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Posts filed in Installations

Aesthetic Bind – Celebrating Fifty Years of Contemporary Art

November 6, 2013

Raqs Media Collective, The Untold Intimacy of Digits (UID). Projection, video loop (1”), 2011,

Aaina Bhargava of Saffronart on Citizen – Artist 2013, the second exhibition in a series of five in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Chemould Prescott Gallery.

K. Madhusudhanan, History is a Silent Film, 2007, Sinle projection with sound, Variable dimension

K. Madhusudhanan, History is a Silent Film, 2007, Sinle projection with sound, Variable dimension. Image Credit: http://www.gallerychemould.com/uploads/exhibitions/k_madhusudan_copy1.jpg

London: September 2013 – April 2014 has and will be an exciting time at Chemould Prescott Gallery, Mumbai. Curating five exhibitions during this time frame, Geeta Kapur depicts an extremely evolved contemporary Indian art scene with Citizen – Artist (Oct.14th – Nov. 15th 2013), mirroring the growth and expansion of Chemould Prescott as a gallery.  The first exhibition in the series, Subject of Death, was in remembrance of Bhuppen Kakkar, the groundbreaking painter supported by Chemould at the beginning of his career, with this particular exhibition opening on his 10th death anniversary, as well as an ode to the late Kekoo Gandhy, founder of Chemould Prescott in 1963.  The second – Citizen Artist deals with notions and definitions of citizenship, nations and borders, the exhibition features works by Inder Salim, K. Madhusudhanan, Tushar Joag, CAMP, Gigi Scaria, Ram Rahman, Shilpa Gupta, Rashid Rana, Atul Dodiya, Jitish Kallat, Raqs Media Collective, Gauri Gill and Arunkumar HG.

Each work is deeply engaged with the implications of citizenship in a contemporary globalised world.  For instance, in Shilpa Gupta’s 1278 unmarked, 28 hours by foot via National Highway No1, East of the Line of Control 2013, she places a graveyard in the middle of the gallery, and creates an index of people who are considered martyrs by their families, but are buried namelessly, questioning the ethics (or lack thereof) of citizenship in Kashmir.

Shilpa Gupta 2013 1278 unmarked, 28 hours by foot via National Highway No1, East of the Line of Control

Shilpa Gupta 2013 1278 unmarked, 28 hours by foot via National Highway No1, East of the Line of Control. Image Credit: http://www.gallerychemould.com/uploads/exhibitions/shilpa_gupta_5_copy3.jpg

Circadian Rhyme, 2 & 3 (2012-2013), by Jitish Kallat involves miniature crafted-figures staged in a line on a ledge, to depict scenes from everyday travels such as airport security checks, immigration queues etc.  In detail, one figure is performing a security ‘pat down’ on another, seemingly commenting on the increase in accessibility of global travel, but the costs and troubles of crossing borders that go with it.  The greater accessibility is increasing the crowds, risks, and precautionary measures.

 

Jitish Kallat Circadian Rhyme Detail. Image Credit: http://www.gallerychemould.com/uploads/exhibitions/jitish_kallat_1_copy1.jpg
Jitish Kallat Circadian Rhyme, 2 & 3, 2012-2013 24 figures (resin, paint, aluminium and steel) 50 x 180 x 15 in. Image Credit: http://www.gallerychemould.com/uploads/exhibitions/jitish_kallat_2_copy1.jpg
Jitish Kallat Circadian Rhyme, 2 & 3, 2012-2013 24 figures (resin, paint, aluminium and steel) 50 x 180 x 15 in.

Jitish Kallat Circadian Rhyme, 2 & 3, 2012-2013 24 figures
(resin, paint, aluminium and steel) 50 x 180 x 15 in. Image Credit: http://www.gallerychemould.com/uploads/exhibitions/jitish_kallat_3_copy1.jpg

Rashid Rana’s Crowd is thematically similar, and is composed of three photo prints on wallpaper involving digitally spliced and manipulated images.  An intense reproduction a mixed population people is projected onto the wallpaper focusing on the loss of identity and individuality in very populous.

Installation of Rashid Rana's Crowd (2013) in Chemould Prescott Gallery, Offset print on wallpaper

Installation of Rashid Rana’s Crowd (2013) in Chemould Prescott Gallery, Offset print on wallpaper. Image Credit: http://www.gallerychemould.com/exhibitions-works/citizen-artist-2013/rashid-rana-50-years-chemould.html

Raqs Media Collective’s animated video projection loop, The Untold Intimacy of Digits (UID) (2011), is an image of the handprint of a 19th century Bengali peasant, Raj Konai, which was taken by British colonial officials in 1858, and then sent to Britain.  Fingerprinting technologies were developed from experiments based on this image.  The Unique Identification Database (UID – same as the title) is a new project initiated by the Indian government in attempts to properly account for, and index its’ population.  This work poses an interesting juxtaposition of India’s colonial past and current day attempts to account for citizens.

