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Art
Exhibition |
| Lectures | Performances | Workshops | Sand Mandala | Art Exhibition | Places of Worship |
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Devis of India - Mixed Media - Hindu, Buddhist, