‘Biennale spaces equips visitors for extra sensory experiences’: Gauri Shinde

Kochi, Feb 25: In addition to the exhibited artworks, renowned filmmaker Gauri Shinde said the spaces of the ongoing third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) are in themselves extra-sensory experiences for visitors.

“It is not just watching the art, but also having all your senses involved with the works exhibited. The venue itself equips us to perceive these special things. It may not have been a conscious decision by the artist or curator to communicate this, but you are still receiving the experience that way,” said Shinde, who directed the films Dear Zindagi and English Vinglish.

Noting that the judicious use of space in Aspinwall House and the positioning of the artworks allow visitors to integrate themselves into the experience, she added, “Our observation power somehow just increases 100 to 200 per cent. It is not just art lovers that can perceive the difference, but rather everyone from the connoisseur to the casual visitor.”

Renowned filmmaker and writer Gauri Shinde experiencing Miller Puckette's sound installation titled 'Four Sound Portraits' at onging Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016 in Aspinwall House, Fort Kochi.

 Following a tour of Aspinwall House, the Biennale’s primary venue, on Friday, Shinde said visiting South Asia’s biggest contemporary art festival had been an eye-opening experience.

“This was a primary item on my bucket list. I haven’t seen anything like this in India and it actually reminds me of the standards at international art events and museums. The whole experience is very unique,” Shinde said.

She marked for special mention Mexican litterateur Valerie Mejer Caso’s multi-media installation ‘Untameable Light’ and the ‘Defile’ installation by Russian artist collective AES+F.

“These are works that demand your complete attention. Valerie’s multimedia installation is of that kind, while ‘Defile’ really hits you. It signifies how superficial these designer fashion and ideas of glamour are. It is a confluence of decay, death and superficial life,” she said.

सहपीडिया की 11 खंड वाली राष्ट्रपति भवन श्रृंखला जल्द ही वेब मॉड्यूल में होगी उपलब्ध

                  विश्वकोश संस्था अब देष में अन्य संस्थाओं, परियोजनाओं पर भी काम करेगी

 
नई दिल्ली, 24 फरवरी: भारत के राष्ट्रपति के 340 कमरे वाले भव्य एवं विशाल आधिकारिक निवास की कई खंडों वाली विशाल प्रलेखन परियोजना अब डिजिटल अवतार के लिए पूरी तरह से तैयार है।

Dr Sudha Gopalakrishnan (Left), Executive Director, Sahapedia and Dr Yashaswini Chandra (Right) greet Ms Omita Paul, Secretary to President Pranab Mukherjee at a function at the Rashtrapati Bhavan recently to mark the completion of the Multi-Volume Documentation Project on the historic heritage building.

इंदिरा गांधी राष्ट्रीय कला केन्द्र (आईजीएनसीए) के सहयोग से सहपीडिया द्वारा शुरू की गई यह महत्वाकांक्षी परियोजना अब इस गैर लाभकारी संस्था की वेबसाइट (www.sahapedia.org) पर संक्षिप्त वेब आधारित मॉड्यूल के रूप में उपलब्ध हो जाएगी। महान ब्रिटिश वास्तुकार एडविन लुटियन द्वारा डिजाइन किया गया और निर्मित, वास्तु पर आधारित, इस प्रतिष्ठित और भव्य राष्ट्रपति भवन पर जानकारी चाहने वालों के लिए यह काफी मूल्यवान साबित होगा।

भारत की कला, संस्कृति और विरासत पर एक खुला ऑनलाइन स्रोत, सहपीडिया ने इस परियोजना पर 2014 में काम शुरू किया और राष्ट्रपति भवन के वास्तुकला, कला, उद्यान और इतिहास जैसे विभिन्न पहलुओं को बहुत ही खूबसूरती से सचित्र पुस्तकों के रूप में संकलित किया है। ये खरीद के लिए अमेज़न इंडिया पर और प्रकाशन विभाग की बिक्री काउंटरों पर उपलब्ध हैं।

President Pranab Mukherjee with core team members of the non-profit encyclopaedic online arts body Sahapedia at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan recently. Sahapedia has just concluded a three-year-long multi volume documentation project on the official residence of the President of India.

साहपीडिया के परियोजना प्रबंधक यशस्विनी चंद्रा ने कहा, ‘‘हमने पुस्तकों के साथ-साथ वेब मॉड्यूल की एक श्रृंखला भी तैयार की है और जल्द ही उन सभी को साहपीडिया की साइट पर अपलोड कर दिया जाएगा। ये इमारत के इतिहास और विरासत की बेहतर समझ हासिल करने के लिए शोधकर्ताओं और आम लोगों दोनों के लिए मूल्यवान होंगे।

पुस्तकों के 11 खंडों में सात मुख्य खंड और चार अतिरिक्त खंड हैं, इसके अलावा दो खंड बच्चों के लिए भी है। सभी खंडों में ऐतिहासिक इमारत का पूरा ब्यौरा दिया गया है जो पहले कभी वायसराय हाउस के नाम से जाना जाता था।

