Category: Arts & Culture

  • Museum of the Future Hosts ‘Climate Future Week’

    Museum of the Future Hosts ‘Climate Future Week’

    The main conference, taking place over three days, will consist of sessions and keynote speeches that will analyse critical future trends and global challenges in the realm of climate change….reports Asian Lite News

    The Museum of the Future collaborated with Dubai-based interdisciplinary think tank, Fiker Institute, to host the inaugural ‘Climate Future Week’ from Tuesday, 26th September to Saturday, 30th September.

    The week-long event will feature a conference with participation from UAE government officials, prominent public figures, international institutions, and global experts. This initiative aligns with the ‘Year of Sustainability’ and the UAE’s preparations to host the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai this coming November.

    The main conference, taking place over three days, will consist of sessions and keynote speeches that will analyse critical future trends and global challenges in the realm of climate change.

    They will also put a spotlight on cutting-edge innovations, technologies, and ground-breaking inventions designed to address these challenges. Additionally, the conference will explore opportunities for international partnerships aimed at securing a greener and brighter future for humanity.

    The conference offers an interactive platform for attendees, where researchers, enthusiasts, and experts in climate and sustainability, are able to engage in discussions about future strategies for addressing climate change. It aims to encourage conversations on boosting community awareness, devising innovative solutions, investing in clean energy projects, and advancing sustainable agricultural practices.

    With the conference agenda including inspirational keynote speakers, writers and artists, the participants will be exposed to human stories and anecdotes revolving around sustainability and climate resilience.

    The dialogue will put a spotlight on discussions around how different economic, governmental, cultural, and societal sectors influence climate change.

    They will explore the potential of leveraging advanced technology to bolster global endeavours aimed at preserving the environment in the years ahead.

    Inspiring stories and diverse experiences

    Climate Future Week also includes an array of diverse experiences that will be shared and presented by creatives, designers, artists, writers, content creators and filmmakers who focus their work on sustainability – leading with an eco-friendly approach.

    Various workshops and events

    In addition to the main conference, Climate Future Week will feature a series of activities workshops aimed at individuals interested in sustainability and climate change. These workshops, spanning several days, will be coordinated by the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA), the Dubai Future Foundation Fund, and various collaborating partners. Additionally, Climate Future Week will host a variety of diverse events, including the Climate Film Festival, Climate Photo Gallery, and the Start-up Council.

    Khalfan Belhoul, the CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, affirmed that the Climate Future Week, in collaboration with Fiker Institute, is part of a broader commitment to bolster national endeavours and initiatives within the realm of environmental conservation, climate change, and natural resource management. This commitment gains particular significance as COP28 approaches, where global discussions on the future of climate change will be hosted in Dubai from November. This endeavour further solidifies the UAE’s status as a hub for crucial global dialogues that impact our present day and future challenges and opportunities.

    Belhoul added: “Climate Future Week will offer a significant platform for conducting meaningful dialogues that will delve into the actions that governments, institutions, and individuals can take to make a positive impact in mitigating the anticipated challenges of climate change. It is essential to recognise that the effects of climate change will extend beyond specific segments or geographical regions.”

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  • Exploring the Future of Indian Art

    Exploring the Future of Indian Art

    The CIMA Awards, inaugurated in 2015, have been a beacon of recognition for excellence in the visual arts, celebrating the transformative journey of Indian art over the past eight years….reports Asian Lite News

    Art Magnum is set to host a captivating exhibition titled “The Millennials: Art by Generation Next” from September 15th to October 15th, 2023. It will feature the works of the fifteen finalists and winners from across four editions of the CIMA Awards.

    “The Millennials” is a dynamic exhibition that brings together the works of fifteen talented emerging artists who have made a significant impact on the Indian art scene. These artists have redefined contemporary Indian art through their innovative and thought-provoking creations.

    The curator’s note, provided by Rakhi Sarkar, Curatorial Advisor, speaks of the transformative role that the CIMA Awards project has played in recognizing and nurturing this emerging talent. Over the past eight years, the project has introduced the world to some of the most scintillating talents in Indian visual art, creating a new landscape of creativity. “The Millennials is a testament to the rapid evolution of Indian art, showcasing a generation of artists who are confident, articulate, forthright, and bold. This exhibition is a celebration of their remarkable talent and contribution to the art world,” says Rakhi Sarkar.

