mukhopadhaya, and BV Suresh.

Time Transcendent includes installation, limited edition prints, and video projections which plays throughout the gallery space. The combined works interplay various themes conveying personal, political, social, and philosophical rhetoric on rapid expanse and intricacies of globalization which is changing the face of world’s largest democracy and its civilization which saw Aryan Migration, Mogul conquest and British colonialism over centuries. Now, in span of less than 15 years, capitalism and globalization have convulsed India at an unprecedented rate of change. The works on display reflect, react, enquire or document this radically evolving society.

Time Transcendent

Exhibition will run from 19 December - 6 February 2009

About the Artists:

Manoj Sardar Baviskar’s video “I came, I saw, I prayed for someone I Loved” The piece relates to Baviskar’s relationship with nature and with the love he feels for both his girlfriend and parents. Taking place in India’s Assam Forest, Baviskar ritually paints himself green and shaves his head against a background of construction sites, signifying the deforestation of one of India’s greenest areas.

Pratul Dash is interested in popular imageries and signs of the mass media and has begun to spread his message through the use of Video Art. From his newly acquired camera, he wandered the streets of Delhi. The color, charm, seductiveness, and lure of various objects of daily life attracted his attention.

Kausic Mukhopadhaya is known for his multidimensional installations. In his most recent work at Tamarind Art, “Remix,” the audience gets to participate by looking through seven separate magnifying glasses at various written messages, which can be changed by moving wheels on the exhibit. The piece gives the audience an opportunity to view the written messages that surround us as we go about our day with a new outlook.

BV Suresh’s piece “Golden Quadrilateral,” is a digital composite of painterly video shots and pictures of windmills, express highways, snails, newspaper clippings, media images of state politicians, and maggots juxtaposed against the key framed silhouette cycle on loop of a road worker. The subject is based on a grandiose project of building a national highway network— the Golden Quadrilateral project—in which a civil engineer, Sathyendra Dubey, was murdered for exposing corruption in the project. The artist has woven many layers and motioned them to project ironic complexities in making right paths and directions.

Mind, Matter & Mystique--Extended by a Week

Due to popular demand our current show Mind, Matter and Mystique is being extended another week. This show have been a HUGE success at Tamarind Art, featuring the works of a number of very exciting emerging and early career artists. This will be your last chance to view these works in this show.

For more information on this show visit www.tamarindart.com

Chaturanga- New York Premear at Tamarind Art

Tamarind Art is excited to Announce the New York premier screening of Chaturanga (four chapters) a film by the award winning director Suman Mukhopadhyay.

Screening will be Saturday, December 13 2008 at 3pm Sharp
to attend RSVP to rsvp@tamarindart.com

Chaturanga, based on the book by Rabindranath Tagore, is Suman Mukhopadhyay's second feature film. In 2005, Suman completed his first feature film, Herbert, based on a novel by Nabarun Bhattacharya. The film was given the National Award for Best Regional Film. He has also been conferred with awards like the Most Promising Director (BFJA), Best Debut Director (Lankesh Award) and Audience Award in the Dhaka International Film Festival. Herbert has been screened in a number of national and international film festivals including Cannes, Florence, Bangkok, Osian Cinefan, Zanzibar, Mumbai, Pune and Kerala. Suman has done his film training from the New York Film Academy, USA. He is currently scripting 'The Hungry Tide,' based on the novel by Amitav Ghosh.

Karan Mahajan's book reading on 12/2 a huge success

Last nights book reading at Tamarind Art was a huge success over 75 people attended this wonderful opportunity to meet the writer. Karan read briefly from his new book Family Planning, and spent the rest of the time mingling with guests. Thank you to Harper Perennial and the South Asian Journalist Assoiation for helping to make this event a huge success.

Mind, Matter & Mystique-- Last Week

This is you last chance to catch Mind, Matter & Mystique at Tamarind Art. We have been very proud of this show which has brought back some artist who have previously shown with us and also brought some exciting emerging artists to Tamarind Art as well.