पुस्तकों की सूची में शामिल हैं ‘‘राइट आॅफ लाइन: द प्रेसिडेंट्स बाॅडीगार्ड’, ‘द प्रेसिडेंसियल रिट्रीट्स आॅफ इंडिया’, ‘फर्स्ट गार्डेन आॅफ द रिपब्लिक: नेचर इन द प्रेसिडेंट स्टेट’, ‘ए वर्क आॅफ ब्यूटी: द आर्किटेक्चर एंड लैंडस्केप आॅफ राष्ट्रपति भवन’, ‘द आर्ट्स एंड इंटीरियर्स आॅफ राश्ट्रपति भवन: लुटियन्स एंड बेयंड’, ‘एराउंड इंडियाज़ फर्स्ट टेबल: डायनिंग एंड इंटरटेनिंग एट द राष्ट्रपति भवन’ और ‘लाइफ एट राष्ट्रपति भवन’।

पिछले हफ्ते राष्ट्रपति ने परियोजना के पूरा होने को चिह्नित करने के लिए सहपीडिया से कोर परियोजना टीम के साथ- साथ सहायक विषेशज्ञों को जिम्मेदारी सौंपी थी। परियोजना टीम ने लगभग 50 विद्वानों, शिक्षाविदों, फोटोग्राफर, शोधकर्ताओं, संपादकों और डिजाइनरों के समूह को सफलतापूर्वक प्रबंधित किया।

President Pranab Mukherjee with Dr Sudha Gopalakrishnan, Executive Director of Sahapedia, a non-profit encyclopaedic arts body at the Rashtrapati Bhavan recently. Sahapedia has recently concluded a three-year-long multi volume documentation project on the official residence of the President of India.

यशस्विनी ने कहा, ‘‘इस अवसर पर राष्ट्रपति के सचिव ओमिता पाॅल ने कहा कि यह परियोजना एक चुनौती थी  लेकिन हमें इससे काफी अनुभव हुआ। इस असवर पर राष्ट्रपति प्रणब मुखर्जी के साथ एक ग्रुप फोटो लिया गया था।’’

सहपीडिया की कार्यकारी निदेषक डाॅ. सुधा गोपालकृष्णन ने कहा, ‘‘सभी लोगों ने बताया कि यह एक बहुत ही अनोखी और जटिल परियोजना है जिसमें प्रत्येक क्षेत्र के शीर्ष विशेषज्ञों को शामिल किया गया है। हमारे पास पुस्तकों पर काम करने वाले अति विशिष्ट फोटोग्राफर थे और हमने सभी नए तस्वीरों के साथ- साथ दुर्लभ अभिलेखीय तस्वीरों का इस्तेमाल किया। हम इसे समय पर लाकर बहुत खुश हैं और आर्थिक मदद प्रदान करने के लिए आईजीएनसीए के आभारी हैं।’’

टेक्स्ट के साथ संलग्न काफी संख्या में चित्रों और तस्वीरों को प्राथमिक स्रोतों से और अभिलेखीय अनुसंधान द्वारा लिया गया है।

इस परियोजना से जुड़े कुछ प्रमुख नामों में शामिल हैं: एस. कालिदास, कुलदीप कुमार, शर्मिश्ठा मुखर्जी, लीला वेंकटरमण, स्क्वाड्रन लीडर (सेवानिवृत्त) राणा टी.एस. छिना, दिनेश खन्ना, गिलियन राइट, प्रो. अमिता बविस्कर, नरेंद्र बिष्ट, प्रदीप कृष्ण, डॉ. नारायणी गुप्ता, राम रहमान, प्रो ए.जी.के. मेनन, प्रो. पार्थ मित्तर, प्रो. नमन पी. आहूजा और डॉ. लीसी कोलिंघम।

President Pranab Mukherjee with Dr Sudha Gopalakrishnan (third from right), Executive Director of Sahapedia, a non-profit encyclopaedic arts body with the core team that worked on the just concluded multivolume documentation project on Rashtrapati Bhavan at the official residence of the President of India, recently.

एक गैर-लाभकारी संस्था के रूप में, सहपीडिया ने भारत के सांस्कृतिक विरासत का काफी प्रलेखन किया है और इसका उद्देष्य देश की दृश्य और प्रदर्शन कला, साहित्य और भाषाओं के ज्ञान संसाधन आधार को बनाना है।

चालू कैलेंडर वर्ष में, विश्वकोश संस्था ने देश भर में फैले लगभग 20-25 परियोजनाओं पर काम करने की योजना बनाई है।

डॉ. गोपालकृष्णन ने कहा, ‘‘हम देश में भक्ति परंपराओं और अन्य संस्थानों का भी दस्तावेज़ीकरण करेंगे। ऐसा पहली बार हुआ है कि एक निजी संस्था ने भारत की सांस्कृतिक विरासत और कला के कई पहलुओं को प्रतिबिंबित करने का ऐसा बड़ा प्रयास किया है।’’

‘Confusing’ Road movie, a decade in the making, to be screened at Biennale

KBF to show artist-filmmaker Babu Eshwar Prasad’s Gaalibeeja as part of Artists’ Cinema package

Kochi, Feb 22: An extension of his canvas onto the cinema screen, Gaalibeeja (2014) – the debut feature by noted painter Babu Eshwar Prasad – is as known to film audiences for its arresting visuals and critique of modernity as for having baffled the Censor Board.

With its sparse dialogue, existential concerns and fragmented non-linear narratives, the Kannada film is intended as an homage to the ‘road movie’ genre with “the road itself the protagonist”. It was initially denied a screening certificate after being deemed ‘too confusing’.

Literally translating to ‘Wind seed’, Gaalibeeja will be shown in a special package, titled ‘Cinema from the Sub-continent’, today (Feb 22) at the Pavilion, Cabral Yard, at 6.30 pm. A Q&A session follows the screening. Films in the package, conceptualised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation, will be screened intermittently as part of the ‘Artists’ Cinema’ programme.

