Hemant Sonawane's Art Blog

Anish Kapoor Interview at Mehboob Studios, Mumbai

2012-01-22T17:32:00.003+05:30

Every artist in India has grown up curious to discover the mystery behind this globally successful Indian phenomenon - Anish Kapoor. No amount of Googling helps - for he doesn't have a personal webpage nor has this sculpture artist published his story publicly alike lesser mortals around.

Watch this interesting interview by CNBC TV18 from their series 'Beautiful People'. The legend talks about his beliefs, struggles and changed perceptions on Art... all during his first ever public exhibition in India during 2010-2011. Over to Mehboob Studios, Mumbai......

PART - I

PART - II

PART - III

Mending the Broken Bond

2012-01-21T18:58:00.008+05:30

My wife has added yet another book on human psychology to our already flooding library. And this obedient husband forms a willing audience to her treasure-worth of knowledge - every time. Left to myself, I'm ever less likely to scan through 500-odd pages of fine print... so it is preferable any day to gulp a ready dose of summarized information. Who doesn't have fast food these days?

I appreciate a profound point made by the author, Dr.Frank Lawlis in this book - Mending the Broken Bond. He urges us to LISTEN..... "Listen to Understand", he says, don't listen to respond. How true! How often do we find ourselves preparing mental notes on our response.. much before the talker has even finished his second sentence! This habit is particularly dominant in Art... where an artist doesn't listen enough to his world around.... where he doesn't listen enough to his voice within... because he is in a hurry to create, to RESPOND. And so also he finds a befitting species of modern "Art lovers" that aren't willing to hold patience to listen to an artwork before commenting on the guest book.

In the past, I was tempted to place written artist statements next to my sculptures to hold the interest of such an impatient audience. Very often, visitors to an Art Gallery literally jog through its periphery, speeding the most as they near the artist's table. At my Teen Peher exhibit however, my Studio Team discovered a novel way to solve this issue without offending our own curatorial sensibilities. We placed poetry in place of explanations next to the sculptures.... and the confluence worked like magic. With due respect to the lyrical verses, the sculptures were as capable of singing their own beautiful song ...only if one cared enough to stop jogging and listen to them. Although I have been lucky I must say, to have had at least 20 observers come up at my debut exhibition with deeper interpretations of the displayed artworks than I must have known while creating them.

And this is finally what every artist yearns for - that his work should talk... well enough for somebody to Listen. Artists are glad to let others engage and converse with their works... as people who choose to converse with the artist instead, are most often there not to discuss the making of the piece but to brag about their own knowledge of Art.

What we observe at first sight is the initial impact, the attractiveness of an artwork.... but it takes much more than a few glances to interact with it, to understand and to fall in love with the poetry that has gone into making it.

Flirting doesn't yield Love. Just like in our relationships in life.

Fine Art LIVE !!! at Cafe del Mar

2011-12-30T13:56:00.001+05:30

2012 promises to be a year of fulfillment... The beginning of a new era. Some say, the world will come to an end next December... yet if indeed such a calamity is expected, we should have one more reason to actualize our dreams with a deadline...

So.... Welcome the New Year with Me at : CAFE DEL MAR, Goa !!! Live Demonstration and Exhibition of my Art along with signature Cafe del Mar music & sunsets. Event brought to you by UTOPIA and Fahrenheit Hotels & Resorts. For more details, refer to the event brochure below....

SEE YOU IN 2012 !!!

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Under Pressure at Government Secretariat

2011-12-12T14:28:00.000+05:30

And.... How did I forget to put up this one!

My monumental marble sculpture titled 'Under Pressure' has been installed at the Government Secretariat campus of Patna (capital of Bihar State, India). 'Under Pressure' was created during Rang Aakar -2 Sculpture Camp organized by Rang Vikalp earlier in March this year. The sculpture was appreciated by Bihar Chief Minister Shri. Nitish Kumar at the inaugural ceremony. It was later exhibited at the Bihar Diwas celebrations at Gandhi Maidan.

View these links for more details on 'Under Pressure' :

Bihar Diwas - Under Pressure

Why they call it Incredible India!

How I want 2012 to Begin!

2011-12-12T13:37:00.006+05:30

Firstly thanking the years 2009, 2010 and 2011 for the numerous opportunities they brought. Thanking well-wishers who believed in me and gave wholehearted support during financially trying times... people without whom the opportunities couldn't have transformed into reality. Family, close friends, landlords, clients, associates, studio team, lovers of my art .... My deepest regards go out to them... To some for understanding... and to others for not misunderstanding.

Secondly, apologizing to myself for plans I left unstarted ....or unfinished. I vow to conclude these chapters in 2012.

And lastly..... Praying to 2012 to continue the blessings of the earlier years. Man is nothing without the blessings that come his way.

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The Famous Crows of J.J.School

2011-12-01T13:43:00.007+05:30

Visited The Viewing Room at Walton Road, Colaba for an extended show in fiberglass works titled 'The Art of Fiberglass'. I must have been late dropping in for this 40-50day exhibit curated by Johny M.L. as many pieces titled on the wall were absent from the show till then. Perhaps investors or artists could not wait until the last date of the exhibit was over.

Manjunath Kamath's tiny elephant on RCC column was the high-point of the show. It reminded me of a sculpture created by my friend Aditya Sakharkar for his debut show at Pink Ginger Art Gallery earlier this year. Aditya's RCC column had a crow stuck-up in it.

The presence of crows is legendary in the works of many alumni of Sir J.J.School of Art. And there's little wonder why. Barely as you enter its sprawling landscape, you are welcomed by a chaotic chorus of crows. In the days I spent in this prestigious institution, callers on phone could tell I was on the campus simply by listening to the incessant crowing in the background. This was an infallible litmus test to those who knew.

Aditya Sakharkar with his urban crow

.Somnath Mane's fetish for crow installations and paintings

Crow series from the archives of Pradeep Shinde

(Aditya Birla Kalakiran Puraskar awardee, 2011)

If you have more images of crow artwork created by Sir J.J.School alumni, I'll be glad to publish them on this blog. Email the images with details to : studio@hemantsonawane.com

East and West

2011-11-13T14:24:00.000+05:30

Long time.... Yeah, really long.

In the meanwhile, there has been a lot of chaos in life. Critical health of a family member. Error of judgment with a long-term professional associate. Grave misgivings between dear ones. Missed opportunities. Demanding deadlines. Financial tussle. Tense times.

Installed the ShareKhan Ltd. mascot 'Sheru' at their swish Dadar (West) office at Ruby Towers amidst this turbulence. I love the final effect of the work - the photoshoot is to follow soon. Here's a short note of thanks to the visionary team of ShareKhan Ltd. for their co-operation through the project.

The sculptural installation commissioned by IIT Bombay for their 2011 Mood Indigo Festival is delayed due to some admin issues at the client's end. It is meant to be a large-scale interactive installation that combines sculpture and video, targeted at a young audience. Titled 'Experience the Wild', this installation adheres to this year's festive theme of 'Wild Wild West'. This is going to be another impossible challenge to fulfill in the month to come. This time-bound installation that requires 40days flat for creation is currently left with barely a month, and the timeline goes tightening hereon with each passing day. And there will be other commissioned projects competing for attention by the time the funds flow in late from IIT.

Looking at the trend of the past few months, I can only keeping my fingers crossed.

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Ganeshotsav, every year

2011-09-06T22:06:00.000+05:30

One thing certainly nice about being an artist is that you can paint your own world. I was at an Andheri Ganeshotsav Mandal decorating their pandal for the upcoming Ganesha Festival, at this time of the year in 2010. Me, along with a few juniors from Sir J.J.School of Art painted a universe we liked. I invariably participate in this festival in some form or the other every year. Ganesha makes sure I do. It is more of an emotional bond to the social unity this annual event brings about in India. Some memories from my diary of 2010.....

Teen Peher (Twilight) - Motivational Video

2011-08-30T15:42:00.000+05:30

A compilation of my Teen Peher series of sculptures.

Turn ON your speaker volume to FULL while viewing this one...
Sounds best with headsets!

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India Against Corruption : Must-Watch Video

2011-08-20T15:02:00.004+05:30

Civil Society members Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan live on Channel IBN7 discussing Janlokpal Bill with people of India.

MUST WATCH !!! DON'T MISS !!

Jan Lokpal - the Collective Conscience of a Nation

2011-08-19T14:56:00.003+05:30

Many Indians like me were initiated into the 2nd freedom struggle of India after listening to Anna Hazare's views in this video. That was half a year back. The veteran anti-corruption crusader, Anna Hazare sends out a call to the uncorrupted..... Mark his words... He insists that whoever offers to join his team should be clear of corruption themselves. Yet today as the entire nation rallies to support the Jan Lokpal Bill, there's a cynical minority out there.... raising concern over this vast response to Anna's call. Are ALL of the people rallying for Jan Lokpal really non-corrupt? they ask. I have a probable answer.

Yes, there may be a lot of teenage college students in the crowd who have driven automobiles below the age of 18. Perhaps parents who bribed the RTO to fetch their kids an early driving license are there in the rally as well. There could be petty businessmen in the rally, who must have never paid their Rs.1500/- worth of Income Tax, and also shopkeepers who do not maintain a legal billing system. Many of them must have not stopped their auto-rickshaw driver from breaking traffic rules when in a hurry and perhaps also bribed a Traffic Policeman to be excused. There are those middle-class house-wives who must have bribed Rationing Officials to fetch their ration card on time. And entrepreneurs who evaded taxes in the early years of their start-ups because the taxation system in our country is pitiably regressive. Some have corrupted the environment by still using plastic in everyday life, others have offended nature by felling trees for paper and furniture. Everyone's guilty of corruption to some degree. Yet they all are there in the rally demanding Jan Lokpal Bill to come into effect.

Our Police has been forever tainted with records of corruption. Yet if you've been at one of these India Against Corruption rallies in the last three days in my city, you cannot have missed the Mumbai Police's co-operation to the movement. Their restraint, smiling services and soft corner towards peaceful protesters is significant. On Day One of the movement, I was aghast when one of them confronted me at Nerul (Navi Mumbai). The policeman saw me with the Indian National Flag in my hand and asked me where I would like to get arrested - at Nerul, or at Azad Maidan - the center of the movement. We protesters were offering ourselves to be arrested for the Jail Bharo Andolan ('Fill the Jails' Movement). To test the policeman's inclination, I later told him that I wished to get arrested at Azad Maidan. He politely moved aside and let me board the train to CST..... I was pleasantly surprised. For the first time ever in life, I stopped to sympathize with the men in uniform - perhaps they are victims of the system too. Why are these daily soldiers paid a peanuts salary? Why are they made to serve orders that go against their conscience and also their professional duty?