    The CIMA Awards, inaugurated in 2015, have been a beacon of recognition for excellence in the visual arts, celebrating the transformative journey of Indian art over the past eight years. This exhibition provides a unique opportunity for art enthusiasts to engage with a diverse range of artistic expressions, including paintings, graphics, installations, and sculptures. It stands as a compelling narrative of the artistic resurgence witnessed in India over recent years, inviting art enthusiasts to explore the innovative and thought-provoking creations that define this exciting era in Indian art.

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  • Ajit Ninan: The Iconic Cartoonist Who Shaped a Generation’s Humour

    Ajit Ninan: The Iconic Cartoonist Who Shaped a Generation’s Humour

    With its judicious mix of local situations and characters, the comic was part-thriller, part-satire, and it became a permanent fixture on the last page of school notebooks, in our fan fiction strips…reports Asian Lite News

    For the metro living, school-going lot of the ’80s (sans 24×7 television, social media or even those battery-operated video games), waiting for the children’s magazine ‘Target’ was a monthly part of growing up.

    No sooner would the mag arrive, the young lot would huddled over each other, and would crack up from the very early pages. This would be our monthly rendezvous with Ajit Ninan.

    Right after the first page, the young readers would break into laughter with Ajit’s Funny World, a double spread of wordless visual gags that probably were our first lessons of reading pictures.

    Making those visual connections and getting the joke over different situations, identifying with the characters and situations that were steeped in the local worlds around us, would be our first exposure to looking for humour in our daily lives. But there was more to come.

    A page or two later would arrive a two-page comic that a generation or two would and still remembers fondly. A balding man with big round eyes and pointed moustache spiking out was Detective Moochwala who was everyone’s favourite.

    With its judicious mix of local situations and characters, the comic was part-thriller, part-satire, and it became a permanent fixture on the last page of school notebooks, in our fan fiction strips.

    Inspired by the original, our notebook Moochwala had to solve our immediate problems of school tests, agonising teachers and what not, but the way we wanted it. Thanks to Ninan’s simple, neat draughtsmanship, the lines were minimal, which made Moochwala easy to copy, draw and address our issues.

    Remember those were the days when reading comics in school was a taboo, an under-the-desk activity, Moochwala moved with us swiftly as we were outgrowing our Hardy Boys, Nancy Drews or even Phantoms and Mandrakes.

    Moochwala was our own. He came from our neighbourhood without the aesthetic burden of western comics that Fauladi Singh or Nagraj still live with. Close to it, Hindi readers had Pran’s Chacha Choudhury and his assistant Sabu, or Abid Surti’s Dabbooji, but English-speaking Moochwala was closer to a middle-aged local Tintin with his dog, solving issues of national importance through canny thinking and local ‘jugaad’. Probably he and his fellow cartoon characters were our first ambassadors of ‘vocal for local’ too.

    Soon, as we moved to senior school, Ninan too moved on from the magazine to a daily, expected to churn out more serious, political stuff. Our journeys seemed identical one would say. And this is where it got even more interesting.

    When political cartoonists had an important role to play in journalism, Ninan’s cartoons regularly arrived on the front page, sometimes as the lead story. Such was the power of the cartoonist’s desk, that a strong politically scathing, visually biting satire would be considered as a comment from the newspaper as a whole or even a visual editorial.

    And this is where Ninan excelled. His cartoon edits or the pocket strip or even his political illustrations were what made it quintessentially an Ajit Ninan work, more than his strong drawing ability, his lines or expressions or the laughs; it was his visual comment.

    In that sense he played by the book and did exactly what a political cartoon is expected to do (besides raising a chuckle) — to make a strong visual comment. Ninan’s visual idioms were never to be missed, however small or big or lead or thumbnail the piece might have been. Here too he pushed the reader to read his work and not just see.

    As a follower, from a school kid to a practitioner, following the expanse of Ajit Ninan’s work was always exasperating. From gags to comic strips to daily pocket cartoons to cartoon editorials to plain, descriptive illustrations, he was a tireless master of it all, never compromising on his sense of humour.

    “The range, the time, the energy, how does he do it?” One could say I would’ve aged with that question. But not until I met him. Decades back, when I was interviewing the man himself, the lines blurred between personal fandom and professional need of the hour.

    I was to the point: “Tell me a day in your life, or how do you pack in so much within these hours.” He laughed and kept drawing, sticking to the requirements of the professional task at hand. Name a political figure and he would draw in seconds without a reference, and make the same facial expressions as he drew them for the character.