“Just as the seed travels in the wind, my movie is about a journey. I have always had this fascination with journeys. I have also been most attracted to road movies. The road movie is the ultimate ‘vehicle’ for a character on a journey of reflection and change,” Prasad said.

While it reflects the works of filmmakers Jim Jarmusch, and Abbas Kiarostami, the film is at its core a dialogue with the iconic film Alice in the Cities (1977) by German auteur Wim Wenders – one of the first road movies Prasad saw. “I can never forget the impression it made on me,” said Prasad, who was first exposed to world cinema as a printmaking student at MSU-Baroda.

“The desire to make a film has been a longstanding one. As an artist devouring good cinema, I wanted to pursue filmmaking as an art form. All those years of watching have helped crystallise my ideas on the stories I want to tell and the way I want to tell them,” said the Bengaluru-based artist, who had been shooting footage during car journeys along the featured road since 2006.

Seen through the eyes of a civil engineer, the 96-minute wholly self-financed movie is about his encounters during a road-widening project in an unnamed village and along the way. “Many characters in the movie are inspired by real life people whom I have met or have known. In that way, this is a very personal, even autobiographical, endeavour,” Prasad said.

It derives also from his artistic practice as a painter of landscapes. “Landscape has been my central preoccupation in my painting. It is a loaded genre which speaks of many things at the same time and I want to look at all its dimensions. Most of all I want to be able to witness the changes it has been undergoing – not as a direct statement, but as a more understated and complex process underway,” Prasad said.

“As an artist, one always works with the still frame. With cinema, one has the possibility of speaking to movement and sound. I wanted to capture the moving landscape,” he added.

Enchanting images of Paris by debut photographer Rupin Thomas

New Delhi, Feb 20: Various facets of the beautiful city of Paris captured though its breathtaking vistas, iconic architecture, sublime cemeteries, its sunsets and full-of-life graffiti, have been brought alive through a brand new debut exhibition by photographer Rupin Thomas.

 Comprising 50 images that take a look at life in and around the ‘City of Love', the week-long show, titled  'La vie à Paris: A Study in Volition,' was inaugurated last evening at the Lalit Kala Akademi here by Niti Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant along with ace fashion designer Ritu Beri. They also launched a catalogue designed and conceptualised by Rupin at the opening of the show, which continues till February 25.

 "It is a pleasure to see Rupin's work; he has captured the feel of one of the most fascinating cities of the world. Paris is a favourite city for travellers; its history, its people and its culture are fascinating. He gives a beautiful visualisation to the multicultural ethos of the city inhabited by people from Africa, the Arab world and other countries. The artist has also captured both the quiet solitude and people chilling out in parks in the city,” he said after the inauguration.

An economist by training who has spent over 10 years in the US and around four years travelling across Europe, Rupin spent more than three summers documenting the evolving city of Paris, focusing especially on the brilliant juxtaposition of the old and the new.

Curated by Uma Nair, the photographs selected from a total of 6,000 images are mounted in four sections with a cross-section of the famed iconic Eiffel Tower and a picture of the 10th Arrondissement just below it greeting visitors. The four distinct segments are  Landscapes, Still Life Studies, Solitaire - - Quiet Corner and Street Art and Graffiti.

Congratulating the photographer designer Ritu Beri said, "It is a fantastic exhibition and the pictures do justice to the city. For me Paris is my second home and I have often felt that I was French in my last life because I seem to fit in there very easily despite not knowing the language when I first went there 20 years ago.”

 The celebrated fashion designer said Paris is beautiful, but so is India. “I think the next exhibition by Rupin should be set in India," she added.

 Mr. Kant also urged the photographer to show his next work based on India.

"Rupin has given a great insight into Paris. He has captured it so beautifully; I greatly enjoyed it. Hope he does his next exhibition about India," he said.

 Famed artist Arpana Caur, who is known for her own collection of images, was among the throng of early visitors to the show.

 “I am deeply moved by the idea of unveiling Paris though its cemeteries and gravestones. To represent the beauty of a city through the element of death and the idea of eternity through its architectural elements is indeed a discerning study," she said.

 The artist also became the first collector of Rupin's oeuvre as she booked the picture of a three- legged chair in a graveyard belonging to the theme ‘Quiet Corners’.

The 34-year-old photographer said the purpose of the exhibition is to showcase the diversity of Paris "where people from different walks of life and countries come to work.”

 The inauguration was attended, among others, by Hindi poet Surendra Sharma, National Gallery of the Modern Arts (NGMA) Director General Adwaita Gadanayak, Director General, AIR (News) Sitanshu Kar and a host of artists and photographers. 

‘Biennale a forum to exert pressure on system of neglect’: Riyas Komu

KMB co-founder delivered inaugural address at two-day international symposium
on the political and economic pressures on art production and art curation

Kochi, Feb 08: Providing an overview of the past half-century of art infrastructure-building in India, renowned artist and Koch-Muziris Biennale (KMB) co-founder Riyas Komu described the Biennale as the inheritor of a pan-Indian tradition of artist-led activism.

“Despite the absence of proper institutional structures and lack of support from the central government, Indian art has evolved through the efforts and leadership of strong practising artists and movements. Over successive political administrations and national budgets, art has continued to be neglected. The Biennale is a challenge to this system,” Komu said here today.