This brings us to the crux of the topic - Why are so many people supporting the movement, when they know that they may not be able to continue their unclean ways once the Jan Lokpal Bill comes into effect? In my belief, this historic display of unity between Indian masses from all levels is a reiteration of the people's courage. Yes, Courage. Very few 'superhumans' are strong-willed enough to exercise restraint where their convenience and well-being are compromised. All other mortals need a framework of strict laws to control their greed, to regulate their unjust urges. If everyone was so self-controlled, we wouldn't have needed laws at all, isn't it? Our conscience should have been enough to make us do only that what's right. But there are Laws. And a majority of India that's true to itself, has therefore come out to support a Bill that will bind them in a system of righteousness. They are whole-heartedly offering themselves to a Law that they know, will punish them for their past wrong-doings too!

Cynics think that the Jan Lokpal system won't work. They thought the same for the legendary 'Right To Information' Act too. We'll pardon them this time... because not everybody has the courage to face their conscience, as I said before.

Join the Movement :

FACEBOOK PAGE : https://www.facebook.com/IndiACor

WEBSITE                : http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/

TWITTER               : http://twitter.com/janlokpal

YOUTUBE            : http://www.youtube.com/user/indiACor2010

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My reservations on Indian freedom

2011-08-15T07:58:00.018+05:30

Went to watch 'Singham' the other day with my wife. It's a typical masala movie... the sort that eases and irons out your stress lines after a hard day at work. I love no-brainers sometimes. A single righteous cop beating-up nasty goons like a superhero we need so much. That's dreamland. Ancient Indian texts say there are two more states of mind that a human can exist in, apart from the Swapnawastha (the dream state). These are the waking and sleep conditions. I happened to meet the heroes of all these three worlds in a matter of three consecutive days.

On 9th August, Arvind Kejriwal initiated his mass anti-corruption movement at Mumbai's Azad Maidan with the veteran Anna Hazare by his side. I was in awe of the duo, as they marched from Azad Maidan to August Kranti Maidan with a sea of anonymous supporters like us. For all those who've entered late... this is the second freedom struggle of India. We're battling against the corruption of our own people. 16th August - a day after the 64th anniversary of our earlier Independence Day, begins a new era of change. Our grandparents had heroic stories of their youth to share with us. And this... is our chance to make history, to build a better India for our grandchildren.... To be heroes to them, while we're still alive and awake.

And of course, I forgot to mention... a startling promo of the movie Aarakshan featured during the screening of Singham was impressive. India even today is bridged by divides of caste and race... practically in the rural regions and competitively so in our urban jungles. The focal point of Aarakshan seems to be this misuse of the Reservation System that fails to meet the common eye. For the same reason, when I landed in Mumbai as a lanky rural teenager, eleven years back... I did not claim an academic seat reserved for scheduled castes. I am a scheduled caste boy and bear pride in my roots. Open category students may go hoarse claiming that I deducted one of their seats, but I claimed my place in colleges on pure merit right through my academic years. For one moral reason -

Reservation of seats for selected castes/tribes are a provision to secure them from racial discrimination. It is a very foresighted provision that can uplift India beyond the grip of egoists. Candidly, these seats are not reserved for those who are already socially uplifted in some way. Every Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Nomadic Tribe (NT) or Other Backward Class (OBC) candidate in the city who claims/occupies a 'reserved' seat is doing great disservice to his own caste-men from rural areas, for whom the reservation is actually meant. The socially thriving backward caste candidate who's backward no more - his place is in the Open Category. We'll term him as a hero in Nidraavastha (sleeping state), and hope he wakes up soon.

The rights to freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom to assemble peacefully, conferred upon us by the Constitution of India are all biting dust today. Yesterday, our Government threatened Satyagrahis with dire consequences, should they extend their peaceful anti-corruption protests beyond the third day. This is shameful. Our country is not supposed to have a dictatorship regime, is it? Yet 64years after the Englishmen are gone, we continue to be ruled upon by vested interests. This happens because of the "chaltaa hai" attitude of most of us. Indian YOUTH need to wake up. We need to fast clean up our system, create awareness amongst those who are ignorant. The process begins NOW.

Because once India wakes up from the nightmares of rampant corruption and casteism.... other battles against gender bias, poverty and economic suppression await to be fought --- together. To those who still imagine we're free yet.... well, Happy Independence Day!

.........of Goddesses, Nudes and their Slut Walks

2011-08-01T22:24:00.000+05:30

The so-called 'Slut Walk' must be in its throes in New Delhi, even as I write this piece. Newspapers today are flooded with debates between supporters and protesters to the concept of holding such a ladies march. But ideally there shouldn't be a difference of opinion within Indian civil(-ized) society, atleast on the core issue of violence against women. It is plainly not acceptable on human terms.

It would have been more ironic to have such a walk held in the by-lanes of Mumbai. The city is currently camped by clay-sculptors creating thousands of deity idols. Mumbai is gearing itself for the upcoming Ganesha, Gauri and Navaratri festivals. Gauri - for the uninitiated - is a Hindu Goddess of Creation... and Navaratri is a 9-day festival wherein Durga Maata - the goddess of Power is worshiped. Ancient customs, traditions and mythology of India - all hint towards worship of women.

The mention of Gauri and Durga Maata takes me into memories of my childhood spent in Bhusawal. I must have been around eight years old. The Ganesha-Gauri festivals were nearing. My small town was abuzz with advance preparations for the festivals. Having seen our adults perform pooja and sing bhajans (prayer songs) through the years, we children too decided to mimic them. We decided that our pandals would be constructed out of scrap, and garlands be created out of flowers plucked from vases at home. But none of us had pocket-money enough to arrange for a clay idol. So we decided to carve one for ourselves. Every day from then on, the 'artists' amongst us sneaked into a local sculpture studio to learn the craft. Children wouldn't be let in, and we made it a habit to peep through gaps in the tarpaulin.

Hundreds of nude female figures in clay were arranged in front of each artisan. We felt scandalized every time a carver touched one of those nudes. Slowly and steadily, the carvers perfected vital stats of all figurines. Somehow, the whole process seemed like stealthily watching a porn movie... Every child wants to grow up fast, and we were glad to have arrived on our opportunity to adulthood. Our secret visits to the studio continued. Another few days, and they began carving different drapes of sarees on the nude figures. Soon a set of skilled painters replaced the carvers... and the idols were coloured in skin, silk and gold. Before our little brains could estimate, hundreds of goddesses lay before us with their glorious sindoors and blessing hands. We were frightened, guilty, sad and already apologizing to Durga and Gauri for having imagined them as "nudes". There's no way a mother-goddess can be perceived that way!

Today, decades later, I am faced with the same shift of paradigms. Modern artists have forever faced fury of rightist groups. Whether perversion lies in the eyes of observers or the mind of the artist, is a debatable topic. Why doesn't that artist paint his own mother in nude, is what the moralists ask. On the other hand, India earns millions through tourism at Khajuraho. The point is not whether a goddess has been represented naked on the temples - the point is that our minds do not succumb to perversion even after seeing a lady in nude, once we decide that she's a goddess worth only our worship.

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the 'Art' of Minting Money

2011-07-29T10:44:00.006+05:30

I used to get very ecstatic in my earlier days in Art, whenever a picture or mention of me or my work appeared in the media. More often, these miniscule press releases by gallery marketing guys seemed like they were designed to inflate my ego than to generate exposure for the Art. Nobody in town would know such any article had been published until my family's viral marketing skills came to rescue. One telephone call to my family in Bhusawal ensured that neither me, my show or the published media release remained obscure anymore. I was innocent to the ways of the world then...

People who read the appreciation were rarely interested in Art. Not unusually, most of them would begin mentally counting the gold coins I was supposed be minting from my shows. Even now, they cannot believe when I tell them about the test of resilience I'm going through while establishing my dream sculpture studio. Modern Art has developed this reputation of affluence, as most commoners equate it categorically with M.F.Hussain and his sales worth crores. What many won't care to investigate is that Hussain Saab reached where he was, after decades of constant devotion and dedication to Art. Today, bored housewives and movie-stars turn to painting as an alternative money-making avenue... and expect their 6-month training-cum-practice to generate big money. As a professional stream, Art has this glamourous quality about it - everyone involved gets bathed in glory.

It may be surprising then to observe, that in comparison to BSc, BCom or Engineering colleges, Fine Art institutions across India are very few in number. If the field continues to be attached with glamour and wealth, people should have been tempted to direct their pupils towards Art. Then why this irony? If one takes a round of Fine Art colleges around Mumbai, there are very, very few students admitted on basis of a genuine taste for Art. A majority comprises those who were either rejected by other professions due to a comparatively low HSc score.... or because they were plainly good for nothing, in general. Look at their term-work submissions for the first year... there are many amongst you who would draw and sketch better than that, sitting right in your living rooms, and without extra coaching. Agree? Then why are You not into Arts?

While it is good that people with artistic skills enter varied professions.... it is not a very encouraging sign that parents and students should treat Fine Arts as a secondary career option. It seems at times that a section of India fears wealth, another section fears free-thought and yet another fears struggle... all three of which are synonymous with Art. And well, what else could we expect with extremely opposite polarities of graduates being churned out of Fine Art colleges, year after year. The ones with dedicated effort and will-power, sustain and become famous - they're the ones who go on to create their crores. However, the larger pedigree of students who entered Art expecting a freedom from 'studies', are betrayed by their own fallacies and are then found drowning their decades of youth in alcohol later. It is their failure that fuels the 'struggling artist' myth as a generalized trend. Truth is that these people would have wasted their lives in any other field. There is no substitute for devoted work. Art is serious business.

The Art of Language (...and vice versa)

2011-07-26T15:08:00.004+05:30

I'd been to an interview a few days back....for one of those proposed cultural exchange programmes for Europe. Visiting a place abroad means so much to me at this stage, especially when I'm traveling within a group of fellow-countrymen. My artworks have had their trips around the globe, but not me in person. And as I get poised to enter the overseas sculpture-symposiums arena, this visit means so much to me. Yet a gentleman at the first round of interview suggested that I perfect my language before I apply again...next year. Sounded hard, from the situation where I stand.

There were around six-seven judges on the interview panel, thankfully most of whom sympathized with me. Having viewed my Art and portfolio, they were perhaps in a dilemma whether to reject a worthy candidate purely on account of his verbal language barrier. "You are taking a visual artist along", I attempted to explain, "Art speaks for itself, it communicates with each observer differently.. If a piece of Art needs to be explained, it must be plain ineffective". All attempts were vain as the exchange programme perhaps did not include creation of artworks in the month-long trip to Europe, I learned later. Visual artists were only expected to hold lectures and yakk away their knowledge to an assembly of other parrots.

