Ananya Drishya presents Suresh Kumar G

Ananya Drushya, an initiative by eminent artist SG Vasudev is a Bangalore based organization - a cultural trust that promotes music, literature and art that aims to create awareness about visual arts in schools and other sections of the society. Readers will remember that a few years ago, the visual chapter of Ananya had started with a group show, where seventy artists from the city had contributed their paintings. It was immensely successful and helped to raise funds for their activities. 

According to Vasudev, “Ananya Drishya aims at a three-pronged approach. We conduct regular lecture and discussion sessions on art and art appreciation programmes. Then we have outreach programmes for school children to develop awareness in them about visual art and culture. Simultaneously, we are developing archives of Karnataka art from pre-Independence period onwards. So, while discussion sessions connect with the present, archives and working with children bridge the past and the future.” (quote from Bangalore Mirror, October 09, 2011)

Since then Ananya has been organizing monthly talks and presentations by artists, which have been very well appreciated and well attended. Last year, I moderated a presentation and interactive session with artists Murali Cheeroth and Ravikumar Kashi. Continuing this series, next is artist Suresh Kumar G making a presentation on Jun 11, 2013.

 Do drop in at Venkatappa Art Gallery if you are in the vicinity.

Balraj Khanna- A Journey of His Own

Acclaimed Indian born artist Balraj Khanna’s first online curated solo show kicks off in June

Balraj Khanna- A Journey of His Own

www.ajourneyofhisown.com

6-16 June 2013

Balraj Khanna was born in the Punjab and came to England in the 1960s to study English. Instead, he took to art – eventually becoming ‘one of the best middle generation painters we have” (Mel Gooding).

Khanna is an individualistic artist whose work encapsulates his own aesthetic approach and personalised vision of life. He has developed a unique brand of abstraction inspired by nature, spirituality and concepts of creation.

His paintings have been described as “buoyant, engaging, festive and uplifting”.

Lucie Marchelot, director of The Indian Art Centre, says: “We wanted to create an innovative online exhibition featuring high quality works that could be visited by collectors from around the world. For those not prepared to sacrifice the experience of seeing the work in the flesh we arrange private views of the collection at the artist’s studio in London”.

Two rooms showcasing 22 works have been specially designed to provide a strong and realistic effect of how paintings could be arranged in traditional and modern interiors.

The use of cutting-edge technology allows collectors to have a unique 3D experience in the comfort of their homes. As they scroll through a dazzling panoramic display, they can click on each artwork and a window will pop up on the screen with their descriptions, prices and zoomed photographs allowing a closer inspection.

The virtual gallery will open its virtual doors on the 6th of June and the pop up online event will run until the 16th of June 2013 (aligned with the Modern and Contemporary Indian Art auctions organised by the leading auction houses in London).

Since Balraj Khanna was once described by Bryan Robertson as "one of the most distinguished painters living in England," the high level of interest in his online pop-up art exhibition is not surprising.

Interested parties are invited to register on www.ajourneyofhisown.com



Sponsored post.

Anjolie Ela Menon | London | Preview: 6 June, 2013

Art Buzz: Mumbai

Request for Proposals: IFA’s Arts Research and Documentation Programme

India Foundation for the Arts is happy to announce that we are inviting proposals under our Arts Research and Documentation programme for the year 2013-2014. The last date for the receipt of draft proposals is June 15, 2013and the last date for the receipt of final proposals is July 15, 2013. So mark your calendars and start writing!

For details on the grant application procedure please read the complete Request for Proposals below. You can alsoDOWNLOAD a pdf version of the file in English. The document will soon be available in other languages on the IFA website.

We hope you share this email on your organisational website, blog, Facebook and Twitter page and with your friends because we want as many people as possible to hear about this opportunity. Please help spread the word!

Last but not the least, stay in touch; call us, write to us and ask us a million questions. We are here to help you develop your proposal.