KMB co-founder Riyas Komu speaking during the 'Curating Under Pressure' conference session with Leonhard Emmerling (left), Programme Director South Asia at Goethe-Institut, and Aaron Kreisler, from Ilam School of Fine Arts, University of Canterbury.

Komu was delivering the inaugural address at a two-day international symposium that seeks to address a range of concepts and contexts and ask what they mean for the ethics of curating. Titled ‘Curating Under Pressure’, the conference – co-hosted by the Kochi Biennale Foundation and Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan – runs till Wednesday at the Pavilion in Cabral Yard.

Over that time, it will explore questions around political and economic pressures on a biennale, censorship and how the contemporary arts respond to these and similar constraints. Among the questions discussed will be the role of art in times and circumstances of pressure and whether biennials – currently the most successful model of international art exhibitions – have the power to instigate change.

“The KMB is a project with many layers of pressure. Despite these, it has become a forum for different kinds of resources and agencies – previously functioning in niches – to come together and put pressure on the system,” Komu said, noting that the Biennale had successfully sustained its artistic spirit over three editions.

“In the 2016-17 Budget, the Union government had allocated Rs 2,500 crores to culture, which was about 0.13 per cent of the total allocation – to be split between the country’s libraries, museums, ASI, Kala Sanskriti Vikas Yojana, cultural institutions, among other beneficiaries. The Biennale is challenging this system by generating an ecosystem of creativity by art-making, curatorial exercises and artist practitioners,” he said.

 KMB 2016 Bose Krishnmachari during a panel discussion at the 'Curating Under Pressure' conference with (from left) Leonhard Emmerling (left), Programme Director South Asia at Goethe-Institut, Alisa Prudnikova, Azar Mahmoudian and Shuddhabrata Sengupta

This was a sentiment echoed and remarked upon throughout the first day, which saw participation from Leonhard Emmerling, Programme Director South Asia at Goethe-Institut, Aaron Kreisler, from Ilam School of Fine Arts, University of Canterbury, Shuddhabrata Sengupta, of the Raqs Media Collective, which curated the 11th Shanghai Biennale, Berlin Biennale Director Gabriele Horn and Reem Fadda, Curator of the sixth Marrakech Biennale.

In a session titled ‘Censorship and State Interference’, KMB co-founder Bose Krishnamachari noted that the KMB was unique because it prioritised artistic freedom despite budgetary pressures. The discussion also examined the role of art in the face of political pressure and explored ways to respond to censorship and state-attempts to co-opt events like biennales.

Krishnamachari was part of a panel featuring Sengupta, Artistic Director of the Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art in Russia Alisa Prudnikova and Azar Mahmoudian, who was part of curatorial team of the 11th Gwangju Biennale.

A mailbox links to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam at the Biennale

Visitors to Aspinwall House can send postcards addressed to former President at India Post stall

Kochi, Jan 31: Visitors to the ongoing third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) can now craft and mail postcards addressed to former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam through a special letterbox at the India Post stall in Aspinwall House.

KMB co-founder Bose Krishnamachari inaugurated ‘DREAMNATION’, a unique exhibition of such postcards conducted by India Post and non-profit organisation LetterFarms, on Monday. The exhibition, based on the hugely popular community art project ‘dearkalamsir’, features a collection of poignant writings or drawings addressed to the former President.

Following the inauguration, 11 fine arts students from local colleges kick-started the initiative, which encourages senders to express their dreams and aspirations on the cards. Intended as a “tribute to the man who taught the country to dream”, the opportunity to participate is open to all till the Biennale closes on March 29.

“Due to its public nature, a postcard is one of the most honest and transparent mediums of communication and expression. As well, it is a powerful and visible marker of memory. It is a pleasure to be part of a programme that aims to both encourage creativity and honour a great leader like Dr Kalam,” Krishnamachari said.

The postcard tribute campaign to Dr Kalam was started last year. “We started this to mark Dr. Kalam’s 85^th birth anniversary in 2016 by requesting the thousands he inspired to post wishes for India’s Rocketman. We would get over 3,000 post cards a week – the biggest ever postal campaign for a leader,” said Jubie John, South Asia Programme Director at LetterFarms.

A city post box, Post Bag No. 1683, under the care of LetterFarms fills in as the address for the campaign, which will also be taken to major literature festivals in New Delhi and Lucknow.

“Eventually, we plan to make a book compiling all the postcards received over this campaign,” John said. Officials from the postal department and Biennale artists also attended the function.

‘Biennale is a place to look at life with insight, inquiry and curiosity’: Anand Gandhi

Noted filmmaker said KMB is a growing movement that is shaping global and local communities

Kochi, Jan 28: On his first visit to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) in 2014, filmmaker Anand Gandhi was surprised to find a familiar work in exhibition: the iconic 1977 film Powers of Ten.

“The short piece of cinema had helped shape our perspectives as filmmakers. To see it here in Kochi was wonderful. Now, I'm always looking for that spark of magic: to be surprised, to be shocked, to be forced to look at things in ways I hadn't previously considered,” Gandhi said.

Noted filmmaker Anand Gandhi and actress Kani Kusruti at Aspinwall House during their visit to KMB 2016

On a visit to KMB 2016 last week, the Ship of Theseus director noted that the Biennale is a place where “insights, inspirations and epiphanies” are shared. “This is the reason I am back here again: to look at life with insight, inquiry and curiosity. This is a deeply inspiring place,” he said.

This inspiration has spread to the local communities, the National film award winner observed. “Each time I'm here, I get the sense of a growing movement. How this space has provided an opportunity to people from this part of the world who would otherwise not been able to interact with its insights and playfulness,” he said.