    The answer to my query was simple, he just enjoyed and enjoyed every line he drew. And that’s what made him constantly create, laugh and make us laugh.

    Ninan’s passing is both a rude shock and a gigantic loss in the shrinking world of Indian cartooning. I am convinced there was much more to come from his desk.

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  • Art Mumbai: A Tribute to the Vibrant Art Landscape of Mumbai

    Art Mumbai: A Tribute to the Vibrant Art Landscape of Mumbai

    As the city looks forward to this premier event, Art Mumbai promises to be a welcoming platform for art industry insiders, as well as art enthusiasts, young collectors, first time buyers, architects, interior designers and cultural tastemakers…reports Asian Lite News

    India’s financial capital gears up to unveil its first art fair with Art Mumbai. Showcasing a vast and finely curated selection of modern and contemporary art from India and South Asia, Art Mumbai will take place from November 16 to 19 at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse Members’ Enclosure. With a strong line-up of galleries, and participation by foundations and prominent art institutions, Art Mumbai will blend the old world charms of its iconic location with original and innovative art in its many forms.

     With the presence of landmark galleries from Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata as well as eminent international galleries from USA and the Middle East, the Fair will present paintings as well as a special section for craft based art and antiquities from across the globe. While distinct styles and narratives will be on view, they will unite on a common platform of celebration of community: artists, galleries, institutions, curators, collectors, new buyers, art professionals, enthusiasts and even those who could visit the fair for an immersive and uplifting art experience.   

    Art Mumbai has been envisioned and promoted by Minal and Dinesh Vazirani, Nakul Dev Chawla and Conor Macklin, along with a dynamic team comprising Rhea Kuruvilla, Teesta Bhandare and Sumanth Ram. Combining their collective experience across different facets of the art ecosystem, they have come together to present the first art fair in Mumbai.

    “We are at a particularly interesting juncture in history, where South Asia as a whole has entered the global conversation on art and culture, which is rapidly gaining in importance. India’s burgeoning art scene is developing and is in the process of expanding its position on the international stage,” notes Minal Vazirani, Co-Founder, Art Mumbai.

    Mumbai and Art

     In addition to being a celebration of South Asian art, the first edition of Art Mumbai is also a special tribute to the city of Mumbai. Historically home to the creative industries of fashion and film, Mumbai also has a deep connect with art and has emerged as the epicentre of the art market in recent times. Over the last few years, the art landscape in the city has flourished with the expansion of gallery activities and exhibitions as well as public events that offer increasing access to art in the public domain.

    As the city looks forward to this premier event, Art Mumbai promises to be a welcoming platform for art industry insiders, as well as art enthusiasts, young collectors, first time buyers, architects, interior designers and cultural tastemakers.

    “With Mumbai at the centre of a cultural movement, we believe that there’s never been a better time nor place to launch a fair of this kind. To underscore this timing, it’s important to note the strong growth of the Indian art market in the last fiscal year,” explains Dinesh Vazirani, Co-Founder, Art Mumbai, when sharing how India’s contemporary art market saw its strongest turnover ever in 2022, according to a report by Indian Art Investor.

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  • ‘There is something new to be discovered’

    ‘There is something new to be discovered’

    The singer, who recently performed during the Pondicherry chapter of ‘Beyond Serendipity’, an initiative by Serendipity Arts, maybe teaching many foreigners who come to stay with him, and over video calls, says he is worried whether many in his tribe will take up the tradition and continue singing…writes Sukant Deepak

    In Kabir, he not only finds answers but a path that promises solace. Whenever he sings his poetry, serpentine labyrinths open into never-before horizons.

    “There is a peculiar state of calm. Kabir’s simplicity answers the most complex questions effortlessly. Every time I give a voice to his words, there is something new to be discovered — about the poet, about myself,” Sufi singer Mir Mukhtiyar Ali tells.

    Known for blending the Rajasthani folk idiom with refined classicism to sing the poetry of Kabir, Mira and Sufi poets such as Bulleh Shah, Ali hails from a semi-nomadic community called the ‘Mirasis’ from the Thar desert area in Rajasthan, and happens to be the 26th generation of Sufi musicians who are successfully keeping the ‘Sufiana Qalam’ alive.

    The singer, who recently performed during the Pondicherry chapter of ‘Beyond Serendipity’, an initiative by Serendipity Arts, maybe teaching many foreigners who come to stay with him, and over video calls, says he is worried whether many in his tribe will take up the tradition and continue singing.

