State of the Art

The Saffronart Blog

Month: December 2012

The Kochi-Muziris Biennale begins today!

December 12, 2012

Manjari Sihare shares details of the much awaited Kochi- Muziris Biennale

Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012 An interactive map of India's First Biennale celebrating contemporary artists from around the world.

Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012 An interactive map of India’s First Biennale celebrating contemporary artists from around the world.

New York: The date 12.12.12 is going to go down in India’s books for more than one reason.  The country’s largest contemporary art event, and its first biennale, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale is being inaugurated today across different venues in the Fort Kochi area of Cochin in Kerala, South India. While India has a strong history of hosting triennales, the very first of which was organized in 1968 by the legendary Mulk Raj Anand, the Kochi- Muziris Biennale will be the first biennale in the country.

Typical of the phenomenon of an international art biennale, this one is also centered on the city, in this case, invoking the underlying multi-ethnic spirit of the modern metropolis of Kochi and its mythical past, Muziris, the recently excavated ancient city that was buried under layers of mud and mythology after a massive flood in the 14th century. The biennale is the brain child of eminent contemporary Indian artists, Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu. The first edition will feature approximately 90 Indian and international artists, introducing contemporary international visual art practice to India in manner not done before. Special highlights include newly commissioned works by artists such as Ariel Hassan (Argentina), Amanullah Mojadidi (Afghanistan), Anita Dube (India), Sudarshan Shetty (India), Subodh Gupta (India), Hossein Valamanesh (Iran/Australia), Tallur LN (India), Vivan Sundaram (India), Sheela Gowda (India), Joseph Semah (Netherlands), Nalini Malani (India), Atul Dodiya (India), UBIK (Dubai), Rigo 23 (Portugal), Jonas Staal (Netherlands), Dylan Martorell (Scotland/Australia), Ernesto Neto (Brazil). British singing sensation of Tamil descent, Mathangi Arulpragasam (M.I.A.) has been roped in to perform at the inauguration. Known for her avant-garde music, M.I.A. has previously shared stage space with the likes of Madonna and Rihanna, as well as  been a part of the A.R. Rahman’s team for the music of Slumdog Millionaire.

The event is a multi-faceted one including a two-day symposium, ‘Site Imaginaries’, on 15 & 16 December, 2012.  From the situated ground point of Kochi, the symposium aims to explore and retrieve memories in the current global context to posit alternatives to political and cultural discourses, and build a platform for dialogue for a new aesthetics and politics rooted in the Indian experience. The panelists include Aman Mojadidi, Amar Kanwar, Ariel Hassan, Ashok Sukumaran , Atul Dodiya, Clifford Charles, Shahidul Alam, Gayatri Sinha, Geeta Kapur, Gulammohammed Sheikh, Jonas Staal, Joseph Semah, Marieke van Hal, Nalini Malani, Nancy Adajania, Paul Domela, Pooja Sood, Ranjit Hoskote, Riyas Komu, Robert Montgomery, Sarat Maharaj, Tasneem Mehta, Vivan Sundaram, Vivek Vilasini.

The biennale will be held across different venues including the Aspinwall House loaned to Kochi-Muziris Biennale by DLF Limited in association with the Gujral Foundation, a restored Dutch bungalow called David Hall, spice warehouses and heritage structures being opened to the public for the first time ever. Characteristic of leading biennales across the world, this one too is expected to give a boost to the State’s economy.

Read more.

Amber: A Journey Into the Past

December 11, 2012

Amit Kapoor of Saffronart shares a note on this organic gem from pre-historic times

New Delhi: Amber is hardened tree resin with a dual distinction: one, being extremely old – up to 150 million years – and two, having been used to craft ornaments for thousands of years. Amber has been appreciated for its colour and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Valued as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects.

Amber was discussed by Theophrastus, possibly the first historical mention of the material, in the 4th century BC. The Greek name for amber was elektron, meaning ‘formed by the sun’, and it was connected to the sun god (Helios), also known as Elector or the Awakener. According to the myth, when Helios’ son Phaëton was killed, his mourning sisters became poplar trees, and their tears became elektron or amber.

Because it originates as a soft, sticky tree resin, amber sometimes contains animal and plant material as inclusions. The presence of insects in amber was first noticed by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia, and this led him to theorize correctly that, at some point, amber had to be in a liquid state to cover the bodies of insects.

Insect trapped in amberImage courtesy: Wikipedia

Insect trapped in amber
Image courtesy: Wikipedia

The scientific community is interested in amber for different reasons, most famously for studying the organic inclusions found in some amber samples. Perfectly preserved plant-structures and the remains of insects and other small creatures, which became trapped in the sap as it oozed out of the tree, have been found in amber, increasing our knowledge of the flora and fauna of prehistoric times.

Insects included in amber formed the basis of the movie ‘Jurassic Park’, whose story involves the cloning dinosaurs from DNA found in dinosaur blood sucked up by prehistoric mosquitoes preserved in amber. The movie generated great interest in the gem.

Sun Spangles inclusion in amberImage courtesy: Wikipedia

Sun Spangles inclusion in amber
Image courtesy: Wikipedia

Amber may be treated to darken them or create beautiful inclusion called ‘sun spangles’, which have the appearance of bright circular marks.