We are going to be sad to see this show come down but our next show is going to be very exciting as well. Look for information on that show later this week!

If you have not seen Mind Matter & Mystique do come by and see it- If you have seen it see it again before it is gone for good.

Happy Thanksgiving
From Tamarind Art

Book Reading 12/2/08 At Tamarind Art

Harper Perennial, in Connection with the South Asian Journalists Association and Tamarind Arts Council, Presents: "An Evening with Karan Mahajan", Author of the book Family Planning December 2, 2009 7 -9 pm

Join us for a reading and an opportunity to meet author Karan Mahajan who will be reading from his new book Family Planning at Tamarind Art. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.

About Family Planning–

The patriarch of a chaotic family living in a hectic land must come to terms with himself and what he's wrought at home and at work in this excellent debut. Rakesh Ahuja battles the twin bedlams of his sprawling family and overcrowded home city of New Delhi while simultaneously trying to save his career as the minister of urban development. Rakesh attempts to manipulate and cajole his way through the corrupt and sometimes illogical Indian civil service, often finding himself embroiled in absurd intrigues. Home is no less fraught, where his 13 children battle each other for their often-absent father's love. The lone exception is Arjun, the eldest, whose adolescent rebellion and nascent romantic inclinations prompt him to form a rock band and pull away from his frenetic family. As Rakesh clumsily reaches out to his first-born son, the twists of fate that shaped both their lives are revealed, providing a portrait of a family that is both comical and heartbreaking. Mahajan's effortless blending of comedy and tragedy is irresistible and should help his book stand out.

Tamarind Arts Council 142 East 39th St, New York, NY 10016 www.tamarindarts.com 212-200-8000 to attend RSVP to

audrey.harris@harpercollins.com

212-207-7185

Spotlight on Maneesha Doshi

Post-Modernity in Indian Art has often dwindled in two directions: one mostly cerebral, the second thriving on passion or emotive faculty. Maneesha Doshi follows the later mode of expression.

The daughter of an eminent architect, with a Bachelor in Psychology, Maneesha studied painting at Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda, under the tutelage of well-known artists such as Jeram Patel, Bhupen Kakkar, and Ghulam Mohammad and Nilima Sheikh.

Drawing close affinity with Mexican master Rufino Tamayo’s philosophy, Doshi’s art germinates from her inner being. It involves her emotion and passion for life and existence. Human persona coupled with the divine is the basic theme and characteristic of her expressions. She explores her very self, delves deeper into it and from the depth of her being tries to comprehend the world around her. She uses jubilant colors, carefully meditated atmosphere, flat compositions and simplified conception of forms to decipher the complexities of realities. When she steps out of herself and enters the world around her, the process of assimilation between ‘heart’ and ‘head’ begins. The end result is divine, tranquil, internal landscapes with vivid imageries narrating fables of her life as she lives each day.

By portraying woman as a deity in allegorical representations against mythological backdrops, decorated with devotional motifs such as flower garlands and lighted lamps in temple-like sanctums, Maneesha glorifies the feminine by raising it to the level of divinity.

How far she can control this synthesis of personal ideologies and spiritual themes depends upon her aesthetic success.

To invest in Art or Not that is the question

Recently the word investment has been a bit of a dirty word. The stock market and real estate have gone from being a sure thing to an incredibly risky proposition. So what about art? Is it a safer area to invest?

As with any type of investments it is always good to have a diverse portfolio this goes for art as well. Over the long run fine art can be a great investment, that said buying art is long term investment. Over the past 10 years auction prices have been rising as has the celebrity of many artists. Even as the stock market began to tumble this fall Damien Hirst, a rock star artists if there ever was one, managed to sell over 200 artworks at Sotheby’s for nearly $200 million.

Since that auction buyers have become more cautious, at the recent Impressionists and Modern Art auction at Sotheby’s only 45 of the 70 lots up for auction sold. With shrinking returns on other investments art buyers are becoming more cautious. This is understandable with news stories telling us how everyone is cutting back, but if you can afford to do so now is the time to buy art.