Raqs Media Collective, UID Installation View

Raqs Media Collective, UID Installation View. Image Credit: http://www.gallerychemould.com/uploads/exhibitions/raqs_1_copy1.jpg

 

Raqs Media Collective, The Untold Intimacy of Digits (UID). Projection, video loop (1”), 2011,

Raqs Media Collective, The Untold Intimacy of Digits (UID). Projection, video loop (1”), 2011. Image Credit: http://www.gallerychemould.com/uploads/exhibitions/raqs_2_copy1.jpg

These are a few amongst many other multi medium and media works that dwell on various aspects of citizenship and certainly don’t seem to be in an aesthetic bind.  The third and next installment in the Aesthetic Bind series to look out for is Phantomata (Nov. 29, 2013 – Jan 03, 2014) participating artists include: Tallur L N, Susanta Mandal Sonia Khurana, Nikhil Chopra, Tushar Joag, Pushpamala N, Baiju Parthan, and Pratul Dash.  For more information visit about the exhibitions visit Chemould Prescott Gallery website.

Jitish Kallat @ Thinking Big

October 25, 2013

Shradha Ramesh of Saffronart follows the auction of Public Notice 2 at Thinking Big in London

New York:  Through Jitish Kallat’s Public Notice series emerges a new visual vocabulary that reiterates powerful speeches given by our Nation’s leaders- Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Swami Vivekananda. Preceding his seminal work Public Notice 3, his Public Notice 2 (2007) is a commentary on the devolution of Mahatma Gandhi’s secular vision of non-violence in the face of civil disobedience, which contradicts our eight day propaganda that takes place in our country today.  He confronts the audience by creating a didactic visual awareness of the speech delivered by Mahatma Gandhi on the eve of the famous Dandi March, 11th March 1930.

In a three dimensional textual format he creates a contextual paradigm that emphasises on the forgotten speeches and the lack of communal co-existence. The factual presence of forty five thousand bone-shaped fibre glass alphabets culminating to a large-scale exhibit echoes the struggle of Colonial India. Each letter creates a textual relic, canonizing Gandhiji’s speech on a large saffron wall that resembles a large book, leaves a lasting impression on the viewer’s mind. The monumental installation was exhibited at the Hall of Nations in Washington (2011) enhancing India’s historic prowess.

Jitish Kallat, Public Notice 2, 2007

Jitish Kallat, Public Notice 2, 2007. Image Credit: http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/artpages/jitish_kallat_public7.htm

Serving a higher cause than what it already does, the installation was auctioned in London on October 17 for educational development. Thinking Big was collaborative effort by Saatchi Gallery and Christie’s auction house to raise funds for facilitating free art education programmes for schools, and to support the Saatchi Gallery’s continuing policy for free entry to all exhibitions. Jitish Kallat’s Public Notice 2 is among 50 other artworks that were selected across five different continents, celebrating the twenty-first century sculptures.

To Read More Click Here

 

Take Me Elsewhere

October 22, 2013

Elisabetta Marabotto of Saffronart shares a note on “Take Me Elsewhere” a video program curated by Diana Campbell Betancourt in New York

London: Vanity Projects in New York is currently hosting “Take Me Elsewhere” until November 30.

Logic of Birds, Sonia Khurana, 2006.

Logic of Birds, Sonia Khurana, 2006. Image Courtesy of the Artist

Vanity Projects, a high end nail art atelier, decided to undertake a thrilling and challenging project: to make video art more accessible to a wider audience and change the way collectors and art-lovers perceive and experience video art.

The program, curated by Mumbai based curator Diana Campbell Betancourt, revolves around the concept of mentally escaping the limitations of physical reality. Six artists: Hemali Bhuta, Tejal Shah, Neha Choksi, Sahej Rahal, Sonia Khurana and Vishal K Dar explore in different ways our mental power to escape elsewhere, even for a moment.

Saras, Sahej Rahal

Saras, Sahej Rahal. Courtesy of the Artist and Chatterjee & Lal, Mumbai

Highlights of the exhibition are “Minds to Lose” by Neha Choksi and “Between the Waves Channel II (Landfill Dance)” by Tejal Shah.

Neha Choksi in her video experiences the act of losing consciousness from the physical body through the radical act of anaesthetizing herself and four farm animals whilst the audience was encouraged to pet both the artist and the animals. The video discusses the meaning of having a mind and rational consciousness for a body under general anaesthesia.

Minds to Lose, Neha Choksi, 2008-11

Minds to Lose, Neha Choksi, 2008-11. Image Credit: http://project88mumbai.wordpress.com/

On the other hand Tejal Shah, imagines escaping reality creating an alternative reality for the past and future.

More information about the programme can be found here.

 

The Sovereign Forest + Other Stories

October 17, 2013

Ambika Rajgopal of Saffronart shares a note on Amar Kanwar’s show ‘The Sovereign Forest + Other Stories’ at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

London: Amar Kanwar is regarded as India’s foremost contemporary artist. His cinematic focus challenges and redefines the politics of power, violence, sexuality and justice. Fusing the documentary perspective with a unique aesthetic, his work opens out multiple layers of experience and perception. His work has always aimed to expose and shed light on social and political issues that have plagued the Indian subcontinent since the partition.

