‘Atul Dodiya: Walking with the Waves’ will showcase the recent works of Atul Dodiya generated from the pandemic situation. It will open parallel to Ramanujam’s show at KNMA, Saket…reports Asian Lite News
The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in the national capital is reopening its museum for visitors after a yearlong pause on holding onsite exhibitions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The space will witness two exhibitions — ‘K Ramanujam: Into the Moonlight Parade’ and ‘Atul Dodiya: Walking with the Waves’ — curated by Roobina Karode. The preview will be held on March 22.
The two artists are spaced by distinct junctures in Indian art, and yet connected through underlying chords of hope and resilience.
Paying homage to Ramanujam, an exceptional figure of Indian modernism, the exhibition ‘K Ramanujam: Into the Moonlight Parade’ provides the audience with a unique opportunity to view rare drawings and paintings of the artist, including his awe-inspiring 13-feet panorama ‘My Dream World’ (1973).
‘Atul Dodiya: Walking with the Waves’ will showcase the recent works of Atul Dodiya generated from the pandemic situation. It will open parallel to Ramanujam’s show at KNMA, Saket.
The exhibition will look at a body of intimate and small-format watercolours produced by Dodiya during the past two years. As the world shut down in response to the pandemic, the artist also had to retreat to his inner world, his sanctuary.
With a fund of time at hand while quarantined at home, Dodiya began his exploration of the world outside, one which is rooted in the real, yet silently allowing the fantastic to enter the image-scape. So far, what had only been subjects of routine observances turned into remote recesses. What he had not realised was the power of the subconscious to dredge up, from the depths of the mind, extemporaneous views of trees, creepers, plants, sky, clouds, water bodies and waves of imagination.
Familiar sights from his morning walks transformed into magical landscapes with faceless mystic figures engaged in otherworldly gesticulations, and the pervasive city disappearing from the configurations.
Eventually, as the simple act of daily morning walks became precarious, these watercolours on his pad became repose for the recluse. Conversing through impeccable silence, the painted characters are relatable now and unreachable in the next moment.
The two exhibitions together will reveal intricacies and profundities that solitary creative minds can reach and bring out for the onlooker, by touching upon unforeseen emotions and sensibilities that can only arise from a period of great crisis and a subsequent respire brought in through healing.
Kartik also worked for OTT platforms for projects like Mirzapur, Made in Heaven, Comicstaan and also for movies such as Kai Po Che, The Lunchbox, Shahid, ABCD, Ghanchakkar, Joker among others…reports Asian Lite News
‘Futuristic Antique,’ a series of paintings created in collaboration between Karthikeyan Ramachandran and his Legendary artist Father K N Ramachandran on the theme of ‘Futuristic Antique,’ will be launched as Karthik’s first Art NFT on Token Runway.
He is a member of the Delhi-based Future Collective, which hosted an art fair at Bikaner House Delhi. All of these influences combine to form Artist Karthik Ramachandran, who is a blend of traditional knowledge and crazy contemporary ideas. Most people add a prefix to his name, “MAD Karthik.” His art has this undercurrent, and he describes his style as “Futuristic antique” — which means “Looking at today as a matter of past, by putting yourself in the future.”
He started his journey with MTV India from 2000-2005 as a visualiser and left as a creative director. Between 2005-2006 he set up the animation and visual effects team at Pixion Mumbai and created the launch image identity for VH1 India during the launch year 2006 started xtrathin design pvt Ltd a graphic design & advertising house in Bandra, Mumbai.
Kartik also worked for OTT platforms for projects like Mirzapur, Made in Heaven, Comicstaan and also for movies such as Kai Po Che, The Lunchbox, Shahid, ABCD, Ghanchakkar, Joker among others.
Artist and visionary Karthik Ramachandran curates’ art shows & festivals. Being inclined towards art is in his genes because of his late father renowned Artist K N Ramachandran. Karthik runs an art festival called Appa Art Fest in memory of his father, where he curates artists of diverse art forms to come together & co-create anything from traditional to contemporary, from digital to theatre.