With the sudden market panic, prices on art will begin to creep down, many works of high quality will be coming to auction as companies begin liquidating their corporate art collections. In addition investors who need extra cash will also be selling leading to a great opportunity for collectors. But what if your interested in investing in art but don’t have a Monet budget what can you do?

Look at art galleries, many galleries handle a variety of artist at various stages in their careers, younger artist or artists who are from countries that are becoming global player are a great area to look into. If you are looking at this from an investment standpoint start by visiting galleries; a gallery with a smart staff will be able to point you in the direction you want to go. Contemporary Indian Art is an area that has been growing steadily over the past 10 years both in India and in the West. Many of the older and mid-career artist are commanding prices that rival their western contemporaries. But the younger artist are creating high quality work that is proving to be a good area to invest.

If you decide you do want to invest in art, learn a bit about your poetical investment. Don’t just buy what you love – educate yourself first. Visit museums and galleries. Look for work by any artist studying with artist who you are interested in and who hasn’t “hit” yet. Also look beyond paintings on canvas, drawings, watercolors, and fine-art prints tend to be undervalued, so you might just get a real deal on one of those.

And in the end if the market falls out of the art world too you still have more than you did when you invested in stocks, after all who decorates with stock certificates?

Spotlight on Nimesh Patel

Nimesh Patel’s works show a jumble of objects - electronics, metal parts, wires and dials as a background to represent the cacophony of modern existence. Patel’s urban landscapes are illustrated as garbage heaps of cars, factories, and pollution, all neatly connected by an intricate network of wires. One of his earlier drawings depicts a wall of human beings impotently shooting spears and arrows at this junk heap of technology across a great divide. Patel’s work makes us question the progress of a world in which we are hooked-up, linked-in and tied-up to a constant barrage of information and misinformation, sound and sound-bytes, blocking out our finer sensibilities, sensitivities and humanity.

Works from his recent series “Reproduction before Revolution” shows a controlled format which is hybrid of miniature painting and comic strip layouts. The underlying narrative, continuous or splintered as the case may be, defies a literal readability in spite of the very specific juxtaposition of super imposed images which constitute it. It represents a unity which is connective rather than whole. Nimesh portrays the production house, one of a kind with simultaneous exploration of the repercussions of its products on the society. The seduction and intimacy offered by laboriously rendered images, far from being repellent or horrific, makes an everlasting statement which finds complete acceptance in our minds.

Spotlight on Eleena Banik

Eleena Banik debuted in the contemporary art scene over a decade ago with a series of abstract expressionistic paintings that invited viewers to contemplate mainstream modernism in a feminist light.

Through the use of contrasting textures and materials, Eleena creates art that conveys myriad layers of meaning and feeling. Her large canvases, rich with additive, expressionistic marks and bold lines have a strong epic presence. Her work’s dark obsessions operate internally in the viewer, playing on their psyche, their own doubts, fears and prejudice.

Still in her thirties, and a graduate of Vishva Bharati University, Santiniketan, Eleena has already covered much ground with 28 solo exhibitions, numerous group shows and a considerable body of work to her credit, commenting on most issues of contemporary interest ranging from violence to environment. While feminist concerns and sexuality continue to be the undercurrents for much of her distinct work, “Journey through a time of terror” (118 x 54in.) voices a protest against the violence and terrorism in the world. The iconography of three rickshaw pullers displays the ravages of time and pain. A crescent moon, crows on the hoods of carriages, a decapitated human head on a seat, pale expressions and twisted body language of the rickshaw pullers unfolds volcanic turmoil of human tragedy.