How would I survive, how would I communicate for one long month, they wondered, they were genuinely concerned. My concern lay elsewhere. Next year, when I would have already attended half-a-dozen overseas ventures with my same set of limited language skills, would it hold value to me to participate in their Cultural Exchange Programme later? Today, on the other hand, if I gain the chance, it would remain forever special to me - my first foray abroad - a push much needed.... and ON TIME. Influence of global exposure on an artist's creativity cannot be underestimated. Ans so, the gentleman's advice sent me into introspective mode. Is there really no other way for a Visual Artist to exchange culture except to talk a lot?

Don't people in Europe give birth to children? When their child is born, how do they communicate with it for two long years before it learns to babble? Or do they keep mis-communicating... offering toys to their baby when it's wailing for food? That's almost an improbability! Verbal language is just one mode of communication - its limitations are too many and its alternatives, too undervalued.

When I visited Tamil Nadu State (in India itself) for an International Sculpture Symposium a few months back, I had the same language problems that foreigner could have in India. Most villagers did not understand any language beyond Tamil - their local dialect. How did I survive there for a whole month? How did the Swiss sculptors survive? The Swiss did not know English either - and their German was far different from the language of Germany. We not only survived together, we created some very beautiful sculptures... and with the daily assistance of local artisans. If only my current interview panel had witnessed this, they would've seen humanity in all its glory!

There is a common communication code in the universe, much higher than the self-imposed verbal barriers we call 'language'. And this code is no different for a person in Europe, than it is for a North or South Indian. People in touch with their inner codes would agree...

Patna International Sculpture Symposium 2011

2011-07-18T07:16:00.002+05:30

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It has barely been 3 months since I returned after an immensely fulfilling stay at Patna for the International Sculpture Camp organized by Bihar State Government (India), on occasion of Bihar Diwas. But it seems like eternity. Had a major solo sculpture exhibit at Mumbai in May... and the preparations and follow-ups consumed a quarter year in the bargain. And then suddenly out of the blue, I received a call from the Patna Symposium manager a couple of days back to confirm my contact coordinates. They have posted me memorabilia - a CD of images we clicked throughout the event. Hopefully, I will even get to see what location they've installed my sculpture 'Under Pressure' at. Will post pictures as soon as I have my hands on them. Watch this space for more..

Meanwhile, you could browse through my other posts on Patna Sculpture Camp 2011. Here are the links -

Bihar Diwas - Under Pressure :
http://hemantsonawane.blogspot.com/2011/05/bihar-diwas-under-pressure.html

Why they call it !ncredible India! :
http://hemantsonawane.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-they-call-it-incredible-india.html

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My India Project

2011-07-14T19:07:00.021+05:30

Just yesterday morning, I green-signalled a project our studio had been planning through the whole of June 2011 - A series of experimental artworks themed on contemporary India. It looked in appreciation towards India, viewed it from within and from outside, as a fast progressing nation. We planned to give this project an Independence Day release - to welcome our 65th year into freedom next month. But in a rude blow - to India as well our studio plans - serial bomb blasts shook the busy streets of Mumbai city by evening. Hundreds of them injured and several dead, still counting. Like every other Indian, my faith in the governance of this country lies lost. The enthusiasm... and optimism our team had while discussing those art concepts yesterday is lost too. I'm still convinced India is progressing, but not sure towards what. And finally, I decided to sweep aside our pet studio-project we'd worked so much upon, because I do not wish to create art that reflects negativity.

Now I'm seated at the studio, all alone. All appointments cancelled. The people I was scheduled to meet today are still to come to terms with yesterday's disaster. Can't pick up a newspaper - they're all filled with the same lame excuses for security failure. Only this time, they refuse to call it a failure at all. Perhaps our intelligence units are devised to perform higher tasks than to supervise threats to India.

Sitting here numb on the studio floor, pencil and paper in hand.... wondering if I should revive My India Project at all... Yes, that's one of the titles we'd thought of.... Mukti was another name befitting the theme of my proposed experimental art initiative. In a matter of only one day, every plan seems alien. The concepts are still ready, but the context looks vanished.

Thoda hai, thode ki zaroorat hai...

2011-06-27T09:42:00.002+05:30

This seems to be the anthem of my heart right now ;)

PRAVAAT : from Teen Peher series

2011-06-25T09:35:00.001+05:30

title : PRAVAAT (The Storm, in Sanskrit)

medium : FRP, Siporex, Various Metals

ARTIST STATEMENT

There are two typical reactions to this artwork. Some people notice the dropping figure, the tilting balance.... and others notice her hair, the butterflies, fresh foliage, the springtime.

This is the scene after a storm during Spring season. What will you choose to see? The storm in Spring... or the Spring in the storm?

the Stongest of all Winds.........
........cannot wither the Soul...

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About Teen Peher.....
Teen Peher means TWILIGHT. A period that best symbolizes Transition -- between two glaring contrasts -- the Life & Light of the Day... and the Silence & Darkness of the Night.

Teen Peher series of sculptures represents all dead and alive elements of nature... caught amidst their own transitions in life.
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NIRJHAR : from Teen Peher series

2011-06-25T08:25:00.002+05:30

title : NIRJHAR (meaning, 'Fountain', in Sanskrit)

medium : FRP, Siporex, Coir

ARTIST STATEMENT

Open your arms. Turn up to the Sky. Close your eyes…
….and Breathe in Life.

Hope springs like a fountain……
…………..for the Soul that revels in Strife.

___________________________________________________________________

About Teen Peher.....
Teen Peher means TWILIGHT. A period that best symbolizes Transition -- between two glaring contrasts -- the Life & Light of the Day... and the Silence & Darkness of the Night.

Teen Peher series of sculptures represents all dead and alive elements of nature... caught amidst their own transitions in life.

DARPANN : from Teen Peher series

2011-06-14T14:53:00.000+05:30

title : DARPANN (meaning, 'Mirror', in Hindi)

medium : FRP, Siporex, Brass

ARTIST STATEMENT

I’ve often wondered…
…..if these Trees by the lakeside…
bend forward to admire their reflections

……or…… are they in silent contemplation
of a past frozen in the waters

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About Teen Peher.....
Teen Peher means TWILIGHT. A period that best symbolizes Transition -- between two glaring contrasts -- the Life & Light of the Day... and the Silence & Darkness of the Night.

Teen Peher series of sculptures represents all dead and alive elements of nature... caught amidst their own transitions in life.
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Why they call it "Incredible" India......

2011-05-17T21:17:00.004+05:30

I rarely call my family up while I'm staying out of town. Don't need to, because they find ways to keep in touch anyways. My stay at Patna was the longest duration that me and my wife have spent apart ever since our marriage. She felt the pinch at every hour.... but I, on the other hand, was so engrossed in sculpture activities... and the incredible Patna life, that days seemed to pass away in a jiffy.

Met people from all walks of life... from potential promising artists to politically inclined ones. On one hand, we heard of bomb blasts that occurred at the very site of our camp, just one day prior to the exhibit... On the other, there was Patna city intoxicated with the festive spirits of Holi. Met artists who refused to be called by their original names and had adopted strange-sounding English titles.... Beginning with 'Sanyasi Red' (the hard-working chief of Rang Vikalp, Patna) to his little son 'Swami Green'... to an Arts student who chose to refer to himself as 'Narendra Kumar Nature'. That he planned to call his future kids by similar names, came as no surprise - "I'd name my child 'Love Nature' if it's a girl, and 'Save Nature' if it is a boy", the teenager elaborated in all his gravity. Life in Patna throws up such incredible instances... you wouldn't know whether to laugh or to cry at. Although I had my reasonable safety concerns before landing there, the hosts made sure each visiting artist was personally looked after. The hospitality was commendable.

Seen in this picture, I'm explaining My sculpture titled 'Under Pressure' to the Chief Minister of Bihar State - Shri. Nitish Kumar. Seen to the right in his trademark colour is Sanyasi Red. This man has toiled nights and days to bring about successful sculpture camps in Bihar. He has ambitious plans to set up a world-class university for Art in his homeland and these are ably supported by the Government of Bihar (read: Nitish Kumar). A few more people of this caliber and vision.... and Bihar would be ready to come out of its 'jungle' image set firm by previous Governments.

Everyone at the camp made me feel special. Apart from the fact that we gelled well personally, young students at the College of Arts and Crafts, Patna had a library of curiosities to clear in the period they assisted me at this Camp. Almost all of them were anxious about the ouster of Bihari residents from Maharashtra (my home State) that local political outfits have brought about. Though I do agree on basic employment principles that Government jobs should be offered to local residents first in every State.... at the end of the day, I'm a simple artist who doesn't have the wit, patience or inclination to study the politics behind these moves. The students asked me to voice my opinion on this serious issue, and I avoided it like plague. They wanted to know what I felt about their hospitality.....and if I would offer the same, should I meet a Bihari in my Maharashtra. Now, practically speaking... I never in my consciousness, ever disrespect a reasonable human being, Bihari or otherwise. And I wasn't altering my beliefs at all while saying thus... yet the saga of this issue has gained such terror proportions that even a seasoned politician would have turned 'yes man' at that moment. News of daily bomb-blasts and police raids didn't console either.

The second important factor was that I hailed from Mumbai - the finance capital of India - the land of infinite opportunities. Students and artists from other states wanted to know what scope they had in Mumbai. Most of them wanted to set up base here, and deliver the goods to their home state, as most migrants do. I returned with some ounce of goodwill from everyone at the camp.

One thing that still stings however, is that my old pals - Stephen Pepin, Murugan Vaiyapuri (aka Anna) and Mark Stonestreet - flaunted their Indian gear to glory at the inauguration function.... whereas I was left wearing a formal pink striped shirt more appropriate for office wear. Our experience at Pallava Symposium suggested that sculpture camps do not leave much time for socializing, sight-seeing or attending any celebrations. So my wife had packed in only a few casual outfits to keep my luggage light. And just when it was needed the most, those extra pounds of clothes were absent for me to choose from - pounds that I would have admittedly struggled to carry, as I was traveling alone this time. And yes, I called her up especially for that although I was out of town.

.

Bihar Diwas - Under Pressure

2011-05-15T18:44:00.002+05:30

TITLE : Under Pressure

SIZE : height 9'.6"

MEDIUM : Pink Marble

PROJECT :
International Artists' Sculpture Camp
organized by Rang-Vikalp
for Givernment of Bihar State (INDIA)
on occasion of Bihar Diwas 2011.