    “I do not have to elaborate about the struggle associated with keeping a tradition alive. It would not be fair to blame the youngsters if they seek to take up more stable employment opportunities. But yes, there are still some people from my tribe who want to take forward what our forefathers were committed to.”

    Stressing that in order to ascertain that the traditional arts do not vanish, it is paramount that the state comes forward to help, Ali laments that despite repeated pleas to successive state and Central governments no concrete steps have been taken by them.

    “In fact, it is the private sector that is realising its responsibility towards the arts and is proactively helping us. Not just platforms, many organisations are providing scholarships and grants too. I have performed at the Serendipity Arts Festival multiple times in front of different audiences,” he adds.

    Currently busy holding workshops with children across the country in different schools, the singer says that it is always interesting to work with children.

    “I am a strong advocate of introducing children to our music and other arts. Schools can play a very important role in that. Children ensure a very different energy, they can sometimes ask the most complex of questions and challenge you in unpredictable ways.”

    Ali, who was awarded the GiMA Award for Best Music Debut for the song ‘Fanny Re’ in the movie ‘Finding Fanny’ may have sung in multiple films but decided to leave Mumbai and come back to his village.

    Remembering that it was tough for him to be far from his traditional singing, he adds, “Of course, I still do projects if they work for me. However, I know the space that owns me and cannot be far away from it for long,” he concludes.

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  • Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale Announces Curatorial Team

    Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale Announces Curatorial Team

    Since April 2023, the Biennale Encounters program has been offering a regular series of public gatherings, artist talks, workshops, and other activities within the JAX District…reports Asian Lite News

    The 2024 Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, which will open on February 20, 2024, and run until May 24, 2024, announced the appointment of its international core curatorial team led by the Artistic Director Ute Meta Bauer. The event will take place in the JAX District in Diriyah, a town adjacent to the capital city of Riyadh.

    DBF curator Wejdan Reda (SA) and curators Rahul Gudipudi (IN), Rose Lejeune (UK), and Anca Rujoiu (RO) will bring experiences and insights from diverse geographic backgrounds, extending the Biennale exhibition with artistic formats such as performance, sound, research-based practices, and digital forms.

    The Biennale is being developed as a living entity rather than a static framework, with a strong focus on conversation and process. Collaborations and partnerships will connect the contributing artists and architects with local cultural producers, musicians, nonprofit entities, restaurateurs, traders, and farmers, pointing to how art practices today engage with society on multiple levels. The intention is to create spaces for personal encounters and exchange with and between diverse communities.

    Since April 2023, the Biennale Encounters program has been offering a regular series of public gatherings, artist talks, workshops, and other activities within the JAX District.

    Additional members of the core team include Laura Miotto and Savina Nicolini / SNA (scenography), Attitudine Forma (art fabrication), Kai von Rabenau / mono.studio (graphic design), Ebrahim Hassan (lead Arabic editor), Laura Schleussner (managing editor), and Lucas Goy / les éclaireurs (lighting design). They will support the curatorial vision of a multi-sensory exhibition experience.

    In preparation for the event, Bauer and members of the core team undertook research trips to various regions across Saudi Arabia, including Dammam, Khobar, Al-hasaa, Riyadh, Jeddah, Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Rijaal Almaa. These visits focused on creating dialogues with Saudi artists of different generations to learn about the country’s rich and diverse cultural scene. 

    Ute Meta Bauer said, “I am delighted and honoured to be part of this remarkable project. The team of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation and the team of this edition of the Contemporary Art Biennale bring together a breadth of expertise in terms of geographies and skills, which provides an invaluable context for our process-oriented approach. Saudi Arabia has a long, rich history of art, and it has been a privilege to encounter so many practices over months of research. Our aim is to engage deeply with the location and the conversations taking place here while creating new connections within the region and beyond.”

    Aya Al Bakree, CEO of the Diriyah Biennale Foundation added, “It is with great pleasure that we announce the core team for the next edition of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale. The expertise that this strong team brings to the Diriyah Biennale Foundation not only expands our body of knowledge but also adds to the diversity of art forms that we showcase and the audiences that we reach.”  