Spotlight on Nikita Parikh

In contrast with other women artists of her time, there is neither idea of feminine dominance nor feminine vulnerability in Nikita Parikh’s work. Nikita ingeniously bypasses the classic feminist issues of equality and social justice simply by taking inspirations from traditional Indian art such as Pichwai paintings and Shekhavati Murals. Born to a religious Vaishnava family, Nikita received MFA from M S University, Baroda. Like many Indians, Parikh in her childhood imbibed a rich storehouse of mythical and magical narratives. As an artist, she carefully reconstructs Indian myths and fables mingled with nostalgia to achieve an atmosphere of alternative fantasy in her work. While one cannot categorize her works as naïve art, there is a definite and deliberate naivety and innocence in her unique style which is reminiscent of modern masters such as Ken Kiff, Chagall, Miro and Kandinsky. Oddity of form, clumsy application of color and a tinge of humor in her earlier work has evolved into subtlety of statement gaining mature adaptability of style where Western influences do not remain as alien in Indian context. She often embellishes her work with playful, narrative captions that add ambiguity more than giving a clue to the images shown by her. In the current series “Sab Bhumi Gopal Ki’ she fabricates serene visual statement with repeated images of cows and flowers with traditional block printing methods in the composition to symbolize Lord Krishna’s Gokul with many cows and vegetation. In the course, she has subverted the modernity of high art practices by bringing traditional craft practices and material as Post-Modern art practice. This statement also merges the differences between the high art and craft practices, highlighting the labor involved in traditional artistry.

Spotlight on Mahula Ghosh

Many of Ghosh’s works appear deceptively serene from a distance. However, upon closer inspection, one sees depictions of war and terrorism, destruction and chaos. Tanks and war machines, automobiles broken by bombs and the silent faces of witnesses all express a world where car bombings and death has become the day-to-day backdrop for many as they go about their lives. As newspaper articles and news programs bombard us with images of war, terrorism and torture, there is poignancy in seeing these topics represented in acrylic, watercolor and gauche. Works with titles such as ‘Stain,’ ‘Burn,’ and ‘Wounds’ present an abstract representation of what for so many have become commonplace, and give homage to their experience.

“View from Distance” and “ Eyewitness” traces the trail of bloodshed in the Northern states of Jammu and Kashmir. Places like Pahelgaon and Gulmarg, once considered heaven on earth, are under constant turmoil both socially and politically. Culled from theatres of war, women and children endeavor to make sense of the apparently senseless bloodletting as they as they see it through the window.

Spotlight on Dipanker Dasgupta

Dipankar Dasgupta, we are also shown a world that is bleak, empty, and sometimes dark. The rough side of existence is juxtaposed with ornamentation, which can be interpreted as the divisiveness of a caste system or modern society’s enticing cover-up, distracting us from the darker, bleaker side of an industrialized world. Dasgupta shows the devastation left behind when an industry has eaten its fill and moved on to greener pastures. Modern architecture is depicted as a maze of jagged lines and, like Patel, man and nature is shown connected by wires rather than the natural flow of energy and emotion between all living things.

“Connectivity I &II” and “The Hill, The Moons, The Sea…” communicate the advancement in the world of technology while three waning celestial bodies trapped in an eclipse, hover over the lifeless golden hill. In this body of paintings the surface of the canvas serves as a signifier against which the artist develops on his language of coded symbols.

Spotlight on Sharmi Chowdhury

Figurative in nature the paintings of Sharmi Chowdhury depict the complexities of human relationships that the artist presents from personal experiences. The artist is a passive observer of the scene she has created. Multiple perspectives, reminiscent of miniature paintings, have been used by Chowdhury very effectively in order to delineate various related events at different space and time. The use of theatrical backdrops adds drama to the overall composition.

Born in 1974, in Kolkata Chowdhury received her B.F.A in painting from Kala Bhavan, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan in 2003 and M.F.A in painting from M.S. University, Baroda in 2005. Chowdhury’s first solo show was at Sarjan Art Gallery, Baroda in 2005. In 2008 she had a solo show at Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi. She was also in a two person show at Hacienda Art Gallery in Mumbai; Chowdhury has participated in many group shows in India and Abroad. Among the most recent shows include ‘Emerging India’ organized by Art Alive Gallery in New Delhi at the Royal College of Art, London, UK. The Singapore art fair , Singapore, RL Fine Arts Gallery in New York, Birla Academy of Art & culture in Kolkata, Sarjan Art Gallery in Baroda, Art Consult in new Delhi, Mon Art Gallery, Kolkata, Akkriti Art Galary, Kolkata, Trends &Trivia at Hong Kong, SA Fine Arts at London, UK.