Noted filmmaker Anand Gandhi and actress Kani Kusruti at Aspinwall House during their visit to KMB 2016

“The impact a movement like this has on global and local communities: it will expand the scope of our language, our know-how, our ways of understanding and it is going to inform our lives. I'm seeing that there is a progression and growth in that aspect between editions,” he added.

Noting that “we are all cartographers of time, reality and space working with shared maps”, Gandhi said, “The Biennale is a place where this sharing is going on. Each time I come here, I leave with enough to sustain me till the next time.”

Gandhi singled out the work of eminent litterateur and KMB 2016 participating artist Anand – titled Map-Makers and Map-Breakers: Space-to-Time along the Maps – as being particularly in sync with his view about the “politics and distortions of cartography and how distortion is unavoidable in cartography”.

Inspired by the Biennale’s spirit of involvement, Gandhi said he was hoping to “contribute to the conversation in some small way”. “I would love to come back here and share with the community the virtual reality experiences we have been creating over the past year,” he said.

Vintage cars roll into Biennale for Republic Day rally

Kochi, Jan 28: It was a trip down memory lane for visitors at Aspinwall House on Thursday as a fleet of classic rides and rods pulled into the primary venue for the ongoing third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB).

A total of 22 vintage cars rolled through the city streets – starting from Panampilly Nagar and ending up in Fort Kochi, where they stood on display for an awestruck crowd. The rally and exhibition was organised by the KMB in association with Cochin Vintage Club as part of Republic Day celebrations at the Biennale.

Vintage cars exhibited at Aspinwall House, main venue of Biennale, organised as part of Republic Day celebrations by Cochin Vintage Club in association Kochi Muziris Biennale

The head-turning line-up featured the 1946 model of the legendary Austin 16, a 1955 Dodge rover, a red hot Triumph Herald besides a sampling of Fiat, Ford and Mercedes Benz beauties. There was even a 1957 Hindustan Motors Landmaster, the fore-runner to the Ambassador.

“The preservation of vintage cars is our main objective,” says Rinesh Ravi, President of Cochin Vintage Club. “Over the years, the Biennale has upheld the importance of heritage preservation, which strikes a chord with our policy. It was this common trait that made today’s collaboration possible,” Ravi said.

“For us, these cars are works of art. A lot of effort and heart has been put into the preservation and maintenance of this precious collection. The process of getting these beauties back into road shape is comparable to putting up an installation,” he contended.

Besides the cars, there were five motorcycles also on display. These included a Jawa, a Yezdi and a Rajdoot. An awareness campaign offering guidance on road safety measures and driving manuals was also conducted as part of the rally by Junior Chamber International Cochin Metro.

Vintage cars exhibited at Aspinwall House, main venue of Biennale, organised as part of Republic Day celebrations by Cochin Vintage Club in association Kochi Muziris Biennale

“We are happy to associate with Cochin Vintage Club and show solidarity with their concern for the upkeep of and maintaining interest in heritage cars and bikes. These proud automobiles are an integral part of history of machines,” said renowned artist Riyas Komu.

Prior to the rally, there was a flag-hosting ceremony to mark Republic Day. KMB co-founders Bose Krishnamachari and Komu along with Kochi Biennale Foundation General Manager N.P. Kurien and KMB 2016 participating artist P.K. Sadanandan helped unfurl the tricolor at Aspinwall House.

‘Biennale is poetic, slow and subtle’ : Dayanita Singh

Acclaimed photo artist said multiple visits were required to get KMB 2016 to reveal its vision

Kochi, Jan 27: For Dayanita Singh, the ongoing third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) requires repeat visits in order to truly appreciate its ‘poetry’ and subtlety. 

Dayanita Singh at Daniele Galliano's space 'Bad Trip India' during the visit to  KMB 2016 main venue, Aspinwall House, Fort Kochi.

Following her second visit to KMB 2016 this week, the renowned artist said the Biennale was “how art was meant to be exhibited”. “This is a very poetic, slow and subtle Biennale. It is not in your face, it’s something that stays with you. This is what I love about the KMB,” Singh said.

An acclaimed photo artist and image-maker, Singh had been to the Biennale shortly after its opening on 12/12/16. Following her tour of Aspinwall House, she noted that a third visit would be needed if she wanted to see the evolution of the artworks over time.

“I am fascinated that this Biennale has thrown up so many works that just linger in my mind when I travel. You have to keeping back to it. The last time I was here, I would go to Sharmistha Mohanty’s room as a way of slowing myself down and then end up on the benches at Camille Norment’s space. This was my parikrama,” she said.

Dayanita Singh at Prabhavati Meppayil's installation 'Melting Pot' during the visit to  KMB 2016 main venue, Aspinwall House, Fort Kochi.

It takes this investment of time and energy to coax the Biennale’s vision to reveal itself, Singh observed. “It’s not like ‘these are the great artists’ or ‘these are the great works’, which is a big relief. Of course, there are aspects that you would like more of and some works you want to keep coming back to,” she said.

“What holds it all together is Sudarshan Shetty and his vision. If you think of this Biennale as a large work that comes from within his mind, then it is absolutely fascinating,” said Singh, who was a participating artist at KMB 2014.

“Having an artist as the curator is what makes the KMB so unique. An artist-curator is very different from a curator and I see that at this Biennale because I really feel the different aspects to Sudarshan’s thinking in the works that he has selected,” she said.