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  • Dreamwork Collective to Showcase UAE Authors

    Dreamwork Collective to Showcase UAE Authors

    Convening in the Hotel Excelsior on Lido di Venezia, the Book Adaptation Rights Market is part of the Venice Production Bridge, which stages a range of unique initiatives to advance the development and production of film…reports Asian Lite News

    Dubai-based publisher, The Dreamwork Collective, has been selected to take part in the 8th edition of the Book Adaptation Rights Market, to be staged next month as part of the 80th Venice International Film Festival. One of just 34 international publishing houses and literary agencies chosen for the exclusive invitation-only event, The Dreamwork Collective will have the opportunity to represent the UAE and present its entire catalogue of books for adaptation to the film industry.

    Convening in the Hotel Excelsior on Lido di Venezia, the Book Adaptation Rights Market is part of the Venice Production Bridge, which stages a range of unique initiatives to advance the development and production of film. The Market provides publishers with a dedicated platform to conduct one-on-one meetings with the producers registered to the Venice International Film Festival, to discuss the adaptation of novels, dramas, children’s literature, short stories, comics, graphic novels, essays, and biographies.

    As an independent publisher with a focus on authors in the Middle East and North Africa regions, The Dreamwork Collective has established a reputation for championing voices often neglected by the mainstream. The invitation to the Venice Book Adaptation Rights Market is a first among publishers across the region and recognizes the diverse voices and powerful stories backed by the all-female team.

    CEO and Founder of The Dreamwork Collective, Kira Jean, said, “We are honoured to be among the select few publishers to receive Gold Accreditation and to present our titles for adaption to the film industry. It is a huge step towards introducing the powerful stories we publish in the Emirates to the screen, and we are thrilled to represent the region’s best writing talent as we meet renowned filmmakers and producers at this year’s Venice International Film Festival.”

    The annual Book Adaptation Rights Market places a spotlight on a different literary genre each year and the 2023 edition will be dedicated to publications for children and young adults. Among the titles to be presented by The Dreamwork Collective is The Secret Life of Dubai’s Street Cats, by Bashayer Arif. A touching and triumphant story for cat lovers of all ages, the book has sold over 90,000 copies worldwide. Also featuring in the publisher’s children’s literature catalogue is Just Jessica, by author and Paralympian Jessica Smith, who draws on her own life experiences to tell the story of a schoolgirl who is slightly different from her friends.

    Renowned among publishers worldwide as one of the top three annual gatherings in the field, the Venice Book Adaptation Rights Market has provided a platform for the sale of numerous adaptations to both cinema and television in its previous seven editions. The Dreamwork Collective will be among 12 publishers and literary agencies participating in the event for the first time this year.

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  • Noor Jahan’s efforts to protect Ladakh’s rich cultural legacy

    Noor Jahan’s efforts to protect Ladakh’s rich cultural legacy

    Despite facing challenges, including the departure of her cousin Wajeeda and the need to create sustainable year-round work, Noor continues her dedicated efforts…reports Asian Lite News

    Noor Jahan, an expert in art conservation and heritage management from Leh, has dedicated a decade to the question of preserving culture. Through her venture, Shesrig Ladakh, Noor and her cousin Wajeeda Tabassum conduct vital restoration and conservation work on ancient wall paintings, religious manuscripts, thangka paintings, and metalworks. Noor’s passion lies in working on ancient wall paintings and thangkas, a focus inspired by childhood memories and a desire to protect Ladakh’s heritage.

    Equipped with a Master’s degree from the Delhi Institute of Heritage Research and Management and a PhD from the National Museum Institute, Noor has undertaken restoration projects dating back to the late 8th century. Despite facing challenges, including the departure of her cousin Wajeeda and the need to create sustainable year-round work, Noor continues her dedicated efforts.

    In addition to her conservation work, Noor is a goalkeeper for the Indian women’s ice hockey team, demonstrating her remarkable versatility. Her journey began with a fortuitous encounter with foreign conservators in Leh, leading her to pursue higher studies in art conservation. Memories of childhood visits to Nubra Valley and the deterioration of ancient paintings further ignited her passion for the field.

    Noor’s most significant project, Shesrig Ladakh, was founded in 2017. The venture is based in Choskor House, a historic structure in Leh’s old town. Noor’s team engages in meticulous conservation and restoration work, addressing challenges such as physical access to remote sites and sourcing materials. Documentation, cleaning, and stabilizing are key steps in their conservation process.

    For thangka restoration, Noor’s team follows a comprehensive eight-step process, including cleaning, separation, and repair. Despite occasional obstacles stemming from her Muslim faith or lack of awareness in Ladakh about conservation, Noor remains steadfast in her mission to preserve cultural heritage.