This compelling monograph outlines the story of his life, his early work on cosmic rays, which remained a lifelong obsession, his struggles to translate theories into experiments, and his achievements…reports Asian Lite News
Setting the record straight in the midst of the controversy over the ‘Rocket Boys’ TV series that has been panned, as one critic put it, of being an “unfocused document of an intriguing period in Indian history” comes a monograph that brings to light the life and times of Homi Jahangir Bhabha, who laid the foundation for India’s nuclear programme.
“Bhabha has left a rich legacy in Indian science that enriches us even today. He recognised what India needed to gain a foothold in world science in its post-Independence era and had the determination to push through his ideas. The rare combination of calibre and confidence in Bhabha made him the icon that he was, and this is what makes us look back at his life and work even after half a century of his passing away,” says author Biman Nath, an astrophysicist at the Raman Research Institute of ‘Homi J Bhabha – A Renaissance Man among Scientists’ (Niyogi Books).
Bhabha’s far sightedness and enterprise shaped the development of modern science in India. Understanding the need for achieving self-reliance, he laid the framework for nuclear research in India by founding The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET), later renamed Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in his honour. Bhabha achieved international prominence for his trailblazing studies in the field of Atomic Energy, while his role of scientist-diplomat, handled with aplomb, gained worldwide recognition in the global arena.
This compelling monograph outlines the story of his life, his early work on cosmic rays, which remained a lifelong obsession, his struggles to translate theories into experiments, and his achievements.
A deeply evocative work, it portrays Bhabha’s visionary foresight in anticipating the urgent need for high-quality facilities in India to pursue research on nuclear energy. It also speaks of his passionate interest in art and architecture, drawing and painting, and his love for classical music, which made him stand out as a renaissance man among scientists.
Comprehensive and reflective, this monograph encapsulates Bhabha’s vision for India and sheds light on his rich legacy. His legendary leadership in organising scientific research in India, his drive and passion continue to inspire generations of students in India.
Take, for instance, his work on cosmic rays.
Since India is located near the magnetic equator, most low-energy particles were reflected away by the Earth’s magnetic field, leaving the high-energy particles, to enter the detectors put on balloons. There were more reasons that made India an ideal location for cosmic ray studies.
India also had the highest mountain range in the world, which provided a perfect location for cosmic ray studies at high altitudes. In balloon flights, one has a time within which the data could be collected, while at mountaintops, these studies could be extended for a longer time. India also had many mines, and instruments could be put at the bottom of these mines for cosmic ray studies.
This set-up would cut out many particles that were absorbed by the upper crust, leaving other particles to be detected by the instruments down below, and this allowed physicists to have a simple filtering system for different kinds of particles. Bhabha realised that this line of research was ideal for the Indian situation, because it required relatively modest financial means, with which frontline research could be done.
Besides, such activities would enable India to learn the techniques of modern experimental physics, and also instil among young Indian scientists a confidence that they could achieve scientific results in spite of obstacles.
Such was the drive that took Bhabha to heights that few scientists have achieved so far.
Sagar Kamble’s Black Rain in mixed media on canvas attracted the judge’s attention, making him the winner of this year’s highest prize, the Governor’s Award which carries rupees one lakh in cash and certificate…reports Asian Lite News
The Bombay Art Society (BAS), founded in 1888, one of the oldest non-profit art institutions in the Asian subcontinent promoting visual arts for 132 years, is presenting its 130th annual art exhibition.
The BAS annual art exhibition, the only art exhibition in India that is held continuously for 134 years except for a few years during the first and second world war, is considered as the talent hunt in the country. The selected 240 artworks hand-picked from a total of 2500 entries received from all over India through a highly refined selection process involving art experts at every stage of selection are presented in this exhibition.
The inauguration of the annual art exhibition is scheduled at 5.00 pm on 01 March at Jehangir Art Gallery at the hand of Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Hon’ble Governor of Maharashtra and Sangita Jindal, Chairperson, JSW Foundation in presence of hundreds of artists.
Lakshman Surybhan Chavan Painting, Swayveden. 48 x 48 Inches Acrylic on Canvas.