‘Perspectives, ideas at Biennale can be adapted to film’: Priyadarshan

Veteran filmmaker termed his first visit to the Biennale on Saturday a ‘learning experience’

Kochi, Jan 23: Observing that an interesting frame can be found anywhere provided one perceives it as such, celebrated filmmaker Priyadarshan said the variety of perspectives and concepts at Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) 2016 can be adapted to film.

Filmmaker Priyadarshan at artist Istvan Csakany's installation 'Ghost Keeping' at KMB 2016 in Aspinwall House,Fort Kochi 

A favourable shooting schedule meant the director of more than 100 films across industries and languages was able to visit the Biennale for the first time on Saturday. He termed it a “learning experience that satisfied the artist in me”.

 “As a filmmaker, I think many of the ideas are adaptable in terms of medium. When I was going around and looking always at the points of view expressed by different people on similar issues, I asked myself why I didn’t think about this. This is also something we can show on screen and there were several things I thought I should try in my films,” Priyadarshan said

“Expressions of creativity are like the sea or the sky: there are no limits. There are things I understood and others that I did not, but I appreciated the aesthetic sense behind the Biennale. Unlike the boring spaces in art galleries, the KMB is the venue for these expressions,” he added.

Singling out the photography of KMB 2016 artist K.R. Sunil, Priyadarshan said, “I never thought Kerala could be shot like this. Looking at his stills of Ponnani, I felt that I had to go there immediately and find a story around the town. The looks and the ways he has framed it and the realism and story behind each photo was inspiring.”

‘Artists’ Cinema a platform for serious works’: Joshy Mathew

Award-winning filmmaker Joshy Mathew also visited the Biennale recently. Besides the works on display, he appreciated the Kochi Biennale Foundation initiative to screen serious films as part of its ongoing ‘Artists’ Cinema’ series at the Pavilion in Cabral Yard, Fort Kochi.

Filmmaker Priyadarshan with Kochi Biennale Foundation President Bose Krishnamachari at Subrat Kumar Behera's installation 'Mythological Paradigm Prophesied' at KMB 2016 in Aspinwall House,Fort Kochi

“For filmmakers, the initiative provides a platform to promote serious Malayalam cinema in front of an international audience. Moreover, we can market our films more intensively in the international film festival circuit after being screened in such an internationally acclaimed art festival like the Biennale,” said Mathew, whose film Black Forest won a National award in 2012.

High-profile visitors call for more art fests along the lines of KMB in India

Kochi, Jan 16: Describing the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) as the ideal place to come gain an appreciation for art, a high-profile delegation of officials from Bihar said an upcoming space for contemporary art in that state would look to India’s only Biennale for inspiration.

“The Biennale is excellent, well-curated and showcases a vast variety of artworks. This first-of-its-kind exhibition in India has surely educated people about the importance of art appreciation. We are looking to make a world-class museum in Bihar that will have a gallery for contemporary art,” said Mr. Anjani Kumar Singh, Chief Secretary, Government of Bihar.

Mr. Anjani Kumar Singh ,Bihar Chief Secretary at Miller Puckette's installation 'Four Sound Portraits at KMB 2016 in Aspinwall House,Fort Kochi.

The Chief Secretary had led a group of officials from Bihar on a visit to KMB 2016 over the weekend. Accompanying him on the trip were Mr. Chaitanya Prasad, Secretary, Department of Art, Culture and Youth and Principal Secretary (Urban Development and Housing), and Dr. Jai Prakash Narayan Singh, Additional Director at Patna Museum.

“I am very impressed with the sound and video installations. Looking at the large-scale works like ‘The Sea of Pain’ by Raul Zurita, ‘The Pyramid of Exiled Poets’ by Aleš Šteger and ‘Floating Towards the Night Sky’ by Eva Schlegel and Carl Pruscha, I think it is very unfortunate that India does not have a number of biennales or long-term art exhibitions of this sort like the many art festivals we have on music,” Mr Singh said,

Mr Prasad also appreciated Biennale, noting that the nearly three-month celebration of contemporary art had become a fixture on the art calendar. Dr Narayan Singh said the planned contemporary art gallery in the upcoming Bihar museum project would house works by eminent artist and KMB 2016 curator Sudarshan Shetty.

Also making his first visit to the Biennale on Sunday was Mr. Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Director General of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.

Expressing gratitude to the Kochi Biennale Foundation for providing young artists, creative minds and the common man the opportunity to view artworks of an international standard, Mr. Mukherjee said, “This is an amazing experience and I will carry it with me wherever I go. The Biennale has set an example for major cities in India. I hope we introduce more biennales in other parts of the country.”

He said that it was difficult to select the best installations among the over 100 exhibited artworks as each piece was the product of a very talented mind.

