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Journalism of Courage
A new gallery opens its doors with a group exhibition. The old Strand Cinema has buckled under the pressure of multiplexes but its lane still has charm. The new art gallery cashes in on that and brings alive the area with art. The inaugural show features a group of talented young artists who are bound together by the geographical fact that they studied art in Baroda and currently live and work there. The show brings out the fact that despite their common location, the artists follow a varied style and visual language. Ramgopal Kumavat8217;s uses puppet like figures in his composition, Sanjay Barot8217;s paintings continue his engagement with the maze, the metaphor for life8217;s journey. Alok Bal finds fecund metaphors to take forward his concerns about urban socio-cultural decay, while Vinod Daroz8217;s stunning ceramic creations move away from the conventional visual language of the studio potter. An interesting and thought-provoking exhibition of art that is illustrative of what our younger generation of artists are thinking.
At Tsar Gallery, Ama House, Colaba, 11 am 8211; 8 pm
At home with chaos
SANTOSH More8217;s canvases are a prosaic pondering of the after-effects of the capitalised, global world. Here uniformity indicates monotony that has crept into architectural creativity. Row upon row of identical houses crowd the canvas. The streets appear as empty as the houses with not a soul in sight-this ghost town is not a figment of the artist8217;s imagination since his inspiration comes from reality. Known for his arabesque, mostly flat and decorative works, Santosh takes a sharp turn towards work that is distinctly different with this new body of paintings, line drawings and animation. Shorn from fussy detailing, the minimalist rendering of the houses, set against flat colour fields of red, evoke powerful feelings of enigma and discomfort. In some frames they may appear like doll houses, or an aerial image of the city that is familiar to frequent flyers.
At Art and Soul Gallery, Worli, till November 27
THE varied media in which Nirakar Macchoya works creates an extravaganza for the spiritual vacuum created by obsolete pedagogical ideas. Nirakar8217;s practice encompasses a vast and varied variety of mediums. It is through this that he creates an alternative world which is based on metonymical interpretation of his surrounding8217;s past, present and future. There is a sense of calm and peace; as if the world has been created from the depth of his subconscious. There is a glimpse of hope in his work, he can also capture the sense of suspense, surprise and wonder of a child when he sees something new and is able to convey that feeling to his viewer through his art.
At Museum Gallery, Kalaghoda, November 17
Tribute to the feminine
DUS Mahavidyas is a project which honours and celebrates the creative feminine. Ten women artists as diverse and unique in their creativity as the expressions of the divine feminine itself have been carefully selected. Each artist is represented with 16 artworks featured in a coffee-table book by the same title, Dus Mahavidyas . The book is written by Keshav Malik, India8217;s well-known poet, art scholar, critic and curator. Artists featured are Shobha Broota, Arpana Caur, Jaya Ganguly, Sangeeta Gupta, Saba Hasan, Pooja Irana, Kavita Jaiswal, Seema Kohli, Shanta Rao and Gina Brezini.
At Tao Art Gallery, Wolri, November, 21 to 30