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  • Amit Dasgupta’s new book explores the Power of embracing failure

    Amit Dasgupta’s new book explores the Power of embracing failure

    But because of the vagaries of life, sometimes a decision needs to be made despite the possibility of it failing, yet it is still important to make such decisions. What should one’s attitude be in such a situation…writes Kavya Dubey

    Failure is an inevitable part of life, and oftentimes surer and more impactful than success.

    In his book ‘Why We Fail And How to Rise Above Failure’ (Wisdom Tree; Rs 325), former diplomat Amit Dasgupta is an empath in tough times, and a companion for the times ahead.

    The fact is that our perception of success and failure is defined by what we consider as our purpose, but what matters more, according to Dasgupta, is “the ability to do what we are passionately driven by, irrespective of the outcome.”

    In an email interview he added: “It reflects the essence of equanimity. You don’t pick up the cricket bat to bat like Tendulkar. You pick it up because it is where your passion lies.”

    He went on to say, “Once you start placing ‘value’ on your efforts, you get overwhelmed by externally imposed perceptions of success or failure.”

    Making a more stone-cold reference to what success is now understood as, Dasgupta said: “In today’s world, success is valued in terms of material gains and yardsticks of economic prosperity. Van Gogh didn’t paint in order to become a millionaire by selling his paintings. He painted because it was what drove him.

    “His painting ‘Starry Night’, which is considered a masterpiece (‘success’, in other words), had disappointed him because, in his view, it didn’t capture what he had in mind. ‘Success’ and ‘failure’ are part of the scheme of things. They happen. The idea is to not get overwhelmed by either.”

    But because of the vagaries of life, sometimes a decision needs to be made despite the possibility of it failing, yet it is still important to make such decisions. What should one’s attitude be in such a situation?

    The author pointed out: “Nobody does anything in order to fail. When you are driven by passion, it is all that matters. You give your best. You then learn to define ‘success’ or ‘failure’ on your terms. What we often tend to do is to define these along lines other people expect of us. We start to constantly seek validation of our efforts from others.

    “This translates into an externally imposed pressure, which often has terrible consequences and ends badly. As the existentialist philosopher Sartre reminded us, hell is other people.”

    He concluded by adding: “Taking control of how we see ourselves and what the meaning of our life is, can be a transformational experience. And, it is well within our powers to achieve this. It is then that success and failure disappears and only action remains.”

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  • Gallery threshold marks 25th anniversary with unique exhibition

    Gallery threshold marks 25th anniversary with unique exhibition

    Gallery Threshold was established in 1997 when Tunty Chauhan, through friendships with artists V. Ramesh, Ravindar Reddy, and Lama Goud, to name a few, began exhibiting the works of upcoming artists in Visakhapatnam…reports Asian Lite News

    In an exhibition curated to commemorate its 25th anniversary, Gallery Threshold is organising ‘Reflecting the Self’ at Bikaner House from August 18 to 28 which will bring together the works of 35 multi-generational artists who have had an ongoing reciprocal relationship with the gallery.

    The theme of self-portraiture unites the diversity of artists’ practices supported by the gallery. Comprising paintings, sculptures, installations, photography, and mixed media, the works delve deep into the narratives and vignettes from their own life stories.

    The exhibition fulfils two objectives: To visit the idea of self-representation and to celebrate the strong bonds forged between the gallery and the artists, acknowledging their artistic excellence and the lasting impact they have made within the art community.  

    The curators — Tunty Chauhan and Deeksha Nath — embrace a broader understanding of self-representation that encompasses figurative and abstract works, as well as alliterative and metaphorical approaches. Self-portraits can contain deeply personal and introspective elements, as well as convey political and cultural significance or evoke personal empowerment.

    They serve as a means for artists to connect with others, fostering empathy and sparking conversations about the intricate nature of the self. The process of creating self-portraits holds profound significance for the artists themselves and for those who engage with their artwork in the exhibition.

    Gallery Threshold was established in 1997 when Tunty Chauhan, through friendships with artists V. Ramesh, Ravindar Reddy, and Lama Goud, to name a few, began exhibiting the works of upcoming artists in Visakhapatnam.

    Over the course of the next few years, in association with the Faculty of Fine Arts, Chauhan invited over 40 artists to the city to exchange ideas and share their practices, setting in motion relationships and partnerships that have lasted 25 years and supported the practices of artists across generations. It moved to the Capital in 2001.

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