Chowdhury has been the reciepient of a number of prestegous awards some of these are, the ‘Kala Bhavan merit scholarship’ from Visva Bharti University in 1998-2002 the Nokia art award in 1998 and Camlin art award in 2003.

Chowdhury currently lives and works in Baroda, Gujrat.

Spotlight on Mind Matter & Mystique

In Tamarind Arts Current show Mind, Matter & Mystique a number of extremely talented artists are featured. In our press materials we are only allowed a few sentences to focus on each of these wonderful people in the next few posts I will highlight each of theses artists giving the reader an opportunity to learn more about each artist.

Within the context of contemporary Indian art, the last decade of twentieth century is very important towards the development of modernity. Indian artists today are living simultaneously in several cultures and times. As times and cultures converge, the past exists as a living entity alongside the present, illuminating and sustaining each other. Many young and promising artists have tried to come out of conventional ways of image-making practiced by their predecessors of the past decades. They have absorbed in themselves the turmoil created by globalization and its outcome- the market economy, which brought along with it an enormous shift in socio-political and cultural values. They have reacted, restrained or raised a voice of rebellion against these changing spheres through their art.

Mind, Matter and Mystique is an attempt to bring together the conventions of conceptualism, unification of multidirectional norms, mystical faculty of vision, and other varieties of the Indian Contemporary Art practice.

Group Show- Mind, Matter, and Mystique

Mind, Matter, and Mystique. These words magestically echo in one's mind to sanctify the elements. Matter is what comes to the viewer when they are gazing at the powerful works of Nimesh Patel, and Eleena Banik. In hindsight, everything matters. The world is a never ending place that exudes excitement, and infinite sadness. Mystique is what Nikita Parikh brings to the table with her beautiful tapestry-like paintings portraying sacred cows delineating the Lord Krishna. The intricacy in her work is unbelievable. Sharmi Chowdhury uses a different kind of twist. With her juxtapositions and multiple perspective, her work engaged me. Especially, with the rotating piece called, "Pilgrim of the Patriarchs." This unique work she has created, has the viewer thinking that anything can happen at a "blink of an eye."

SAWCC Auction at Tamarind Art!!

SAWCC- "South Asian Women's Creative Collective" held an enormous and successful benefit at the gallery. The champagne flowed, smiles were exchanged, people were mingling, and fresh Tilapia was eaten. There were many unique treasures bid on by many of us. Donated treasures by the artists such as painted tiles, authentic paintings, and drawings by Samira Abbassy, Samanta Batra Mehta, Shelly Bahl, and Riyas Komu just to name a few. They were portrayed on the beautiful, stark white walls of the gallery and collected by my colleagues. One would be pleased to feel the enormous energy flowing throughout the gallery. This event was a huge success. Everyone met at the Leela Lounge afterwards for drinks and hors d'oeuvres. It was a pleasant evening had by all.

Social Entrepreneurship - Believe in the next big idea,

This past Thursday, the October 9, 2008, TIE held the talk, "Social Entrepreneurship - Believe in the next big idea," at Tamarind Arts Council. Moderated by Steve Hamm (BusinessWeek). Lisa Heydlauff (Going to School), Krishna Rao S3IDF and Lynn Renken (Nike Foundation) spoke about non-profit Be! Fund in India and its potential for beneficial change for low-income communities in India. The Be! Fund invests in young entrepreneurs and their respective ideas for change, with concentration on women and rural communities. The fund also encourages others to follow in their footsteps by utilizing media, in the form of a project called "Be! an Entrepreneur," (created by Going to School, supported by the Nike Foundation). This project is easily accessible, up to date in terms of technology, and also inspirational to the audience by providing personal stories of success from those who have utilized the Be! Fund. The primary goal of this project is to stimulate economic, environmental, and social transformation to communities in need. Unlike other initiatives for change, this fund addresses issues based on community needs and financial sustainability. Attendees of the talk learned of the value of investing in this fund and its realistic, innovative goals. The talk offered extensive material including information on the partnership which constitutes the fund, how to invest, social impact indicators, tax benefits, potential risks and more. For more information, please visit the partners websites:

http://www.selco-india.com/

http://www.s3idf.org/
http://goingtoschool.com/map.html

Artist Talk with Prema Murthy and Tom Finkelpearl

Daniel Lak, gave riviting book talk at Tamarind Arts Council

SAJA, The South Asian Journalist Association held a book talk with Daniel Lak, former BBC South Asia reporter and author of "India Express: The Future of the New Superpower" at Tamarind Arts Council on September 25. In spite of the UN being in session causing midtown traffic issues a large number of guests attended. Mr. Lak read from his new book and spoke on economies in India in a way that event someone like myself who is far from an expert on the subject could follow and enjoy. A question and Answer session moderated by SAJA co-founder Sree Sreenivasan followed.

Opening reception Organizing Energy

The opening reception for Tamarind Arts September show Organizing Energy was a huge success. Many attended and marveled at Murthys installation Fuzzy Logic II based on her installation at PS1 MoMA in 2007.

For those who have not seen this show yet it is wonderful in addation to the installation a number of the artists drawings, and prints are also featured.

This is a wonderful show that should not be missed with a number of wonderful works.

The image is the Artist with her installation.

Prema Murthy - Organizing Energy 9/16 - 10/26

Souza, Adieu

Hi, this is Eliot, the poster of many blogs here. In actuality, my name is Craig and I’m a white American living in the American Midwest. Before I was hired two and half years ago to write for Tamarind Art Gallery, my creative interests were Anglo-Saxon oriented. I was a lover of American artists—Warhol, Wood, and Whistler, as well as European masters like Van Gogh, Manet, Monet; especially the artist who set the art world on its ear, Pablo Picasso. I knew or cared little about Indian art and culture—it was half a world away.

Since then, I have developed a great respect and admiration for Indian art and culture. From Ganesh to Gandhi, Tagore to TV Santhosh, I have learned a great deal about the long, rich, sometimes tumultuous, always beautiful, creative history of the subcontinent. MF Hussein, what a master of lines, colors, and shapes, Raza’s bindus, intriguing. Most of all, however, I shall always enjoy the tortured works of Francis Newton. Nobody expressed their cynicism, disdain, and the foibles of life like Souza did. I shall carry his images in my heart and mind forever.

This is my last post. Life happens, things change. But I will always remember my new found respect for everything Indian. I would like to thank, you the reader, for perusing my blogs. I hope they were entertaining as well as enlightening. We learned together. Peace and joy to you all.

Craig

Alchemy of Enigma

Tamarind Art Gallery is currently hosting an exhibition of works by contemporary Indian artist Ashok Bhowmik. This exhibition of his paintings, entitled Alchemy of Enigma, is his first solo in the United States. In it, Bhowmik showcases his dramatic interpretation of the curious intermingling between the worlds of fantasy and reality.

Juxtaposing images of both the human form in profile and everyday objects with contemporary surrealist visions of nature, Bhowmik creates haunting and dramatic images, which parallel those of Marc Chagall and Gustav Klimt. With his use of stark, monotone backgrounds, Bhowmik strips his subjects bare of any extraneous context and freely explores them through his own perception of time, nature, life, death, and reality.

About the Artist
Born in Kolkata in 1953, Bhowmik graduated from Government College of Art and Craft. He has displayed his work in many places such as, TAO Gallery, Gallerie 88, Kolkata, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, Lalit Kala Akademi, National Exhibition, New Delhi, Sophia Duchesne Art Gallery, Mumbai, Annual Exhibition of Birla Academy, Sarala Art Gallery, Chennai, Indo-German Cultural Society and Center Art Gallery. Also, he has participated in workshops and art camps in China, Egypt, Thailand, Italy, Australia, as well as Istanbul. In addition, Bhowmik has directed Poster Workshops in Azamgarh, Bhopal, and spear-headed Project JointArt for the special needs children of Mano Vikas.