The Bombay art society has started Roopdhar Lifetime Samman in the field of visual art for the last seventeen years. This year we are felicitating one of the great artists and Shri Ravi Paranjape with the Roopdhar lifetime achievement award which carries a citation and one Lakh rupees cash as a token of love. The Roopadhar lifetime achievement award will be conferred on Shri Ravi Paranjape on 01 March 2022 at the time of the inauguration of the annual art exhibition.
Mangesh Patil, who works in a realistic style and excels at portraiture bagged this year’s Bendre-Husain scholarship whereas Laxman Chavan’s Acrylic canvas in semi-abstract idiom got him Lalibhai Dharamdas Bhambhani scholarship. The Sandhya Misra Scholarship is presented to Swapnesh Vaigankar for his unique artworks. A perfect fusion of visual arts elements.
Sagar Kamble Painting, Black Rain. 48 x 48 Inches, Mixed media on Canvas.
Sagar Kamble’s Black Rain in mixed media on canvas attracted the judge’s attention, making him the winner of this year’s highest prize, the Governor’s Award which carries rupees one lakh in cash and certificate.
The Bombay Art Society gold medal which carried rupees fifty-one thousand cash, certificate and gold medal is given to Vikas Malhara, for his stunning abstract work. The artworks of Ketan Khutle, Sheelvanth Yadgiri, Vinod Chavan, Rohit Bawadekar, Nema Ram, Basavaraj Achar KR and Harshwaradhan Devtale submitted for the exhibition outshine and own them various awards which will be presented on 01 March 2022 at Jehangir Art Gallery.
This year the award-winning entries include artists from various cities in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal whereas art students who won awards are from many cities in Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and West Bengal.
The all India annual art exhibition has been an important art event on the calendar of visual arts events in the country since its beginning in 1888; today it has assumed the form of mega art event for the artists’ community in the western parts of India…not only western parts of India but it is an important event for artists in eastern and southern parts of India as The Bombay Art Society receives exhibition entries as far away as Delhi, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala from many years.
This year, 48 awards to the artists in the categories like paintings, sculptures, graphics, photography along with the Bendre-Husain scholarship, Lalibai Dharamdas Bhambhani and Sandhya Misra scholarship are presented to the young artists.
Amol Pawar Painting, Old Lane Panvel. 12 X 18 Inches Watercolor On Paper.
Bombay Art Society’s scholarships & awards have been a great inspiration in the formative years of today’s many master painters like J. P. Ganguly, Ravi Shankar Rawal, H. Majumdar, Amrita Sher-Gil, S. L. Haldankar, K. K Hebbar, N. S.Bendre, Badri Narayan, A. A. Almelkar, S. H. Raza, K. H. Ara, Mohan Samant, Jatin Das, Prabhakar Kolte and many other younger established names. The art journey of many Indian artists of renown has at some time or the other benefited from the munificence and magnificence of the Bombay Art Society’s past.
The Bombay Art Society (BAS) was granted a piece of land by the Maharashtra State Government and a huge symbol of architectural grandiose stands today on this 10,000 Sq. feet area at Bandra Reclamation, opp Hotel Rangsharada. The Art complex housing three art galleries, an amphitheatre, the art-books Library is a significant addition to Mumbai’s art and cultural infrastructure, providing artists and art enthusiasts with much-needed space for art exhibitions, art residencies, film screenings, live demonstrations, presentations, lectures, workshops, educational activities etc in Mumbai.
At the event, EPA is showcasing publications ranging in genres from literature and literary criticism to books…reports Asian Lite News
As part of its ongoing mission to represent Emirati publishers locally and regionally and strengthen their outreach in new markets, the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA) is showcasing 254 titles from 27 Emirati publishers through its ‘Manassah’ platform at the 26th edition of the Muscat International Book Fair (MIBF), which runs until 5th March.
Since the opening, several meetings were held between the EPA delegation and officials representing various cultural entities in Oman. The EPA delegates met with Dr. Abdullah Nasser Al Harrasi, Oman’s Minister of Information, and Sayyid Said bin Sultan al Busaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture Sports and Youth in Oman. The two parties explored cooperation opportunities between EPA and entities dedicated to culture and books in Oman and discussed strategies to facilitate their participation in the forthcoming editions of the Muscat Book Fair, as well as ways to utilise EPA’s experience in establishing Oman Publishers Association.