गुरू की वापसी (रिटर्न ऑफ द गुरू) रजा फाउंडेशन द्वारा शास्‍त्रीय संगीत और नृत्‍य में गुरू उत्‍सव का आयोजन

शिक्षक की भूमिका को उजागर करने के लिए 2 दिन का समारोह 17 जनवरी से दिल्‍ली में

नयी दिल्‍ली, 13 जनवरी : देश के चार जाने.माने कलाकार दिल्‍ली में आयोजित नृत्‍य और संगीत के दो दिवसीय समारोह में अपनी कला का रंग बिखेरेंगे। 17 जनवरी से शुरू हो रहे इस समारोह का आयोजन रजा फाउंडेशन ने किया है।

 ' महिमा ' नाम से आयोजित होने वाला यह समारोह आधुनिक भारतीय चित्रकार सैयद हैदर रजा की स्‍मृति में आयोजित किया जा रहा है जिसमें भारत के मनमोहक अदाकारों की परम्‍पराओं में गुरू की मौजूदगी, उसका अर्थ और उसकी प्रासंगिकता को उजागर करने का प्रयास किया गया है।

रजा फाउंडेशन के प्रमुख अशोक वाजपेयी ने बताया, "चारों कलाकार शिक्षक की भूमिका में, वैयक्तिक परिकल्‍पना के संस्‍थापक और शास्‍त्रीय संगीत और शास्‍त्रीय नृत्‍य में प्रवर्तक  के रूप में गुरू की उपस्थिति खोजेंगे"।

'महिमा.गुरू की वापसीष' (रिटर्न ऑफ द गुरू) समारोह की शुरूआत ग्रैमी पुरस्‍कार के लिए नामजद इमदाद खान घराना के सितार वादक उस्‍ताद शुजात खान त्रिवेणी कला संगम में करेंगे। उस्‍ताद शुजात खान सितार के तार कुछ इस तरह छेड़ेंगे जिससे उनके पिता और गुरू मशहूर सितार वादक उस्‍ताद विलायत खान की स्‍मृतियां उभर जाएंगी।

प्रसिद्ध सितारवादक ने कहा, "उन्‍हें इस समारोह में सितार बजाने का इंतजार है जिसमें हमारे जीवन में हमारे गुरू की भूमिका को उजागर करने और उसे गौरवान्वित करने का अवसर मिलेगा। हम जो कुछ भी अपने गुरूओं से सीखते हैं जितनी बार हम अपने वाद्य यंत्र उठाते हैं वह हमारी कला में शामिल होता जाता है।"

उसी दिन कपिला वेणू कूडीयट्टम नृत्‍य प्रस्‍तुत करेंगी। कपिला ने केरल का यह परम्‍परागत नृत्‍य अपने पिता के गुरू मशहूर नर्तक अमानुर्र माधव चकयार से युवावस्‍था में सीखा। सा‍थ ही उन्‍होंने अपने शुरूआती वर्ष उषा नांगियार के साथ बिताए जो चकयार की शागिर्द थीं। उनके पिता कूडीयट्टम नर्तक जी वेणू ने बाद में उन्‍हें अमानुर्र माधव चकयार ने अपने संरक्षण में ले लिया।

कपिला ने कहा, "मैं इसे ईश्‍वर का वरदान मानती हूं कि शुरूआती वर्षों में मुझे अपने गुरूजी से सीखने को मिला और बाद में मेरे पिता मेरे उस्‍ताद बने। मुझे इस समारोह का बेसब्री से इंतजार है, जिसमें गुरू की भूमिका को उजागर किया जाएगा।" 

समारोह का दूसरा दिन जयपुर.अतरौली घराना की अश्विनी भीड़े के खयाल वादन से होगा। संगीत के क्षेत्र में कबीर के भजनों की गायकी के लिए मशहूर मुम्‍बई की इस गायिका ने नारायणराव दातार और अपनी मां माणिक भीड़े से प्रशिक्षण लिया। पंडित रत्‍नाकर पाई 2009 में अपनी मृत्‍यु तक उनके गुरू रहे। 

समारोह का समापन मशहूर ओडिसी नृत्‍यांगना माधवी मुदगल के नृत्‍य से होगा जो अपने गुरू केलूचरण महापात्र को केन्‍द्र में रखकर नृत्‍य प्रस्‍तुत करेंगी।

माधवी ने कहा, " मैं उनकी नृत्‍यकला को प्रस्‍तुत करूंगी जो मैंने कई वर्ष पूर्व उनसे सीखी थी। यह विशेष कार्य है और विभिन्‍न टुकड़ों का समावेश है। हम केवल उस घेरे का विस्‍तार कर रहे हैं जो कुछ भी हमने उनसे सीखा है।"

रजा फाउंडेशन के कार्यकारी ट्रस्‍टी अशोक वाजपेयी ने बताया कि यह कार्यक्रम पिछले वर्ष मित्रों की निजी पहल पर पहली बार आयोजित किया गया था। इसके बाद यह दिल्‍ली में इसने इस तरह के वार्षिक मंच का रूप लिया है। 

 वाजपेयी ने कहा "इस  कार्यक्रम के केन्‍द्र में गुरू रहेंगे जिनकी भूमिका आज कमजोर हो गई है हांलाकि गुरू के सम्‍मान का ढोंग बहुत हो रहा है। रजा फाउंडेशन ने इस प्रयास को वार्षिक कार्यक्रम बनाने का फैसला किया है। हमने युवा शागिर्दों को केन्‍द्र में रखकर  'उत्‍तराधिकार ' कार्यक्रम आयोजित किया जिसकी पिछले वर्ष जाने.माने गुरूओं ने सिफारिश की थी। दोनों ही कार्यक्रम अब हर वर्ष आयोजित होंगे।

‘KMB cannot be duplicated in any other part of the country’: Madhya Pradesh Tourism Secretary

Kochi, Jan 11: For Mr. Hari Ranjan Rao, Tourism Secretary, Madhya Pradesh, the strength and popularity of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) owes much to its setting in the unique cultural environment and geographical contours of the host city.

Mr. Rao led a team of high-profile officials from MP Tourism that visited Aspinwall House, the main venue of the Biennale, Tuesday evening. He said the 108-day event had emerged as a major attraction for both art aficionados and laypersons alike.