Looking forward to hearing your ideas!

Warm regards,
The IFA Team

INDIA FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS

Request for Proposals: Arts Research and Documentation

Are you a researcher or an artist interested in: 1) Studying the changing practices in the contemporary arts? Or 2) Exploring how artistic practices are constructed and come to be regarded as ‘tradition’?

ScopeThis grant programme supports scholars/researchers and artists to undertake research and documentation projects falling under either one of the two following themes:

1) Research and documentation that seeks to study new developments in contemporary arts practice.
As a researcher or artist, you may want to study new developments or changing practices in the contemporary arts. For instance, you may want to study the intersection of technology-television and the Internet-and contemporary art. You may want to investigate site-specific work that engages with local communities or the natural environment. Or you may want to examine democratic art practices that blur the boundary between the artist and the audience.

You might want to use existing methods of research and/or create new conceptual or technical tools that depart from existing disciplinary methodologies to illuminate and contribute to the study of contemporary arts practices.

2) Research and documentation that critically examines how artistic traditions are constructed or reinvented.The word ‘tradition’ comes from the Latin word traditionem, which literally means ‘handing over’. What is handed over from one generation to the next may be knowledge, beliefs, legends, practices and so on. Tradition can also refer to long established ways of thinking or acting within a continuing pattern of cultural beliefs or practices.

However, because tradition provides a powerful source of endorsement and sanction for certain practices, beliefs, values and norms of behaviour, it is often invented or reconstructed, as against simply inherited. Many practices which are seen as tradition are in fact quite recent inventions, often deliberately constructed for a variety of reasons, such as to legitimize certain actions, power equations or social hierarchies, to foster group cohesion and cement collective identities, or to support political ideologies, agendas or interests. Artistic traditions are also deliberately re-described and reinvented to create new audiences and markets for them.

Support under this theme is available for researchers or artists who are interested in studying why or how traditions are constructed. For example, you may be interested in examining the new meanings, values and symbols that are created when a tradition is invented or reinvented or what might be excluded, lost, concealed or suppressed in the process. You may be interested in how this phenomenon alters the relationship between the artist, the art form/practice and the context of its production and reception. Or you may be interested in looking at the influences and ideologies that underlie or determine such constructions of tradition.

ApplicationIFA staff would be glad to answer your questions regarding this grant programme. You are welcome to approach us to discuss your ideas or send us a draft proposal for our suggestions and comments no later than June 15^th, 2013.

Your final applications should be in hard copy and reach us on or before 15^thJuly, 2013. You can expect grant awards to be announced by October 2013.

You may choose to write your proposal in any Indian language including English.

Your project may have a minimum duration of twelve months and a maximum duration of eighteen months.

You can request for support up to Rs 3 lakh. If you are a filmmaker, you can request for support up to Rs 5 lakh.

You may budget for an honorarium of Rs 12,000/- per month subject to a maximum limit of Rs 1,44,000 for theentire duration of the grant. Please note that the total grant amount is inclusive of the honorarium.

To apply, please send us a proposal describing:

• The specific artistic tradition(s) OR contemporary art practice that you seek to research and/or document.
• The research questions central to your project.
• The research methodology that you seek to follow and/or new methodologies that you wish to pursue in order to tackle your subject of inquiry.
• The anticipated duration of your project, as well as a work plan.
• The proposed outcomes of your project.

The proposal will be considered incomplete if you do not include the following:

1. Supporting material, if any, which gives us a sense of your work.
2. Your bio-data.
3. A detailed budget breakdown that explains how funds will be used. Please also mention funds anticipated from other sources, if any.
4. Your address, telephone/fax numbers, and e-mail address.
5. If you are applying on behalf of an institution, please include background information on the organisation as well as the memorandum of association/trust deed, annual reports, and audited statements of accounts for the past three years.

General Information1) Our funds will cover only project-related personnel costs, activities and travel, and can provide for modest equipment and materials, if necessary. Please ensure that each budget category pertains to a specific item of project-related expenditure.