ARTIST STATEMENT :

Pressure is often seen as negative energy. Something that presses us down.
I beg to differ.

In this sculpture, I have tried to depict Potential Energy,
like the Energy of a pressed spring.... Silent, Resilient, Ready to burst....
and when it bursts, it enables the spring to push objects heavier than itself.

Such Energies reside within every living being
We sway, deflect, compress and eventually expand....
to release Energies that push us towards our maximum potential.

Positive pressures of Motivation, Purpose and Definite Aim
direct a person's course of life.

.

Welcome to TEEN PEHER.....

2011-05-04T09:50:00.001+05:30

Keep Your Date With ME !!

2011-04-11T14:59:00.000+05:30

Legend of the Starving Artist

2011-03-28T15:42:00.005+05:30

Beard grown, kurta-clad, financially doomed and yet persevering. This is the typical image that flashes across anybody's eyes, when one thinks of the term 'artist'. All over the world, the 'starving artist' has become legendary by now. And yet there's an other extreme polarity of the same species that lives in ultimate luxury, mingles in swish sets, buys the media out and the works of such artists command instant limelight in the market... not by their sheer face-value, but by the presence of that artist's signature.

And then there's yet another new variety of the artist species that is a product of modern developed India.... this economic variety doesn't fit into the earlier two categories. To make it simpler.... these artists are to the art world, what middle-class is to the society. Neither filthy rich, nor miserable... but definitely here to stay. The age of sensible life-management has come in.... and the 'struggling artist' will soon near extinction.

I'm such a financially middle-class artist. Coming from a small town into the big Mumbai city, and having survived it all alone through my two Art degrees, I represent a whole class of persevering artists who have loved, lived and breathed art all their life... and are not afraid to bear patience till they are fully satisfied with their own performance. We are not poor.. and we refuse to live in misery. We work all through the year on commercial projects, so that we may save enough for that one show in Fine Art, at the end of the year. Our families are well-fed, we dress handsomely, shave everyday, look fresh and are genuinely happy in life. Now, is that a sin for an artist? Yet the stereotypical Art-critic is cynical of this category. He is prejudiced. His outdated instincts nag him that anybody who looks presentably good cannot be serious about his art. And this doubting Thomas can stoop to any level to prove his dubious instincts right.

An English sculptor who spends an annual vacation in India every year, once asked me what I create Art for. He wanted to know my motivation... whether it is wealth, fame, recognition, positive reviews by the media... what was it? "You must be working towards something, isn't it?", he asked. Maybe I disappointed the inquisitive soul by admitting that I create Art purely for spiritual enjoyment. I feel happy creating Art, and that's why I'm here... And to feed my family, the commercial works are sufficient. I don't depend on Fine Art for a living, because it's only when the sales are not a focal-point that I can produce something I enjoy creating, something I want to see created... and something that isn't designed to please someone else. Only when one is financially secure, can he afford to create pure art without the "saleability" factor hovering and pressurizing his creativity.

But my English friend persisted..."If you aren't really greedy for appreciation, then why do you hold your annual exhibitions at good galleries? You could just create and dump those pieces in your backyard!". Well, my dear friend, when you have a good news within, you bubble to share it with someone. It is that very sentiment that makes an artist display his work publicly... just so that other people who share his taste for Art, may see the works, enjoy and return as happier persons. And if the event succeeds in generating a spell of optimism, sales, publicity and fame... these are purely by-products but they don't hurt at all, do they?

It is a universal truth... If our happiness is hinged on other people's approval of us, we'll be miserable all our lives.

A Richer India We Do Not Know....

2011-03-17T23:33:00.011+05:30

On so many occasions as 2011 began.... I came close to canceling my participation at the Pallava Symposium 2011. Reason - artists were supposed to pay their own dues and take care of their entire expenses. I had very little money left in my bank account. We were also expected to get our own power-tools along... I did not own any, I couldn't spare to buy any.

And then this gentleman called S.Kumar called and made false promises for a free stay and free food at Mamallapuram. I was naive, or maybe gullible... that I fell prey to his words. Or maybe I was seeking desperately to create something I could call my own... something that did not bear another person's vision. After a flood of commercial ventures, an opportunity in Fine Art had finally come knocking... and this was a welcome chance to quench my puritan thirst. So I entered Tamil Nadu very optimistically, looking forward to 3 weeks of spiritual cleansing through Art... pure Art.

Before the Chennai Express reached its destination, it halted at some random station where an old crippled woman beggar entered the train. She was crouching, crooked, bent.... almost like a piece of abstract Art. However much the scene hurt, I couldn't help the lady as I was strained for cash myself. I looked at my wife who consented with her eyes. My hands in my jeans pockets, came out with a 50paise coin. That's the only loose coin I had.... and I thanked God for every little penny left with me. I donated that blessed coin to the shaking woman beggar as the scene evoked a silent conversation between me and my wife. I could sense Aamrapali feeling sad for the woman who had to beg at this age, as the beggar moved from person to person in our compartment. We looked at each other and then looked out of the window, almost turning our back at the woman. And just before we could conclude our sympathy-wave.... a little tinkle fell on my lap.

It took me time to recover from that shock. The old woman had actually thrown my 50paise coin back at me. Her body language revealed that it was more an issue of ego than self-respect. The very same coin that I was thankful to have in my pockets, was an insulting sum for a beggar in the train.

This is poverty in India. India may be a poor country, but Indians aren't poor ....by any standards. An average beggar earns Rs.2 per donor... that is at-least Rs.1000 per train. Even if they choose not to beg in beyond 2 trains per day, their average monthly income is Rs.60,000.... quantums more than an artist's... by a ratio of multiples.

Artworks in a Series

2011-02-26T20:14:00.000+05:30

My wife got alarmed the moment I sketched this design as my proposal for the Pallava Symposium 2011. It bears the same basics of my earlier sculpture titled 'Birth', in black Bhaislana marble. Aamrapali was worried I was repeating myself ...that I would get stereotyped. I know what she was talking about... but blame it on a creative block of some kind that I couldn't think of anything better other than progressing the Germinant series further.

As the rock progressed, one could see reflections of many of my previous works in this one single stone... Bijankur, Birth, ThumbRule, then the Ambuja sculpture.... they're all right here. The central theory of these sculptures remains the same... A hard shell protecting a soft core within. May be decades later, people will group these works together and draw generalized conclusions from them. Though amusing to a point, it shakes up an artist's soul to realize that he indeed isn't daring to visualize beyond his comfort zone. Perhaps I needed to saturate this theme to a point where it'll anger me to think about it anymore. That's exactly what happened as this work came close to its finishing point. It saturated me.

And all of a sudden there's a gush of fresh concepts flowing in the mind ... but hey, now its the 'tall slim sculpture' trail that the Ambuja Lady has left behind... seems like this trend will haunt me in the months to come....

Participation at International Sculpture Symposiums

2011-02-26T09:27:00.003+05:30

There are several reasons that attract sculptors towards participation at International Symposiums. Here are some of them :

International Symposia provide an opportunity for you to come out of the puddle and look at a larger world with new techniques, innovative styles and different tools than yours. It kind of takes you back through the history of time and evolution... how people in different parts of the globe developed their own mechanisms and tools to suit environmental challenges. I ..for example.. would have never discovered those beautiful Swiss chisels or the effortless Portuguese hammer but for such get-togethers!
Various parts of the world have developed unique landscapes, due to effects of time and nature on that region typically experiences. So there's the huge hard sandstone in Egypt, the pristine white marble of India, Granites of Russia, and soft stones of China... One gets to lay their hands on these different varieties. That breaks the monotony and brings some range to a stone sculptor's portfolio.
Many of these sponsored symposiums require an entry-proposal that decides an artist's selection for the event. Typically, only 10-15 sculptors get finalized out of 400-450 entries per symposium. That compels artists to conceptualize and present their creative-best designs for every proposal... Regardless of whether one is selected or not, the exercise in itself churns the best out of each artist.
Symposiums are a place where one gets to lay their hands on large-scaled monumental sculptures, without worrying where to stock them after they're done. More often at symposiums, artists get paid with honorariums and the sculptures are retained by the sponsors.
Creations at such events are later installed at public spaces as permanent landmarks. A very good way to stay in popular memory... and to register in history.
Organizers and Sponsors often arrange for huge marketing and media exposure. Artists benefit from the publicity made for the event.
Exposure to new cultures and rituals broadens ones outlook towards life. Working and living together with such a broad spectrum of people from different backgrounds brings a lot of acceptance into ones mindset. Makes one a better person.
Sight-seeing around the world is an added advantage. It's like being on an all-expenses paid world-trip.
A paid vacation.
And last but not the least... the whole world gets to enjoy your art.

The Synergy of Art

2011-02-26T09:11:00.002+05:30

We had no 'theme' declared for the 1st Pallava Symposium, Tamil Nadu, India. There were no presentation proposals sought... neither before nor during the flow of the event. Just a strong portfolio in Sculpture was enough to get you qualified for the event. The set-up was entirely experimental. Yet somehow as the creations started taking shape, most sculptors were seen working around a single resonant topic - Germination. That was a bit surprising... since none of us had really discussed plans for our sculptures with other participants.

So Demian Wust had an abstract seed planted in its womb, Stephen Pepin created a realistic representation of a sprout.... I have an abstract germinant, Urs Floryamo has created a pregnant lady in bronze... and DV Murugan had the growth of technology represented in his stone sculpture.

Stephen says, he has seen this same kind of synergy develop in the environment at most other symposiums that have not imposed a theme for artistic creations. Now I have seen it too... I'm a believer.

Pallava Symposium of International Sculpture 2011

2011-01-28T14:08:00.001+05:30

Mamallapuram International Sculpture Symposium 2011

2011-01-20T23:42:00.001+05:30

Now.... long time.

Thought I'd be able to write something before the Pallava International Sculpture Symposium could begin. There have been such critical turnarounds before me and Aamrapali landed in Mamallapuram yesterday night. Twice in the last three days, I came close to canceling my participation to this event.

Nevertheless, now that we are here, I would like to thank fellow-sculptors Urs Floryamo (Italy), Mark Stone (UK), Damien and Stephen (Switzerland).... and of course, DV Murugan (India) who let us conduct the symposium at his studio when all other options failed at the eleventh hour. Without these people around, I might have been in Mumbai by this time.

It's not even the first day of the Symposium yet, and I have my finger bruised already...