The delegation also met with representatives of the Promising Generation Libraries and Beirut Library with the aim of creating niche markets for Emirati publishers in Oman and the Gulf region, and to sign off cooperation agreements to broaden the scope of distribution of books published in the UAE. Discussions also centred on joint action in book printing and logistics, and ways to facilitate showcasing these books in local and regional libraries and book fairs to enhance the Arab publishing industry.
At the event, EPA is showcasing publications ranging in genres from literature and literary criticism to books exploring topics of self-development, economics, philosophy, history and heritage, applied sciences and picture books, in addition to translations from a host of foreign languages into Arabic.
Ali bin Hatem, President of the Emirates Publishers Association (EPA), said, “Our participation at the Muscat International Book Fair is in line with our commitment to highlight the exceptional works produced by Emirati and other UAE-based publishing houses and showcase the vibrant creative landscape of the UAE. MIBF is an important cultural event for the publishing sector in the Arab world and attracts a high footfall of visitors, Arab publishers, and vital stakeholders in the industry.”
“Through the ‘Manassah’ platform, EPA is uniting the efforts of publishers and supporting the publishing sector in the UAE by showcasing their books under the umbrella of a single pavilion. This facilitates access of Emirati publishers to key international book fairs and contributes to enhancing their visibility and marketing their books in the UAE and on the international stage to create a robust cultural sector that supports our national economy, furthers the cultural movement of the UAE, and emphasises its global significance,” he added.
Indian singing superstar turned actor Ammy Virk flew into Birmingham for the world premiere of his new Punjabi film Aaja Mexico Challiye … reports Anasudhin Azeez
Indian singing superstar turned actor Ammy Virk flew into Birmingham for the world premiere of his new Punjabi film Aaja Mexico Challiye. The lavish premiere at Vue cinema Star City organised by Whitehill Studio UK was attended by high profile guests.
FROM PUNJAB TO MEXICO- Special screening in Birmingham
The event witnessed the popular Punjabi star interact with fans, who turned out in force to support his latest movie. He has also produced the newly released film, which is a first of its kind story of Indian immigrants.
“My latest movie is no less important than my last film 83’ and focuses on a different kind of reality that affects people in small-town India who are chasing big dreams,” the star told the audience.
The powerful story of a young Indian man who decides to enter the USA through the ‘donkey route’ by crossing the jungles of Mexico and faces incredible challenges shows the harrowing plight of immigrants in a unique way. The eye-catching film has received positive reviews since it hit cinemas globally and is another triumph for the rapidly growing Panjabi film industry.
The film was shot entirely during Covid-19 and saw the team overcome various challenges to get it made. Writer/director Rakesh Dhawan assembled a talented cast for the deeply emotional film and praised Ammy Virk for his commitment to the project. He said: “For an important film like this to get made it needs a visionary like Ammy Virk to fully support it. Thanks to him we are able to bring this film to audiences, which is not only a gripping and entertaining drama, but also a story that highlights a real-life issue.”
FROM PUNJAB TO MEXICO- Special screening in Birmingham
Leading distributor Whitehill Studio immediately picked up the film for a worldwide release and are pleased with the audience reaction so far. Representative of Whitehill Studios UK, Manjot Bajwa said. “Aaja Mexico Challiye will attract all types of audience and is very much aimed at all ages. There is everything from comedy to drama and heartfelt emotion. We are proud to be part of the international release journey of this very important movie.”
The critically film is another triumph for established Panjabi star Ammy Virk, who was last seen playing a key role in mega-budget Bollywood blockbuster 83’, which revolves around India’s history-making win at the 1983 cricket world cup. He also delivered the music for Aaja Mexico Challiye, which adds to his impressive track record as a chart-topping singer and acclaimed actor.
Produced by Ammy Virk, Gurpreet Singh, and Daljit Singh Thind.