The Sovereign Forest, 2010-2012, Amar Kanwar. Image Credit: http://www.tba21.org/augarten_activities/165

The Sovereign Forest, 2010-2012, Amar Kanwar. Image Credit: http://www.tba21.org/augarten_activities/165

Yorkshire Sculpture Park will be the host to Amar Kanwar’s first major UK exhibition The Sovereign Forest + Other Stories in October 2013. The Sovereign Forest (2011-) is a conglomerate of films, objects and stories, where each element interacts with the other. It is a body of work that has been done with the collaborative effort from farmers, indigenous tribes, artists and activists in Odisha; and highlights their state of conflict with the government and mining corporations. It has the transformative ability to function as an art installation, a library, a memorial and an archive. 

Farmers and local tribes in the state of Odisha have been in the middle of a clash with government against building open pit bauxite mines. These mines displace forests, agricultural lands, rivers, coastlines, homes and livelihoods of all the agrarian communities who have been forced out of work. The Sovereign Forest has special resonance at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, since it is situated on the Yorkshire coalfields and surrounded by former mining communities.

The Sovereign Forest 2012-, Amar Kanwar. Image Credit: http://www.ysp.co.uk/exhibitions/amar-kanwar-the-sovereign-forest-other-stories

The Sovereign Forest 2012-, Amar Kanwar. Image Credit: http://www.ysp.co.uk/exhibitions/amar-kanwar-the-sovereign-forest-other-stories

At the crux of the work is the film The Scene of Crime, which provides us with a vision of the natural landscape of Odisha, prior to its acquisition and division for commercial use. All the images are from land captured by the government and the corporations. It bears testimony to the extent of damage caused due to these mining sites, which strips the local communities of their access to the natural resources.

Some of the other exhibits on display are 272 different varieties of rice seeds brought from the farms of Odisha, which show the disappearance of local crops, and the effect global agriculture has on local organic farmers; and handcrafted books with the text silk screened onto banana fibre paper, which narrate stories that expose the concerns of those affected by the flux of global demands.

The Sovereign Forest in on permanent display at the Samadrusti campus in Bhubanesawar, Odisha. The work is in a state of constant evolution by encouraging visitors to contribute to the evidence presented. The evidence on display includes photographs, lists of residents, land records and tax receipts, proofs of occupancy, maps of acquired villages, documents.

Also on display are The Listening Benches, Kanwar’s first sculptural objects for the open air that are situated around Bothy Garden, situated within the sprawling confines of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. This work is a commission by the artist specially made for the YSP and is made out of the timber of a 19th century organ from the estate chapel. The benches offer a place of quietude and contemplation while overlooking Bretton Estate and coalfields beyond. The work is completed by an audio installation of music, which imparts a voice to the now nonoperational organ.

The show is on view from 11 September 2013 till 2 February 2014.

For more information, please access the website.

Imran Qureshi’s Inaugural Solo Exhibition in Rome

October 4, 2013

Elisabetta Marabotto of Saffronart suggests a visit to the MACRO in Rome for Imran Qureshi’s first solo exhibiton in Italy

Installation Shot at MACRO, Rome

Installation Shot at MACRO, Rome

London: The MACRO (Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome) is hosting Imran Qureshi’s first solo exhibition in Italy in collaboration with Deutsche Bank.

After being nominated Deutsche Bank “Artist of the Year” 2013 and after completing a large scale site specific installation at the MET in New York, Qureshi concludes a very successful artistic year with this exhibition.

Installation Shot at MACRO, Rome

Installation Shot at MACRO, Rome

Qureshi, one of the leading contemporary Pakistani artists, is internationally renown for the creation of contemporary miniatures. The artist in his work discusses the current socio-political situation in Pakistan including delicate topics such as terrorism using mainly traditional painting techniques on wasli (handmade paper). The dichotomy between violence and hope, destruction and creation are also permanent features in his art as well as the evocative red colour and the flower pattern which denote Qureshi’s optimism and peaceful resistance.

Imran Qureshi in an interview with Amna Tirmizi Naqvi said about his choice of studying miniature paintings:

“I did not choose it, it kind of chose me. I was adept at it and therefore Professor Bashir, the teacher who was conducting the course, insisted and declared that he felt I was really suited for it. I chose painting but he kept insisting. Contrary to his opinion I had my own misgivings and I replied that the tradition did not suit my temperament. He quoted a mahawara, which is witty idiom in Urdu. He stated that “we can tell from the aroma emanating from the cauldron about the condition of a single grain of rice”. I thought that if a teacher is conveying this idea with such persistence, there must be some truth in it.”

Installation Shot at MACRO, Rome

Installation Shot at MACRO, Rome

The present exhibition features recent works by Qureshi, some of which had been exhibited at the Deutsche Bank Kunsthalle in Berlin, including miniatures, oval canvases as well as site specific installations. The museum space is fitting to Qureshi’s works as it offers a classical presentation for the miniatures and a contemporary environment for the installations.

The exhibition stimulates the viewers to embark on a critical discourse on culture, politics and religion and their misconceptions and stereotypes.

Below you can enjoy a selection of the works on display.

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The exhibition is on until November 17, so you are still in time to visit Imran Qureshi’s first Italian solo exhibition at the MACRO in Rome! For more information click here.