2) If you are an individual, please budget for an accountant.

3) Please do not budget for institutional overheads, building costs and infrastructural development.

4) Please do not make your identity evident in the text of the proposal.

5) You can send us your draft proposal by email but your final proposal, including your supporting material should be in hard copy only, and should reach us on or before July 15^th, 2013.

6) You are responsible for the delivery of your proposal and supporting material to IFA by the closing date. Late applications will not be accepted.

7) If your proposal is short-listed, you may be requested to respond to evaluations.

8) Your proposal will be assessed with the help of external evaluators, and IFA’s decision on grants will be final.

Eligibility
You are eligible to apply if you are an Indian national, a registered non-profit Indian organisation, or have been resident in India for at least five years.

Ila Dalmia FICA Research Grant and other opportunities

The Ila Dalmia FICA Research Grant 2013 The Ila Dalmia FICA Research Grant, instituted by FICA with the help of art historian and writer Yashodhara Dalmia in the memory of her sister Ila Dalmia, aims to provide an annual grant to support research on Indian modern and contemporary art. The grant will be for a sum of Rs. 2 lakhs and will focus on encouraging independent research by students and scholars in India. The application is open to individuals who are committed to researching in the field of visual arts with particular focus on Indian modern and contemporary art. This could include important first-hand research and archiving of art and art historical material, or a critical study of Indian art history, art criticism and practice, or an interdisciplinary analysis of the theory and practice in the visual arts, or studies in the related domains of curation, exhibitions, collection and the art economy. The recipient of the Grant Will be expected to complete their research within the one year period of the grant. Will be given the opportunity to travel to Delhi and present their paper at the annual Ila Dalmia Memorial Lecture to a public audience upon completion. Call for applications for the Ila Dalmia FICA Research Grant 2013 will be opened in June 2013. Click here for more details. Emerging Artist Award 2013 FICA is currently accepting applications for the Emerging Artist Award (EAA) 2013. The award is presented to young Indian artists who demonstrate extraordinary skill and promise in the visual arts. The EAA is presented by FICA in collaboration with Pro Helvetia - Swiss Arts Council, and Vadehra Art Gallery.The Award includes a 12-week residency in Switzerland and a solo exhibition in New Delhi.  Deadline for applications is 30 June 2013. Click here for more details. Other curatorial opportunities The 5th Gwangju Biennale International Curator Course: Deadline for applications 10 May 2013. Click here for more details.  Japan Foundation invites Indian curators for a 3-week programme in Japan. Deadline for applications is 10 May 2013. Click here for more details

Bombay from the Ground Up, Performance Included

Guggenheim Museum recently launched an international project, the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative. Presented in conjunction with the project’s inaugural exhibition No Country: Contemporary Art for South and Southeast Asia, a dynamic and growing collection of essays, images, videos, and audio recordings. This diverse and engaging set of contributions, commissioned from local experts and insiders, opens up aspects of each creator’s milieu to further thought and debate. In this context Susan Hapgood writes on performance art in India...


Bombay from the Ground Up, Performance Included

As a curator new to Mumbai, I found the metropolis thriving, fascinating—and sometimes maddening. There is a tight-knit contemporary art community in the city that has become accustomed to international curators swooping in and out like the ubiquitous Bombay crows. They flit around the city, alighting briefly to snap up morsels of sustenance. Yet no bird’s-eye view, colleague’s description, or online research could substitute for sustained experience on the ground. I arrived in India for a sabbatical of sorts in September 2010, and my method of acclimating was to call as many artists as possible right away, to find out what they were up to and who was most interesting. Within about six months, I had founded a contemporary art exhibition space known as the Mumbai Art Room, a small nonprofit that provides a platform for artistic experimentation. Read on at “Bombay from the Group Up, Performance Included”

Art Buzz: Encounters 2013