Songs: The heart-touching songs of the film are written by Bir Singh, Happy Raikoti, and Harmanjit and voiced by Ammy Virk and Bir Singh.
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The exhibition will display some unseen Raza works and select masterpieces from the Piramal art collection, reflecting his love for Mumbai and a glimpse of the upcoming city as a melting pot of various cultures…reports Asian Lite News
India Post has released a Special Cover to mark the 100th birth anniversary of renowned painter Sayed Haider Raza, whose five day-long exhibition starts at the Piramal Museum of Art in Byculla on Wednesday.
The first physical expo in Mumbai after two years of the coronavirus pandemic, it showcases Raza’s artworks from his time in Bombay from 1943-1950, showing the city through his lens in a then newly Independent India full of hopes and aspirations.
Chief Postmaster General (Maharashtra & Goa) Veena Srinivas, Post Master General (Mumbai Region) Swati Pandey, Piramal Museum of Art Director Ashvin Rajagopalan, Piramal Group Chairman Ajay Piramal, Raza Foundation Managing Trustee Ashok Vajpeyi and others unveiled the Special Cover on Raza.
The exhibition will display some unseen Raza works and select masterpieces from the Piramal art collection, reflecting his love for Mumbai and a glimpse of the upcoming city as a melting pot of various cultures.
Born in Kakkaiya in modern day Madhya Pradesh, Raza lived and worked mostly in France but returned to India around 2010.
He studied at the Nagpur School of Art, followed by Sir J. J. School of Art in Mumbai, and went to Paris in 1950 to the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts.
Over the long decades of his trailblazing artistic career, with exhibitions around the world, he was honoured and decorated with many awards including Padma Vibhushan (2013).
Raza passed away in New Delhi on July 23, 2016, aged 94.
Exhibited in the 1966 Venice Biennale, Untitled (Relief no. 21/52) (1964, estimate: £1,000,000-1,500,000) is an important early example of the white reliefs that brought Sergio Camargo to global prominence during this period…reports Asian Lite News
Launching the 20/21 Marquee Sale Weeks in 2022, Christies March season will establish a dialogue between the cities of London and Shanghai. The 20/21 Shanghai to London series of sales will also be live and live-streamed to our salerooms in Hong Kong and New York. This unique platform showcases the finest examples of art that span the dynamic art movements and artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Franz Marc’s 1913 masterpiece ‘The Foxes’, will be offered for sale at Christie’s on 1 March 2022 with a pre-sale estimate on request (in the region of £35,000,000). Filled with a vivid play of vibrant colour and prismatic form, ‘The Foxes’ is a masterpiece of Modernism, which has graced several great collections over the course of its life, most recently the Kunstpalast Museum in Dusseldorf, before its restitution to the heirs of Kurt and Else Grawi. Masterpieces By Bacon And Freud: The School Of London
An extraordinary meditation on the passage of time, and a rhapsody on the solitude of the human condition, Triptych 1986-7 (1986-87, estimate: £35,000,000-55,000,000, illustrated page one) stands among Francis Bacon’s last great paintings. Across three monumental canvases, his most rare and celebrated format, he entwines imagery drawn from the annals of twentieth-century history with a poignant, retrospective view of his own life and art. In the year that marks the centenary of the artist’s birth, Lucian Freud’s masterpiece of frank, tender observation, ‘Girl with Closed Eyes’ (1986-87, £10,000,000-15,000,000,) will also make its auction debut.
The painting is among the most exquisite of Lucian Freud’s triumphant 1980s portraits. Reclined on a bed in the artist’s Holland Park studio, the sitter, Janey Longman, is caught as if in a reverie. In addition, a rare work on paper held in the same family collection for more than half a century, Lobster (1944, estimate: £1,300,000-1,800,000) is an exquisite showcase of Lucian Freud’s early practice.