Along with his showings, workshops and camps, Ashok Bhowmik has received several awards such as, the Certificate of Merit, Annual Exhibition of Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata and the Academy Awards from Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata, in both 1980 and 1981.

Alchemy of Enigma runs through 15 August. For more information visit www.tamarindart.com.

Structure & Mystic Space - Contemporary Indian Art

Tamarind Arts Council and Time and Space Gallery of Bangalore invites you to the exhibition “Structure and Mystic Space”, a show which will introduce the works of many contemporary Indian artists: Akkitham Narayanan, Amitabh Sengupta, Balan Nambiar, Bhavani Katoch, Dhiraj Choudhury, Gopinath S, Murthy M.S, Nagure K.S, Sidharth, Siraj Saxena, Somenath maity, and Vishal Joshi.

Though each artist’s work is fundamentally unique and different from the next, the underlying theme of the show will be presenting the interaction between the spiritual world and the real world. Indeed, Indian contemporary art is a beautiful mix between the old and the new, thus these works essentially revive traditional myths and place them in the present.

About the Artists:

Akkitham Narayanan’s geometric paintings reveal a synthesis of Indian Tantric art and European geometric art. Narayanan’s work reflects the organized structure of the world through geometry yet engages with the spiritual through the dynamic forms and vibrating colors. Born in Kerala in 1939, he now works and lives in Paris.

Amitabh Sengupta’s work is highly influenced by his study of ancient script. Indeed, the reference to these ancient forms that came from religion and rituals were translated by the artist onto the canvas to connect imagery with symbolic intent. Amitabh Sengupta now lives and works in Kolkata, India.

Born in 1937, Balan Nambiar is a painter, sculptor enamellist, photographer and a research scholar on folk cultures in Kerala, and it shines through in his work. Indeed, the artist is able to translate the sounds, smells, and theatre of his native Kerala into multi-sensory sculptures.

Bhavani Katoch’s work is focused on abstracting fleeting nature into an eternal landscape the mind will remember. Katoch plays with light and color to convey time and space, stillness and movement. Born in 1956, he lives and works in Paris now.

Dhiraj Choudhury’s paintings are works that unite the spiritual and the material by creating narratives that engage man with nature.

Gopinath S. is inspired by the process of sculpture, the transformation of matter to image: his sculptures reveal the spirit of the material. He now lives in Bangalore.

Murthy M.S was born in 1960 in Bangalore. This artist uses cartography in space to track the terrestrial and celestial trajectories on the canvas. His play with surface and depth, as well as his skillful layering of pigments, create minimalist yet sublime works.

Nagure K.S’s works are inspired by the life of Buddha and the ascent of His spirit. The artist transfers the avatar in a mystic landscape of paradise, where Nature becomes the witness of his transformation. Nagure’s imagery represents the transcendental mind that has attained Nirvana.

Sidharth’s figures give visual embodiment to the intensely spiritual implications of Life. He plays with scale and perspective to restore dignity to all creatures, nurtures the connectivity and continuity of life, and the earth and all creatures belong to the sacred.

Siraj Saxena was born in Madhya Pradesh, India in 1974 and now lives in New Delhi. Linearity is at the basis of his works: the artist traces the circuit of particles in a maze to unravel the matrix of life. His canvases are a testimony to control over the dynamic flows of echoes and variation of patterns in a grid.

Somenath Maity paints the urban environment, where the city is the primary source of inspiration. Like an architect, Maity constructs his paintings: from colors to textures, he projects structures as the life force of the city. He was born in 1960 in Midnapore, West Bengal; he now lives and works in Gopalpur West Bengal.

Vishal Joshi is fascinated by the internal spirals that symbolize the cosmic rhythms of organic forms and the movements of the galaxy. Joshi gets inspiration from the textures and forms of Nature, and hopes to evoke Rasa-artistic delight- in the viewer.

Structure & Mystical Space opens on Wednesday 26 June. For more information visit www.tamarindart.com