Stories of the event are aplenty... that it would help me to keep a daily journal of the activities. You may keep track of the symposium at this link :

PALLAVA INTERNATIONAL SCULPTURE SYMPOSIUM 2011

2011 - a promising start with Mamallapuram Sculpture Symposium

2011-01-08T12:24:00.000+05:30

I blog on the very first day of every new year. This had been a norm for the past 2 years. I planned to continue the trend this time too but couldn't find time. Perhaps that's a sign of the good times to come. This is the 8th day of 2011... and I've come online purely to post about the upcoming International Sculpture Symposium at Tamil Nadu.

Mamallapuram, also known as Mahabalipuram... is a coastal village of Tamil Nadu. With Bay of Bengal at its shores and a rich architectural heritage like most other Indian states, Mahabalipuram attracts foreign and local tourists around the year. This place has been noted as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Coinciding with the period of Pallawa Sculpture Symposium 2011, is the Annual Dance & Cultural Festival of Mamallapuram.

Here's a Map of the site location :

View Larger Map

Creative Thinking Workshop : Quick Recap

2010-12-15T13:27:00.002+05:30

That we visited Balgram SAMPARC Orphanage to conduct a seminar on 'Creative Thinking' is a pre-historic fact by now. While much is being said about what the kids and we learnt from each other, I wish to shed light on some ambitious plans for the future. The seminar was meant to guide children on career options in various creative fields. This past session held on 30 Nov 2010 was merely a general orientation for the series of workshops that's yet to follow. I plan to execute many such workshops in near future, each session focusing on one specific professional field.

Abhishek Sharma, Sarbari Ghosh Sharma and Hema Jog from my social network joined me and my wife Aamrapali as volunteers to Balgram (Malavli Village, near Lonavala). At the end of the day, we created a site-specific art-installation titled 'Samparc' (meaning Communication, in Hindi). It depicted man's connect with his inner void. The installation was sort of a conclusion... a practical demonstration of the creative thinking lessons we had just discussed with the kids.

Participants of the workshop were aged between 5yrs-65yrs and it turned out to be an engaging exercise for everyone involved... including us volunteers. Contrary to my boring documentation, the day was enjoyed by one and all. Trust me.

More images of the event at this link -

Balgram SAMPARC Workshop on Creative Thinking 30 Nov 2010

Sculpture Symposium in Tamil Nadu... Jan 2011........ but wait!!! Read this first....

2010-12-15T11:17:00.003+05:30

It's a kind of irony. India, globally famed for its vast Art & Cultural heritage, is more ignorant of its untapped wealth than ever before. While monuments like Taj Mahal, Lal Quila, Kutub Minar, Gateway of India, various Fortresses and Palaces continue to attract foreign visitors every year... the Indian Government relies too much on old structures and artifacts to propel tourism. There's little effort to encourage present talent, art and architecture. If an artist or architect wishes to practise on monumental work, they have to 'arrive' in India via foreign shores.

It was thereby a surprise when Google Search threw up articles of a Sculpture Symposium to be held in South India. I know, there are far more such camps being held here...yet most of them are just that - CAMPS. Never put open to the general Art community, these residencies remain a privilege of a select group of mid-career artists from exclusive groups. Such exclusivity resists promising talent from the younger lot enter events that let them create monumental artworks. Hence selection process of these symposiums is far from transparent... and the occurrence of these events is never known to the common Indian man. No publicity, no marketing, no scrutiny. So I was indeed surprised to see an Open Call to artists for an Indian symposium.

This event to be held at Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) in Tamil Nadu from 21Jan - 4Feb 2011, is the brainchild of a few overseas sculptors with local help from :

S.Kumar (Shanmuga Art Gallery)

R.Somasundram (Parvati Sculpture Works)

D.V. Murugan (sculptor)

In response to the Open Call, 25 sculptors from across the world will unite to form the largest symposium of its kind in India in recent times - an event organized by artists for artists. Though this pay-all-for-yourself event might not interest some senior sculptors in the field, it is a big leap for this generation of yet unsung heroes in Art. There is no award for participation, no allowances too. Yet for a meager participation amount of Euro150 (INR 9,150/-), each sculptor will be provided with a monumental block of black granite, electricity, compressors and shared conveyors and crane for 16days on site. Travel, accommodation and food would cost extra but it's hardly a cause of concern at Mamallapuram, where cheap stay at local guest-houses can be arranged for.

Wish more of such symposiums are held in India. It is embarrassing to require overseas acclaim to be acknowledged in ones own country.

Workshop on Creative Thinking at Balgram SAMPARC 2011

2010-11-25T13:11:00.000+05:30

I'm organizing a *WORKSHOP ON CREATIVE THINKING*  for kids

VENUE     : Balgram SAMPARC Orphanage (Bhaje, near Lonavala)
DATE : 30th November, 2010.. Full Day.
AGENDA : an Interactive Seminar + Live Installation Demo
AIM    :
This workshop will help children to explore their future careers in creative fields like Advertising, Art, Animation, Architecture, Product Design etc.

Two years back ....in September 2008.... a professional associate of mine, Aamrapali who is now my wife, called up asking whether I would like to join her for a trip to this same Balgram SAMPARC Orphanage. This child-home is located at Bhaje Village, near the popular hill-station Lonavala. There are very few places in Maharashtra State that boast of a perfect climate all year round, like Lonavala does.

Aamrapali was desperately seeking volunteers to engage those children in various activities, while she could shoot professional pictures of the campus. Unfortunately, anyone who agreed to her proposal - including me - was more interested in the scenic locales of the orphanage rather than the mission itself. We all joined her like a favour done... as if the photo-shoot was her personal endeavour. And she silently paid-up for the whole group's expenses - travel tickets and transit food included... unsure whether she would be able to make the kids smile all by herself.

Much later in life, after me and Aamrapali got engaged, she shared these little complaints of the past with me. Strangely enough, she thanked me for being truthful to her... perhaps I was the only volunteer who had bluntly told her in advance that I would be more interested in the ancient Buddhist Caves of Bhaje than the orphanage itself. I truly carried no intentions of entertaining any kid at the Ashram. Once we entered the campus however, some strange episodes followed. Our entire group was treated to a sumptuous meal by the orphanage authorities. A certain sense of obligation developed as I swallowed each morsel.. One could figure out just by looking at Aamrapali's face that she was silently thinking whether her useless troupe would ever be able to return the value of these meals. I felt like helping but didn't know how.

Life at orphanages is quite different. Kids raised up there mature faster than children in family-protected environments. Often they have seen more of life before entering the Balgram than an average adult does in his entire lifespan. Before we could derive how to break the ice with them, the children themselves made us comfortable with their warm approach. It is common for orphanages to receive visitors every second day - some of them foreign donors who contribute large sums to their 'home'. Hence these little wonders are taught at an early age to make visitors feel welcome. To them, we were guests at their home and the hosts went out of their way to conduct a Welcome Programme for us. Some kids sang, some danced, some mimicked and others played their favourite instruments. It was sad that some members from our group forced quite a few reluctant kids perform on stage.... The ethics had dissolved as to who had gone there to entertain whom. Aamrapali's face was miserable, one could notice. Given a chance to correct the situation, she would have preferred the volunteers to dance while all children watched and enjoyed. She put an abrupt end to the show, telling the orphanage management she was losing out on time for the actual photoshoot.

Just when I thought the show was over, Aamrapali introduced me to the crowd... "Yeh bhaisahab artist hain... drawing bohot achchhi nikaalte hain...", she said (This fellow is an artist, he sketches really well). Soon I found myself seated between a circle of art enthusiasts asking me to sketch faces from amongst them. The next I knew was that Aamrapali had finished her photoshoot and came indoors to tell me we were leaving for our Bhaje Caves outing. Three hours had passed by...and I didn't even realize.

Two years since then, I'm organizing this Workshop on Creative Thinking for the same kids. This time, with a noble intent to guide their careers. No sight-seeing involved.

Invoices of a Different kind

2010-11-13T16:08:00.001+05:30

Success is a strange bargain. While I've actually received a good start in terms of commercial recognition, my core interest - Fine Art - still remains largely unexpressed. Looking at the long path charted out, this is not even the beginning. It is a scary situation to be in. One feels insecure if there is no acknowledgment at all. And also if there is too much of praise from quarters I have not served any purpose to. For I know that there are no free lunches in life. What hasn't been paid for, will come around for its due billing. And I'm not ready for such payments yet.

What ....is a better place to be in....

.......to have abundance to worry about...... or

....to have nothing to lose?

When Art reaches out.... to Everyone.....

2010-10-30T17:52:00.001+05:30

Our previous article was discussed by Shri Satish Naik and Ms.Sharmila Phadke - chief editors of the esteemed Chinha Art Mag blog. I take this occasion to share another recent experience that me and my husband Hemant Sonawane have had about Art and its relevance to masses. Like our artworks, you may read this letter too....

Dear Sharmila Tai & Satishji,

Heyyyy.... this is a surprise....thanks!!!! :-D
Thanks a lottt....

On this occasion, I feel like sharing one more episode with you. This May, when Hemant had his sculpture exbn at Jehangir... it was all new to me. I saw common people staring at works for long and then moving on to the next artwork. After a while, I got anxious. I began going to them and asking, "Would you like me to explain the works to you?"

You should have seen their faces light up! They wished to be a part of the visual treat but hesitated...felt scared to engage in a discussion... "What if the artist makes fun of us? What if we look like fools asking for explanations? What if the artwork is not what I understood from it? What iff....."

Being from engineering (pure technical field) myself, I could relate to their apprehensions. So I started our discussion with the line... "What YOU have experienced looking at this art, is the real Truth. The explanation I'm giving you now is only what the artist felt while creating this work. I'm only telling you the artist's vision". With this, people got eased out to talk more.

Since then, for the next 6 days.... we made it a point to open up to every observer who halted at an artwork for more than a minute. At the end of the exhibit, even with our hoarse voices, we were rich with experience. Common people have more depth than we could ever imagine.... they can not only relate to the art, but they also made us more humble and grateful because of the intellectual & emotional exchange. Hahaha... some interpretations from his fans were more beautiful than Hemant's own take on his pieces!

Hemant and I ended up being richer persons than before...

Love,
~ Aamrapali

Make visual Fine Arts popular!

2010-10-27T15:45:00.002+05:30

Awesome.

Stretch your feet across the center table and watch television while sipping cool milkshake in this October heat of Mumbai. Just Perfect.

In my case, I don't own a television. So I watch stuff on YouTube instead and console myself with newspapers and Facebook to keep in touch with the world around me. Today morning I picked a copy of the Mumbai Mirror likewise. Regular feeds apart, Indian badminton champ Saina Nehwal occupied an entire page, encouraging us all to consume here new endorsement - a cooking oil.