Offered from the Neumann Family Collection, Bridget Riley’s Reverse’ (1963, estimate: £3,000,000- ,000,000) alternates triangles of black and white across a hypnotic expanse. The painting was acquired in 1965 and has been unseen in public since then. Acquired from the artist in 1993, and held in the same private collection since, ‘Swimming Form in Endless Motion’ (1993, estimate: £1,400,000-1,800,000) is an early example from Damien Hirst’s ‘Science for All’ series, restaging the artist’s iconic use of the shark, first seen in ‘The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living’ (1991). Created in 1995, the year that Hirst won the Turner Prize, ‘Ashtray Head/Fallen Empire’ (estimate: £800,000-1,200,000) is a work which confronts mortality, combining elements to create a surreal and striking vanitas.
Executed in 2006, Happy Choppers (estimate: £3,000,000-5,000,000, illustrated below, right) is a rare painterly iteration of one of Banksy’s most iconic motifs. One of only three variations, it depicts a squadron of Apache Attack helicopters, or ‘choppers’. Originally part of the Saatchi Collection, Cecily Brown’s ‘The Girl Who Had Everything’ (1998, estimate: £3,500,000-5,500,000) captures the euphoric flourishing of the carnal, gestural abstraction that would come to define her oeuvre. Portraiture: From Schiele To Boafo
Egon Schiele’s Stehender männlicher Akt mit verschränkten Armen (Selbstportrat) (1912, estimate: £1,500,000-2,500,000) is one of a spectacular group of nude self-portrait watercolours that explore the expressive potential of the lone, contorted figure as an entirely new means of portraiture and self-expression.
Exquisite works by Marc Chagall and Sergio Camargo are being sold to benefit the new Museu Vila de Vassouras, Rio de Janeiro, which will open in 2023 after four years of restoration and reconstruction of the old Hospital da Santa Casa de Vassouras. In L’esprit des roses (Au-dessus des fleurs) (1926, £2,200,000-3,200,000), Chagall enlarges the bouquet to enormous proportions, allowing it to fill the canvas with its vibrant play of pigment and thick, gestural brushstrokes.
The painting is being offered by the Volkart Foundation, Switzerland to raise funds for their cultural programmes. The Berggruen Family Collection are offering Pablo Picasso’s Jeune homme de profil (1944, estimate: £100,000-150,000) to secure funding for New York’s Carnegie Hall. Following the sale of Cecily Brown’s There’ll be bluebirds in October 2021, Root (2016, estimate: £350,000-550,000) has been generously donated by Antony Gormley and White Cube as the part of the ongoing sale series Artists for ClientEarth. This landmark new collaborative initiative is designed to propel the art world in the fight against climate change and has raised more than £4,000,000 to date. Contemporary Painting
Sparkling with supernatural mystery, D with Raven (2015, estimate: £20,000-30,000) is a compelling, jewel-like work by the Romanian painter Victor Man. The composition of Flora Yukhnovich’s Tu vas me faire rougir (You’re going to make me blush) (2017, estimate: £250,000-350,000) is derived from Jean-Honore Fragonard’s The Swing (c. 1767) (Wallace Collection, London). You Spell Me (2010, estimate: £150,000-200,000) is an early dreamscape by Shara Hughes demonstrating the complex, playful interior scenes which occupied her between 2006 and 2014, and which ultimately propelled her to international acclaim. World Of Women
Woman #5672 (2021, estimate: £300,000-500,000) is one of the rarest in the World of Women’s 10k-piece collection, and the only NFT to be offered in the sale. The ethereal skin tone, combined with her crisp formal attire imbues her with the mystique of a Rene Magritte portrait, magnifying her powerful, otherworldly energy against a backdrop of swirling red and turquoise curves.
The Art Of The Surreal Evening Sale Pablo Picasso’s La Fenastre Ouverte
Presented at auction for the first time, La Fenãštre ouverte (1929, estimate: £14,000,000-24,000,000) is a large, seminal work from Pablo Picasso’s Surrealist period. Towering in the foreground of this painting are two highly abstracted figures. On the right stands a plaster bust of the artist’s great lover and muse of this time, Marie-Therese Walter. The object on the left is an abstracted, symbolic representation of Picasso himself forming the letter ‘E’, as in Espanol, and aiming the arrow of Cupid at his muse. Two spires of the church of Sainte-Clotilde are identifiable in the background. John Richardson, the artist’s biographer, has suggested that this work, therefore, depicts the recently discovered secret Left Bank apartment that Picasso and Marie-Therese shared as one of their hideaways during their clandestine relationship.