Amber is also used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and set in jewelry. Most often, amber is found in small nuggets which are opaque and brown in colour, however it does occur in naturally wide variety of colours ranging from yellow to brown to reds and even blue! Red and blue are the rarest colours, and fetch a high value.

The necklace in the collection Everything that Glitters on The Story by Saffronart is an exceptional example of amber in large sizes and a desirable orange colour.

Reconstructed Amber bead necklace weighing approximately 794.31 caratsImage courtesy: Saffronart

Reconstructed Amber bead necklace weighing approximately 794.31 carats
Image courtesy: Saffronart

Highlights from the Exhibition Akbar: The Great Emperor of India

December 10, 2012

Elisabetta Marabotto of Saffronart shares a few notes from her visit to the Mughal exhibition in Rome

London: Last week we posted about the exhibition, Akbar: The Great Emperor of India. I had the opportunity to visit this exhibition, and I wanted to share few thoughts and images from the show.

Even though Italians are well known for being very proud of their cultural and artistic heritage, this time I felt a great effort has been put in curating the present exhibition and especially in introducing Indian culture and history to Italian audiences.

The space hosting the show has been transformed in order to resemble the structure of a traditional Indian building. Jalis and Islamic arches are used to divide one room from the other, and Indian music and scents complete the atmosphere and help visitors immerse themselves in a new and fascinating art and culture.

The exhibition mostly includes miniatures, textiles and jewellery from important international private collections and museums such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the National Museum in New Delhi.

Hopefully this show will trigger a deeper interest for Indian art and culture in Italy as well.

Below you can enjoy a slideshow of images from the exhibition.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Tourmaline: A Versatile Gemstone

December 9, 2012

Manjari Sihare of Saffronart explores why Tourmalines find a special place in the hearts of gemstones collectors

An Unmounted Rubellite Tourmaline Everything that Glitters, The Story by Saffronart

An Unmounted Rubellite Tourmaline
Everything that Glitters, The Story by Saffronart

New York: Tourmalines seem to have special place in the hearts of gemstone enthusiasts, primarily for two reasons – first, that these gems can be found possibly in every color one can think of, and secondly, that these stones are affordable to most.

The word tourmaline is derived form the Sinhalese word tura mali, which means ‘mixed stone’. Tourmaline is not a single mineral but a group of minerals related by the close similarity of their physical and chemical properties.

Tourmalines are mixed crystals of aluminium boron silicate, and even slight changes in their chemical composition cause completely different colors. There are tourmalines in single colors, while some may exhibit two colors in a single stone. Certain tourmalines may even change color when the light source changes from natural to artificial. Different colored tourmalines are known by different names. Tourmalines that are red in natural and artificial light are known as rubellites; red tourmalines that turn pink when the light changes are called a pink tourmalines; blue tourmalines are known as indicolites; yellowish brown tourmalines are known as dravites; green tourmalines are known as verdelites; and black tourmalines are known as schorl. Tourmalines with two colors are bicolored tourmalines, while those with more are known as multicolored tourmalines. A particularly attractive type of tourmaline is known as the watermelon tourmaline because it has a red center and is surrounded by a layer of green. When cut into, these tourmalines are green on one side and red on the other.

A triangle-shaped rubellite tourmaline, weighing approximately 4.67 carats.Everything that Glitters, The Story by Saffronart

A triangle-shaped rubellite tourmaline, weighing approximately 4.67 carats.
Everything that Glitters, The Story by Saffronart

The proper lighting conditions for tourmaline will depend on the color variety. Reds, oranges and yellows generally look best under incandescent light, while greens, blues and violets appear prettier under daylight. When buying any gem, it is always a good idea to examine it under a variety of light sources.

Tourmalines are found all over the world, with the major mining areas in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, USA, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Although they are so abundantly available, tourmalines of exceptional color and quality are rare. The value of a tourmaline is determined by its color, undertones, and clarity.

Akbar: The Great Emperor of India

December 7, 2012

Sneha Sikand of Saffronart on the latest exhibition of Mughal artefacts from the golden period of Indian history

Emperor AkbarImage credit: http://www.hotelcasatranoiroma.com/en/news/14.11.2012_75.html

Emperor Akbar
Image credit: http://www.hotelcasatranoiroma.com

New Delhi: On view for the first time in Italy is a selection of over one hundred and fifty works produced during the reign of Emperor Akbar. Curated by Gian Carlo Calza, who has also written a soon to be published book about the Mughal emperor, the exhibit has been organized by the Rome Foundation Museum in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in New Delhi and the Indian Embassy in Rome. The three month event is being supported by the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities.

Known for the promotion of the arts and cultural exchanges during his reign, this exhibit on Akbar has been divided into five sections to explain in detail just how splendidly traditional practices were put to effect in his time.

The exhibition has a vast collection of works of art that aim to describe the classical India that circulates in the Western social imaginary – formed of Mughal Emperors, Rajas and Maharajahs – and was a destination for explorers, merchants and conquerors who arrived in that mysterious, rich and fascinating land from all over the world. From Mughal court watercolours, paintings and book illustrations, to extremely rare fragments of fabrics, carpets, objects and weapons studded with gems – it is a visual treat for visitors to understand Akbar’s great influence in world history.

In conjunction with the exhibition and to celebrate a hundred years of Indian cinema, a selection of films will be showcased to highlight the latest trends in film making in India. The exhibition is on view from 23 October, 2012 to 3 February, 2013.

Read more about the exhibition here.