Seems good that lesser known sports are being encouraged in India of late. So Saina endorses cooking oils, Sania endorses Sprite drink and Vishwanathan Anand recommends NIIT. Not to be left behind, several professionals from other fields derive this privilege too... We once had Ustaad Zakir Hussain praising Brooke Bond's Taj Mahal tea, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor endorses multiple brands, so do Harsha Bhogle, Javed Akhtar, Pt.Ravi Shankar and his daughter.

Unlikely professions, unlikely brands. Blame it on my limited knowledge, but I've never seen a visual Fine Artist ever being paid to endorse a brand or a cause.

Yes, I AM complaining. About the lack of reach of visual Fine Art to average public. Advertisements and Endorsements are not just corporate funds flowing into another industry... they are also a testimony to the reach of your industry to the masses. Every other form of Art has gained popularity and acknowledgment with general citizens.... except visual Fine Arts.

I have never been able to understand this elitist attitude, this prudishness of my profession. Every art requires perfection, taste... Likewise every form of art is capable of giving joy too. A commoner saves money to buy tickets for a cricket match (nowadays football and badminton too), an average middle-class individual saves time to watch his favourite actor's movie every weekend. Groups gather to listen to Ghulam Ali's gazals ....but I've never seen anyone reserve his weekend to attend his favourite painter's exhibition.

To be able to have a favourite, one must first know the collective bunch that exists there (and their works, of course). The common man's knowledge about modern art starts and ends with M.F.Hussain. Some others know sand-sculptor Sudarshan Pattnaik through email forwards. And nowadays, housewives have been introduced to faces like Bose Krishnamachari, Jitish Kallat, Sudarshan Shetty, Chintan Upadhyay etc. - not through their work but through their attendance of Page-3 parties. Page-3 typically portrays these artists as socialites, heedlessly neglecting their creditable contribution to Art.

I'm not making any profound points here. Just a simple question - Why don't we visual artists make our work accessible to the average public?

Godrej Garden City - Golden Deer Installation

2010-10-27T13:23:00.004+05:30

The last month was hectic, especially with all out-station projects crowding up with deadlines. We managed the impossible, though with suffered health at the end of those schedules. I've turned BLACK (or is that DARK BLUE.???) working 24x7 in the harsh Gujarat sun at 42 degree Celsius throughout for four days at a stretch. See if you can recognize me anymore....

This is a picture taken on the NID Campus, Ahmedabad where I'd been to meet my friend Rajesh Thakare in between lunch breaks. Seen along is NOT Rajesh, but Hemant Shinde from my team.

Regardless of our faces, the face of the project looks good. Here's the Golden Deer installation I completed right in front of the main office building of Godrej Garden City at Ahmedabad. It is a very lively installation with playful deer galloping their way through the garden. Given a choice, I would have liked to add another 5-6 deer to this installation to make it look complete. But this is a classic case of creative restriction often experienced in commissioned projects where the artist has to adhere to the agent's budget.

(night view)

Professional shots of the project are yet to come. These are just in-process pics that I'm releasing here. There was no time left to click any pictures once the installation was complete. I had to wrap up and return to Mumbai early for another projects in the pipeline.

BULL installation at Indian Art Cafe

2010-10-27T12:49:00.001+05:30

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And here we are... with another installation completed for the Indian Art Cafe at Inorbit Mall, Hyderabad. It is a tribute to Indian artist HR Das's 'Bull' painting. Though the original character of the bull was retained, we gave it a new look and presentation while creating it in 3D form as a sculpture.

Ambuja Cement Foundation : Concrete Knowledge Center

2010-10-12T08:40:00.004+05:30

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This is another project you might enjoy. Though it is a Lady Figure in abstract, many have likened it to the swirl of softie ice-cream made popular by MacDonalds.

(Untitled Sculpture in White Concrete)

SIZE : 30" x 30" x 74"

CLIENTS : Jasubhai Media Group , Ambuja Cements Ltd.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT :
this is a sculpture in White Glass Reinforced Concrete designed by me for the conference room of Concrete Knowledge Center located near Mumbai International Airport. The Center has been developed by AMBUJA FOUNDATIONS - an off-shoot of Gujarat Ambuja Cements Ltd.

It is a Lady Form in abstract, based on a rough concept expressed by the client. Though the actual sculpture consists of an exotic porous surface, my low-resolution camera was incapable of capturing that detail. Also, it was very late at night until we finished installation of the sculpture at site. There was no time left to take more pictures of the work leisurely. Will organize a professional photo-shoot soon, with the client's permission. I'm sure you'll relish those pictures better!

The project was co-ordinated by Jasubhai Media, publishers of the popular 'Indian Architect & Builder' magazine.

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My work at Le Sutra - Indian Art Hotel

2010-10-04T09:48:00.008+05:30

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Product designs by Hemant Sonawane's STUDIO for Le Sutra - the first Indian Art Hotel - assembled exquisitely by talented architects, artists and designers across India. Feast for those who enjoy Spiritual Art.

This article appears in the popular blog DesignFlute. Check out !!!

Indian Art Hotel - Le Sutra

for More Images of the project, CLICK HERE

The Maaya-Jaal of Keywords

2010-09-26T16:16:00.003+05:30

Just when I thought I'd woken up to internet enough, being an artist in new age gives me horrors... as I struggle to learn possible keywords that people may type in search of me. Analytics say someone from Mumbai city made a Google search for SCULPTURE ARTIST IN MUMBAI/ MAHARASHTRA ...thankfully, I appeared once on the first page, for web-surfers seldom venture beyond the 3rd page on.

I could really use some help to make my blog more optimized for search engines.... Could any of you help?

Our 1st Experiment with Bodyscapes

2010-09-19T16:39:00.037+05:30

.If you are one of those rare few who've exclaimed -

"Oh wow! What's this?" after seeing the compositions above, let me explain that these are not projects. My wife clicked a macro-shot of my ankle and modified it to check the marvels of photo-editing software. No research. Just Timepass.

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Sorry.

RSS & the Orange Colour...

2010-09-19T14:46:00.008+05:30

We need a bigger RSS button for our blog.

.......and I've been pondering over some really peppy designs out there.

For my artist friends who may be alien to this concept, RSS enables visitors to subscribe to blog feeds with a single click. It is most useful for those who aren't using their blog as a simple web-diary. If you have written something potentially useful to the community, let the word go around!

That brings us to a question -

Why does Everything named RSS have to bear the saffron colour for identity?

Anayway....have a look -
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Ganesha.... sees Everything

2010-09-10T19:48:00.003+05:30

Every year at the onset of Ganesh Chaturthi, I invariably spend some time either creating or decorating the elephant-headed Hindu God. This year, it was not about splashing colours with fellow-artists at Nirmal Lifestyles... but about helping a local Ganesh Mandal organize the stage-decoration at Andheri. One way or the other, Ganesha does make me devote a day of my calendar towards his prayer service - I offer my Art to him unfailingly, every year.

This year though, something disgraceful happened. The festival organizers initially approached trainees from my team directly to get the work done, quite blatantly trying to eliminate our annual STUDIO services from between. And a few fresh recruits agreed to meet the organizers thus, without holding a basic courtesy to intimate the STUDIO about their endeavour. The work returned to me eventually after it became amply evident that the job was too big for new recruits to cope up with. The organizers deserved to be rejected outright. I still touched and completed the work... only for Ganesha.

Such examples disgrace the atmosphere of deep trust and mutual respect ingrained in our studio-culture all these years. My team has been privy to every detail on clients and projects they work on... I do not hide. I do not curb their aspirations either, recommending my assistants to worthy projects at the start of their careers.

Yet this is not the first time our STUDIO has met with traitors. The situation gets ugly when the very people you offer a slice of your daily-bread to, attempt to deprive you of the same bread. It is not a matter of foregoing ones ambitions for loyalty, it is about having dignity not to step on your mentor's grave to rise higher. Professional Ethics apart... this is more of Human Ethics ignored.

Ganesha...... sees Everything.

Honours to a Super Team..!!!

2010-08-29T14:24:00.005+05:30

Now that our Mumbai STUDIO renovations are nearly about to finish, I share this Album of its making with you.... Do visit sometime after mid-September, 2010 with prior appointment... and we'll be glad to host you! I'll try to post the pictures with captions here later when I'm a bit more at leisure (they're a whole saga to tell) -

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The Making of Hemant Sonawane's STUDIO

Meanwhile, let me also share that our STUDIO Team has put together all our means and savings just to have this design-temple created the way it is today. The Team contributed major work-hours... slogging their days through all 3 shifts, even when they knew their pay-cheques would be cleared a couple of months late. Friends contributed financial, physical and moral support, whereas our kind gala-owners extended our lease contract every few months to make the struggle easy for us.

Me and my wife put off setting up our home since our wedding three months back.... we sacrificed joys of living the first tender days of our marriage together.... just so that we could channelize all funds towards making this studio functional. Although there's still much of a higher infrastructure to be put in place, better tools to be bought... yet the STUDIO remains very precious to all those associated with it.

This phase of ours is definitely creating fond memories to bring us nostalgia in our later days....

Bravo, my STUDIO Team.... I can never Thank You enough for All the unconditional support you've lent whenever it is needed the most -

- Anilbhai Hamirani , Rajesh Jhanjhrukia (civil works support team)
- R.K. Guptaji , Milanbhai Gupta (metal fabrication team)
- Ambadas Payghan (assistant artist)
- Pralhad Chitale (assistant artist)
- Aatish Palwankar (assistant artist)
- Chetan Patil (illustrations)
- Rupesh Manjarekar, Baliram Kumbhar (mould casting team)
- Prakash Gupta (surface lamination)
- Samrat Bhogle (technical drafting & 3D simulation)
- Webonise Labs : Nayan Deshmukh , Shardul Mohite (website)
- Mrityunjay Das (plumbing maintenance)

Special Thanks to....

- Khalil Seth Ansari

- Dnyanesh Rangari
- Nilesh Vede

- Avinash Mhatre
- Elle Electricals Pvt. Ltd.

ACC Ltd. - Thumb Rule

2010-08-08T23:06:00.008+05:30

title : THUMB RULE

size : 4'.0" x 4'.0" x 14'.0"

client : ACC Ltd.

this is the Corporate Identity Sculpture designed by me for India's cement production major - ACC Ltd. This composite sculpture is made using numerous materials and fabrication processes used in the Construction Industry. Brass, carved Rosewood, Aluminium, carved white Marble, black River Sand, Metal 1&2 (black stones used in construction), Mild Steel with Patina ....and especially.... RCC, used for the hand portion, was a difficult medium that refused to lend itself to sculpture.