“Kochi has its own charm and unique cultural ethos. We cannot duplicate the Biennale in any other part of India. Moreover, getting artists from across the globe to contribute and showcasing their works in one place is a great achievement,” said Mr. Rao, who said the Biennale is today one of the state’s major tourist and cultural attractions.

Describing KMB as a magical space that freed visitors from their worries and gave them the freedom to think creatively, he said, “Art appreciation is only possible if you are away from all routine stuffs. This space has the power to free visitors from all other thoughts.”

Ms. Tanvi Sundriyal, Additional Managing Director, MP Tourism, said she was especially impressed by the lively atmosphere and opportunity to indulge in debate.

“This place reminds me of my college where we used to discuss poems and arts and debate over and over. The Biennale is a space which energises anybody and everybody,” she said.

Mr V.T. Balram, MLA, also visited the KMB main venue on Tuesday.  “India’s only Biennale is a cultural pathway to popularise Kochi to the foreign countries,” he said.

“Art appreciation is a unique quality and the Biennale attracts visitors because it offers them an opportunity to indulge their interest in art. The Biennale is a big boost to the cultural sector of India in general and Kerala, specifically,” Mr. Balram noted.

सामूहिक कला का प्रदर्शनी का उद्घाटन

पटना, १० जनवरी ; आज कला संस्कृति एवं युवा विभाग, बिहार एवं बिहार ललित कला अकादमी, पटना के संयुक्त सौजन्य से कला मंगल के अंतर्गत छपाकला एवं छायाकला  की सामूहिक कला प्रदर्शनी का उद्घाटन बहुद्देशीय सांस्कृतिक परिसर , पटना में हुआ। 15 जनवरी तक चलने वाली इस प्रदर्शनी का उद्घाटन अकादमी के अध्यक्ष आनंदी प्रसाद बादल ने किया। प्रदर्शनी में सुनील कुमार, रवि राज, गोविन्द जी, विक्की कुमार वर्मा, छाया, रंजीत कुमार, शम्भू प्रकाश, आदित्य सुमन, कौटिल्य निशान्त, शैली कुमारी एवम किरण कुमारी की कृतियाँ प्रदर्शित की गई है।

प्रदर्शनी के उद्घाटन अवसर पर कैटलॉग का विमोचन भी किया गया 

 

Padmini Chettur composes new language of the body in ‘Varnam’

Three-hour dance composition resists rigidity to tradition, form and intent in classical dance

Kochi, Jan 10: The title of Padmini Chettur’s choreographic performance ‘Varnam’ references the taxing central piece in the Bharatnatyam repertoire. The varnam, considered a measure of the dancer’s ability in – and fidelity to – the form, literally means ‘letter’. Chettur reinterprets this to compose a language of the body.

Padmini Chettur's performance 'Varnam' at KMB2016 in 

 David Hall,Fort Kochi

“I have tried to transpose a physical vocabulary into the traditional Bharatanatyam lexicon. The body is an anatomical instrument in Varnam with the individual jathis (voice-movements), reconstructed. While there are many elements to the performance, it is really a work of bodies in spaces and of things that happen to bodies, between bodies and the space,” Chettur said.

If the conventional intent of the varnam is to convey the beauty, grandeur and soulfulness of worship in love, Chettur’s composition – which premiered during the ‘Opening Week’ of the ongoing third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) – loses none of the profundity in its explorations of eroticism, longing, loss and romantic love.

In a critique of the rigidity of classical Indian dance conventions, the new iteration explores the suffering and strength of the heroine who is abandoned by her lover. Using slow, deliberate movements, the performers mimic the sense of distance and longing while departing from the narrative of chaste victimhood.

Padmini Chettur's performance 'Varnam' at KMB2016 in  David Hall,Fort Kochi

The three-hour performance installation saw the Chennai-based Malayalee artist and her group of five dancers seated on chairs in David Hall with no restriction on audience movement. The week-long series followed a unique style, using specially created gestures and steps, popular songs as well as narration from texts by a number of contemporary writers that were in sync with the performance’s theme and tone.

Varnam has since been reconfigured into several 22-minute performances and displayed as a three-channel (16:9) video projection at David Hall for the duration of the Biennale. Despite the limits imposed by the format, Chettur said the video was sensitive to the multi-dimensional nature of the performance – a mixture of sound, energy and image.

“I present a radically altered take on the Mohamana Varnam, one of the form’s most iconic pieces, and added text. There are also sounds, visuals and the movement of the dancers in their own spaces,” said Chettur, who pointed out that the invocation of the dance form’s pièce-de-résistance and the upturning of its meaning is intended as an act of resistance.

No less structured or rigorous than the classical form, Chettur’s interpretation rejects the mythos and seductive aspects of Indian classical dance traditions in favour of a taut radical vision for what contemporary dance of India should be and look like.

“I don't work with narratives anymore. In the last few years, I have been specifically interested in working in spaces such the Biennale: really taking the practice outside tradition and form to work with the walls and emptiness and deal with the idea of projecting energies,” said Chettur whose previous piece ‘Wall Dancing’ was created to be viewed in museums and galleries.

“It was a real challenge for me to bring the piece to the Biennale, to remove the formality from a very formal work, but it was eventually my choice and strategy to do it. In a way, this is exactly the platform to challenge the notions of putting live bodies into a space that is traditionally reserved for objects and images,” she said.