Olivier Camu, Deputy Chairman, impressionist and modern art, Christie’s, “Held in the same European collection for half a century, this powerful and explosively coloured painting from the highpoint of Picasso’s Surrealist period and two years into his clandestine love affair with Marie-Therese, represents a brilliant fusion of the different passions and inspirations that defined the artist’s life at the end of the 1920s. We are thrilled to present this powerful painting by Picasso to the market for the first time as a major highlight of the 21st edition of The Art of the Surreal Evening Sale. Having built the international appetite for Magritte paintings in this market-defining sale, dedicated to the art of the surreal, for more than two decades, we are delighted to offer five paintings that showcase the breadth of his exceptional vision. The group is led by the magical and mysterious La Lumiere du pole. The sale also includes masterpieces by Salvador Dali, Paul Delvaux, Max Ernst, Joan Miro, Francis Picabia, and Yves Tanguy, amongst others.”
DR SURENDER SINGH KANDHARI: “Spirituality is seeking within oneself, it is self-exploration and controlling the vices” and added, “Self-analysis is important, I like to think that spirituality is the lyrical aspect of religion. I am no poet, though the rhythm of this discipline has always moved me”.
“Spiritual journey is a journey within, in my view, rituals are not to be confused with spirituality”, said HE Sunjay Sudhir, the Ambassador of India to UAE.
Dr Surender Singh Kandhari
Speaking at an event to launch the book ONE – The Spiritual Search by Dr Surender Singh Kandhari, Mr Sudhir said that COVID had forced us to rethink material possessions and worldly attachments. “This is just the right time to begin the journey within to have our life’s priorities right”, he said.
The book – third in the trilogy of books by Dr Kandhari- presents simple everyday facts that one could use as a guide to move to a level of better and meaningful co-existence.
Speaking on occasion, Dr Surender Singh Kandhari, chairman of Al Dobowi Group, stated that “spirituality is seeking within oneself, it is self-exploration and controlling the vices” and added, “Self-analysis is important, I like to think that spirituality is the lyrical aspect of religion. I am no poet, though the rhythm of this discipline has always moved me”.
Asian Lite
On the question of COVID, Dr Kandhari stated that while we may differ in terms of nationalities, race, and colour, among others, COVID does not recognise any of those differences and infects us irrespective. “What it has taught us is to respect each other”, he said.
H.E. Maqsoud Kruse, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) UAE; Lord Rami Ranger, House of Lords London & Founder of Sun Mark Limited and Dr Paresh Rugani, UK based multi-award winning international motivational speaker graced the occasion to launch the book. H.E. Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Former Minister of State for Tolerance, Abu Dhabi, UAE and Swami Brahmaviharidas of BAPS Hindu Mandir, Abu Dhabi joined the event online.
One, published in separate Arabic and English editions, Dr. Kandhari chooses simple every day facts which are an eye-opener in terms of how we conduct ourselves to be able to move to a level of better and meaningful co-existence.
Laugher has no tax, take time out to communicate with your loved ones, mobile phones are a need and they should not rule you. There is a very apt allegory in the beginning of his third book, titled ‘One: The spiritual search’ in which a hunter finds himself face to face with a charging lion on a barren, empty stretch of ground. Just at the last moment, he climbs up a tree and out of danger. Now, where did the tree suddenly appear from in such a barren path, one might ask. That, in essence, is the lesson that Dr. Kandhari wishes to drive home through the book. For, the tree, is the is salvation that one can find through spirituality and servitude of mankind, which will help him escape or tame the lion which is always chasing us. How you manage to change the lion and live a good life lies in your hands. The decision was yours all along.