Thumb Rule depicts ACC's newly adopted green philosophy and stands installed at CEMENT HOUSE, ACC's Mumbai headquarters building. It reinforces a fact that even as futuristic structures continue to be built, it is the solid hand of Cement and Concrete that lies at the foundation of all construction. This design was selected in 2009 by ACC Ltd. from amongst a multitude of competing entries.

My chick & her Chicken Soup

2010-07-12T17:47:00.015+05:30

I've been busy with the set-up of my new studio. Meanwhile my family has had enough reasons to celebrate. The 'Indian Women' chapter of the famous series 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' has a story by my wife in it. You'll find her by the name Aamrapali Bhogle ; the book was written in her maiden days. Published by WestLand, this book has featured on DNA's Bestsellers List in its inaugural month itself. In near future, Aamrapali will also feature in an interview on television network ETV, not for her literary skills but for a successful career in Interior Design.

This ....and more exciting news. I've been scouting for good locations of land to construct my ownership studio on. This weekend I might just finalize on one... Finally there seems to be some place on earth we can afford.

Jupiter, Venus and the Moon

2010-06-30T08:01:00.009+05:30

Something nice happens... and we gaze into the sky and smile.

And then there are those moments
when we look up and the sky is smiling at us....

I experienced one such day on 1st December 2008, when my struggle with the final semester term-work of B.F.A. (Sculpture) had just begun at Sir J.J. School of Art. As we were blocking our rocks and logs, terrorist Ajmal Kasab rested relishing his Biryanis in the adjacent jail. We shared an L.O.C of just one compound wall between our college and the police residential quarters.

The legal proceedings of Kasab's case were on in those days... it had been a mere one week since his disastrous entry to India. And constant noise of our sculpture hammers would interrupt the already snail-paced interrogation. So the police would stop our term work and we would hesitatingly oblige... under the hope that given a healthy environment, at least our legal system would deliver its assignments in time. Perhaps we were being over-optimistic, like a billion other Indians.

On December 1, 2008... I entered our college premises at 4 pm to check if they were giving Kasab a day off so that we students could progress a bit with our delayed termwork. We were told to wait till late. Most of my classmates were working on small artworks in either wood or soft-stone...but mine was a 40" huge hard rock that refused to lend itself to sculpture. I had already broken a few diamond-edged blades the earlier day while trying to cut through it. Completing my assignment with this rock in a matter of 2 months was going to be next to impossible, and I knew this very well.

So as my classmates left the campus one-by-one...I waited patiently till the police timelines got over and then hammered through the night. Just as my day's work was about to get over, I got a call from friend Aamrapali (now, my wife). She asked me to look up into the sky... and LoL! the heavens were smiling upon me!

Today, I look at this picture Aamrapali had clicked that day from her home window.
And I gaze up at the sky..... My stars are really smiling :)

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Chembur-Nilesh Plus.... ;-D

2010-06-25T05:08:00.014+05:30

It feels so much at home once you cross that turn from Turbhe to enter Chembur! The familiar sights of Kamat's Maharaja Restaurant and R.K. Studios bring back fond memories.

I have a friend, artist Nilesh Vede who also lives in Chembur.... the most pro-active guy in our group that includes artists Manoj Maurya and Rakesh Pattnaik. He's the one who brought in so many group-show opportunities to us in the initial days of our careers. Chembur, that's known to be home to numerous such creative people, surprisingly hosts no leading Art Gallery of its own.

'Nil Vede', as he's popularly known in Art circles, may be a name familiar to you as Salman Khan's teacher. He's the hugely talented guy who Indian movie actor Salman Khan picked to learn his painting strokes from.

Nilesh and I have a long association. We met while performing live painting exhibits at 'Out of the Blue' restaurant at Union Park, Khar. From thereon, we've done several exhibitions together including our first public show at Nehru Center Art Gallery in year 2006 with film director Manoj Maurya . And there's a whole list of joint shows that followed after that... One of them is scheduled at The Museum Art Gallery, KalaGhoda in May 2011.

Nilesh is popular for his beautifully depicted Gods, Godmen & Avataars. It's always a pleasure exhibiting with an artist like him who is confident of his own work and doesn't resort to field politics. Healthy professional camaraderie is rare nowadays.... so are friends like these.

Me with my Levitating Buddha

2010-06-25T04:21:00.004+05:30

This picture was clicked at my first studio in Mumbai, while the Sattva sculpture (seen above) was still in process to completion.

Raindrops keep falling on my Head..!

2010-06-23T20:18:00.005+05:30

It has rained like heaven this season. A pour above the lakes supplying water to Mumbai city. And a drizzle wherever I've taken my feet to. This is a snapshot of Mumbai's un-ending slums, captured from behind a sheath of raindrops. These drops of water must be as large within the tents as they seem on the lens.

I should know. I've run a studio on lease in one of such hutments.

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Domestic Airport at Jalgaon

2010-06-14T19:07:00.008+05:30

Jalgaon is about to get an airport. Finally!!! The prolific Indian city....most known for being a vital junction in Railway routes, gets a 'functional' domestic airport.

So does that make me happy? Yes, of course, my hometown Bhusawal is at a stone's throw from Jalgaon, and it'll help immensely to cover the Mumbai-Bhusawal distance, that now takes an overnight journey by railway, in a matter of few minutes. And they're permitting flights during the night too...

Indian President Pratibha Patil, who was also born in the region, popularly known as 'Khandesh', laid the foundation stone for extension of the Jalgaon domestic airport and sanctioned a few crore rupees for its renewed start. And she wont be blamed for not tracking a follow-up on the progress of the subject matter this time. Because it's the local bureaucracy itself that wants the airport keenly.

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Download Hemant Sonawane's C.V. here.......

2010-06-13T15:11:00.005+05:30

Indian Artist Hemant Sonawane's Curriculum Vitae

View more documents from Hemant Sonawane.

How useful am I to You?

2010-06-11T11:52:00.014+05:30

Everyone's looking for something.
In Life, in Relations, in Time.....

......and even in this insignificant little blog.

Some regulars come here for pictures & words that could enrich their day....
Art Investors, Critics, Media look for value in artworks..
and yet others, like my family & friends... visit it simply for love

There have been umpteen discussions at social networks on HOW to increase the traffic to ones website. We may add endless widgets, directory listings and cross-links for that purpose. But what helps at the end of the day.... is only how 'USEFUL' the blog is to visitors.

How useful am I to You ?

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a New start yet Again...!!!

2010-06-11T10:50:00.005+05:30

I have found a lovely studio-space at Navi Mumbai.

Nice , spacious, self-contained, well-lit & cross-ventilated.
It's on lease.... yet the joy of finding a dream-space is incomparable.
I want to build a studio on ownership very soon.....
......but it has to be so vast and well-planned
that I shouldn't require to change it for the next 20 years at least.
So until things arrange themselves to fall into order,

I'm still happy with what I've begun with. Cheerz !!!

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Lord Krishna jailed over case for Copyright Infringement..!!

2010-06-09T09:28:00.011+05:30

JALGAON, DECEMBER 5, 2004 : According to Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna was born in a prison but divine powers facilitated his liberation. But that was Dwaparyug. In Kalyug, an idol of Krishna remained in police custody for several months in year 2004. Reason: It violated the Copyright Act.

The three-feet-high idol was confiscated by the Jilhapeth police in Jalgaon on August 18 after a local resident filed a complaint that it was being installed at a local temple in violation of the Copyright Act.

According to the FIR filed by Kishor Pralhad Khadse, the Sadvichar Darshan Trust, an outfit of the Swadhyay Parivar, has a copyright over the idol's design and the trustee of a local temple, Sudhakar Kashinath Joshi, had made a copy.

''The idol looks similar to that of the copyrighted idol, but we need opinions from experts on whether it is an exact replica of the original,'' inspector D.S. Gadekar from Jilhapeth police station said. ''We are awaiting technical advice and investigating the case. No person has been arrested, but a case registered under Sections 14, 45, 48, 51 and 63 of the Copyright Act is being investigated.''

The accused in the case was working with the Swadhyay Parivar, which has a copyright over the idols's design, before he decided to go his own way. He is now a trustee of the Sant Dyaneshwar Mandir Trust at Pratap Nagar, Jalgaon and has filed an application to demand the idol back for installation at the temple. The case is pending in court and is scheduled for hearing on January 31, 2005.

''Our trust resolved to establish an idol of Yogeshwar ShriKrishna in our temple way back in 1978 but there was delay for want of funds,'' Joshi said. ''Our idol looks similar to the original idol at Swadhyay Parivar's Tatvadnyan Vidhyapeeth but there are vital dissimilarities — like our idol has the right foot forward, is standing on a lotus and has one peacock feather in the crown, while the original idol has the left foot forward, is standing on the globe and sports three peacock feathers.''

DSP Pravin Salunke said the matter had also been referred to some experts in Delhi for opinion on the alleged violation of the Act. He said a chargesheet would be submitted to the court after the conclusion of investigations.

For the complete article by Indian Express, refer to:
http://www.indianexpress.com/storyOld.php?storyId=60282

Here we see an original sculpture replicated. The copyright holder takes due notice and prompt action on the defaulter. Yet the Indian judicial system takes aeons to decide on a simple visual judgment :

Has the second sculpture copied the original in essence ...or not?

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The Indian Copyright Act

2010-06-09T09:17:00.004+05:30

Lawrence Liang, Legal Researcher and Lawyer, Alternative Law forum, talks about enforceability of Creative Commons' Licenses and Indian Copyright Act.

Let us take into note as we get our Art reserved, that Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

In brief..... A copyright-holder may take lawful objection ONLY IF his/her originals have been replicated for COMMERCIAL interests.

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When 'nobody' replicates your copyrighted originals....

2010-06-09T08:58:00.005+05:30

Now it's not everyday that you get so lucky to trap a filthy rich copycat replicating your artwork, isn't it? Here's how desperate corporates have got down to suing housewives and students for using their work....

Go Ahead..... Share a laugh !! ;-)

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Why to register a Copyright for your Artwork?

2010-06-09T08:42:00.006+05:30

I've had many junior artists asking me about the actual usefulness of having ones artwork protected through copyright. Well.... it's a lot useful as long as you are lucky enough to have a brainless millionaire attempting to replicate your work for free. Because what can you really do with your copyright and its infringement if someone from the other side of the globe prints cheap posters of your painting or if a small-time carpet/rug/quilt manufacturer weaves your painting into his product? What compensation do you really hope to achieve by holding these guys to court? Answer yourself.

Thanks to artist Angela Hopkins of Canada, I landed upon this very useful video that explains 'Copyrighting' in detail. Have a look.

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Copyrights Again !!

2010-06-05T20:35:00.006+05:30

Just a few days back when I wrote about the futility of reserving ones work, I had spoken of protecting originals, especially sculptures, from other artists (or should I say 'artisans') who may cheap-steal the whole concept or idea.

But Whoa! just read on what we have here.....

Grrrr ! Someone Copied One of My Paintings Without Permission !

Annie Taylor, a fellow artist I met on LinkedIn has a worse experience to share. Apparently her painting was copied onto a quilt. And if this wasn't enough, at the same forum Cheryl McClure speaks of another episode where an artist's entire website was blatantly copied and the prints of their works sold off on eBay.

In India, we call this...... Kaliyuga......

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RELEASE

2010-06-05T20:05:00.007+05:30

TITLE : RELEASE
SIZE : 00” x 00” x 00” (H x W x D)
MEDIUM : Mild Steel

ARTIST’S NOTE

She has wings... She can fly.... She's meant to fly.
Yet.... bound by her own desires....
.....she struggles to break through the cage that's herself.

She's charged by the thought of a Life beyond fences.

FOR SALE ....at the artist's studio

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The OLYMPIAN

2010-06-05T19:16:00.010+05:30

TITLE : The OLYMPIAN
SIZE : 23” x 11” x 11” (H x W x D)
MEDIUM : Fiberglass, Aluminium, Brass, Wood

FOR SALE ......at the artist's studio

The 'Abundant' Artist

2010-06-04T11:13:00.009+05:30

We speak about fearlessness of an artist.
The courageous have taken risks, stayed on... and succeeded.
Yes, it takes courage to risk a million laughs when you exhibit your Art to the world.
To many, this bravery is restricted to Art alone.

I have still to meet enough artists who have the strength to stand up and command value for their works... in society and at home. After all, a career in visual arts can be as respectable and rewarding as that in any other field. Then why do artists keep making an excuse of their professional stream? From any perspective, such a loser attitude spells disrespect for Art!

The other day I came across a thread on social network LinkedIn, where the author of that discussion (an Art magazine representative) wished to interview an 'Abundant Artist'. Poor struggling artists, kindly excuse. You'd be amazed to read the follow-up comments. There were responses ranging from "My Art makes me rich by soul", "Are you making fun of us?" to "If you give me this interview opportunity, I could become rich".

Plain hilarious.

On networking sites, we find artists networking with other artists. Go through anyone's list. And you'd rarely find an artist networked to a corporate CEO or their PR Dept. You wont find a wealthy businessman on any artist's list.... while these are the direct prospective clients who're likely to buy your Art. It's not about other people adding us, I'm talking about artists not taking an initiative to approach prospective buyers of their art.

Yes, we do not take enough risks on our ego to PROMOTE our Art.
Our courage ends at creating it.

Mechanised Art

2010-06-04T08:13:00.011+05:30

When we were younger, we had Drawing & Craft as subjects in school. Small projects like creating a scrap-book were so engaging.... one would wish these subjects could be majored in.... just as we choose an elective in the higher secondary!

But we never grow up, do we?

Today, when I look at several new-age artists' mechanised artworks, I can't help comparing them to the inter-school science projects we had back then. Those miniature windmills, boring wells, electric cities that ran on basic principles of science.... Creating 'Experimental Art' today allows us artists to re-live our childhood once again.... to Rewind Erase and Replay..... going back to majoring in Arts with science as a backdrop.

I have come across so many creative professionals from various streams..... Movie-making, Advertising, Literature & Poetry, Interior Design, Story & Script writers, Stage Actors, Choreographers, Singers & Musicians..... and most of them have left some stereotypical academic field to join Arts. The creative world has plenty of engineering drop-outs and ex management-pros.... and yet they leave their steady 5 figured salaries in temptation for an insecure journey that promises to satisfy their creative yearnings.

So why then does our Indian Education System not embed Visual & Performing Arts into essential academics right from the beginning? Why are these subjects officially dropped out from the 8th grade onwards to concentrate on "serious studies"? Why not bring Arts to the mainstream just as we regard Engineering, Commerce & Medics....?

The above video enlists artist Sunil Gawde's experimental and mechanised works from various international Biennials. Yet another brilliant child enjoying his days once again.....

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coverage in : ART India : National Listings

2010-06-03T15:39:00.003+05:30

coverage in : AFTERNOON DISPATCH & COURIER

2010-06-03T15:36:00.004+05:30

coverage in : TIMES OF INDIA : Bombay Times Art Walk

2010-06-03T15:35:00.003+05:30

coverage in : TIMES OF INDIA : Mulund Powai Plus

2010-06-03T15:08:00.004+05:30

coverage in : TIMES OF INDIA : Bombay Times

2010-06-03T15:04:00.005+05:30

coverage in : HINDUSTAN TIMES : Brunch

2010-06-03T14:37:00.005+05:30

coverage in : HINDUSTAN TIMES : Cafe

2010-06-03T14:31:00.005+05:30

coverage in : DNA

2010-06-03T14:28:00.004+05:30

coverage in : DNA Afterhours

2010-06-03T14:25:00.004+05:30

coverage in : SUNDAY MID-DAY : Play

2010-06-03T14:22:00.004+05:30

coverage in : LOKSATTA Mumbai Vruttaant

2010-06-03T14:20:00.004+05:30

coverage in : LOKSATTA Mumbai Vruttaant

2010-06-03T14:17:00.003+05:30

coverage in : LOKSATTA Mumbai Vruttaant

2010-06-03T14:14:00.002+05:30

coverage in : LOKPRABHA

2010-06-03T14:08:00.005+05:30

coverage in : SAKAAL

2010-06-03T13:56:00.007+05:30

coverage in : LOKSATTA Fine Touch

2010-06-03T13:55:00.003+05:30

coverage in : JANMABHOOMI

2010-06-03T13:48:00.004+05:30

2010-06-03T10:34:00.010+05:30

A week since my exhibition at Jehangir Art Gallery passed successfully, a friend and I spent some time strolling along the street market at Bandra Linking Road. We were chatting about the necessity of getting ones art copyrighted.

It seems copyrighting doesn't really cost too much, but the process comes with its own share of loopholes. For example, it may prevent another person from creating an exact replica of your work but you cannot object if he has made a few changes in the original design or concept.... however heavily he might have borrowed from your idea. So it seemed futile to me that any of my works from the recent 'Figment of Truth' series should be reserved through copyright.

The best copyright, in my opinion, is Public Recognition.

Look at the works of a great maestro .....like M.F.Hussain, for example.... His works get sold for an average price of INR 3 crores per piece. Now, art that is valued so highly is what really needs to be secured. But I doubt if Mr.Hussain even bothers to get any of his works copyrighted. Reason - Public Recognition. Thousands of people across the globe recognize his unique style and his cult line of works, and anybody who attempts to copy them will automatically make a fool of himself.

I believe.... our young generation of artists has something to learn from this example.

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SATTVA sculpture

2010-05-09T19:43:00.010+05:30

Have a look into some of my sculptures to be exhibited at Jehangir Art Gallery
from : 17May 2010 - 23May 2010.

Seen here is a partial concept of the SATTVA sculpture in mild steel, depicting the Buddha in levitation. I look forward to seeing you at the exhibit to view this complete concept.... and many more..!

Do Visit !!!

CURTAIN RAISER... for Jehangir 2010

2010-05-05T11:53:00.015+05:30

This is a curtain raiser to my upcoming exhibition of sculptures.......

AT : Jehangir Art Gallery (location: KalaGhoda, CST, Mumbai)

DATES : 17th May, 2010 to 23rd May, 2010

TIME : 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. IST

(The artwork in the picture is a sculpture titled 'YOGI' , created using mild steel and brass)

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Studio heats up with work Again..!

2010-04-23T07:27:00.004+05:30

After days of hiatus taken to prepare for my engagement, studio work has begun yet again with aplomb, since the last week. In addition, I have employed a few full-time junior-assistants to complete projects faster.

Thanks to extreme climatic changes in Mumbai, we are now experiencing an utter humid and hottt summer... after a prolonged, unusually cool winter that gave us a good time this year. It becomes difficult to work in studio environment under these conditions. Cannot switch the fan on, as it sends the saw flying while working on wood. And we're too modest to afford an air-conditioner so soon.

All of us at the studio wish the rains arrive earlier this year.

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Blogging on back burner

2010-04-06T10:19:00.005+05:30

For days, I've been thinking of transforming this blog to a three-column one. Wide blogs look more appealing and the spread of information is more balanced.

Yet it could take quite some time transferring all these widgets, codes and color-scheme to the new format. I'll be getting engaged this weekend and wedded next month.... and professional pursuits haven't allowed me to take time out even to purchase a new outfit for my Big Day.

So blogging shifts to the back-burner for a while....

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Art. Period.

2010-03-14T08:25:00.015+05:30

Let's admit it. We all love to watch fashion shows....... models sashaying on the ramp in clothes unwearable to most of us. Yes of course, these presentations look stunning.... the designs may be inspiring, breath-taking. But what next? It's not uncommon to wonder what they'd be doing with the products once the show is over. After all.... it's non-usable, hence non-saleable... and trash! Why would one want to waste their money showcasing products like these...! I've been asked often by curious relatives about what I do for a living after showcasing my creations in exhibits :) . Art....

Creativity for sake of creativity..... not specifically made with sales on mind. It is only a pure expression and the beauty of it that matters. Self-satisfaction of creating the work and also acknowledgment, acceptance... make up for the loss of money, if any.

Art need not necessarily have utility ;
its beauty need not beautify a space.
the work holds a stand-alone value in itself.

It is this fearlessness that makes a pure artist.
He's not afraid to experiment.
Not afraid of public rejection, unfair judgments, critics or prejudices.

Yet 'Public Art' is making a huge comeback today.
The masses have become Art-conscious. Nowadays, they're aware.
They want to participate and interact with your work.
The least they ask.... is to make it tangibly understandable.
What's Art if it doesn't touch the senses.... if it doesn't communicate or reach out.....

So while I contemplated on themes for my first sculpture exhibit, (coming up at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai from May 23-29, 2010), I had a wide array of routes to choose from. Let me start from the basics, I thought. Experimenting with figuratives before going Avant-garde.

Art is a perpetual learning journey....just like Life.
No matter how much you've experimented,
you still haven't explored enough.

My journey has just begun.