The One book launch event in Dubai
The book talks about living practically and also do service to humanity because that is how one serves God. “Being Godly is good, but bringing godliness in you is much more important,” said Dr. Kandhari. He added that today most of us have lost the essence of actions and deeds and only do superficial actions that hold no meaning. People have forgotten the meaning of contentment and that is the root cause of all the unhappiness in the world as people lose sight of their boundaries and aspire for things that they lack. This has led to envy and jealousy. The solution lies in overcoming the mind and finding satisfaction in what one already has.
“The best attitude is gratitude,” said Dr. Kandhari, adding that every morning waking up with a sense of elation at being alive and having a chance to live healthy and grateful is the right way.
It’s never too late to be that ‘ONE’ individual who could create a feeling, a oneness among the individuals, oneness towards peace, oneness towards tolerance, oneness towards gratitude, oneness towards simplicity for a better tomorrow that we would want to entrust our future generations with so that human values do not become endangered and extinct.
This Founder Managing Trustee of the Kolkata Museum of Modern Art (KMOMA) for a decade laments that curation is yet to get its place in the Indian art scene and says it is not practised seriously here…writes Sukant Deepak
“Our aim has been to provide an all India platform for young artists, especially to those coming from smaller towns and semi-rural areas of the country. We are happy by the way the project has impacted the lives and career graphs of young artists. Galleries, universities and institutions have imbibed much of the talents that have emerged from CIMA Awards,” says Rakhi Sarkar, the founder of CIMA (Centre of International Modern Art), one of India’s premier art centres.
The recently concluded fourth edition of CIMA awards for visual arts witnessed 183 artworks from across the country shortlisted for the final round by the preliminary jury and 13 winners and their works selected by the final one (jury).
Widely known for setting up the ‘Affordable Art Mela’ that aims to bring art back into the public domain by offering an opportunity to buy art at affordable prices, Sarkar who brought the ‘mela’ to Delhi(2018) and Mumbai (2020) after a positive reception in Kolkata for over a decade, says, “To appreciate beauty, excellence and talent remains every individual’s right. If you accept this, then art cannot remain the purview of the wealthy and elite alone. We hope to extend it to non-metropolitan towns as well,” she adds.
Interesting several major artists offer their works for the mela at much lower costs. “They are supportive in order to provide young professionals and intellectuals with an opportunity to collect serious art at affordable prices. The ‘mela’ aspires to promote young collectors,” says Sarkar.
This Founder Managing Trustee of the Kolkata Museum of Modern Art (KMOMA) for a decade laments that curation is yet to get its place in the Indian art scene and says it is not practised seriously here.
“There is no scope whatsoever for getting training from art institutions and museums. Curation has a practical angle. One learns first-hand through ground experience. It involves imagination and creative flair. The investigative side involves research and erudition, but the final narrative and presentation need creativity and flair. We need seamless integration of the two elements.”
Talking about how most galleries have adopted a hybrid model in face of the Pandemic, she feels that digital is an alternative and certainly better than not showing at all, and to an extent bridging gaps between destinations.
“However, this virtual mode cannot be a replacement for physical exhibitions without which the scale and actual visual impact is lost completely,” she says.
Adding that what most artists have gone through in the past two years necessitate a kind of an umbrella organisation boasting of public and private partnership that extends help in such dire times, she elaborates, “The recent past has witnessed so many artists from across the spectrum going through immense financial insecurity. An organisation on such lines can ensure some kind of support during a huge crisis like the one we witnessed in the form of Pandemic.”
A decade back, in her capacity as the Chairperson of FICCI Art Council for Ministry of Culture, GOI, Sarkar had recommended through a detailed policy framework document a total overhaul of the syllabus of art schools, in partnership with major visual art faculties from across the world, but sadly nothing has been implemented as yet.
‘The of art schools’ curriculum is dismally outdated, and the 19th-century model is still in use. The conceptual side of art making is totally overlooked and the theoretical framework is very sketchy and inadequate. Until the standard of education improves the quality and depth of art practice will remain severely hampered, says Sarkar.
Talking about the multiple private art foundations that have come up in the country, especially Kolkata, she says, “It is excellent that several art institutions are coming up in the private sector. There is room for more across the country, given how vast and varied India is. These art institutions are fulfilling a paramount role in promoting and nurturing art.”
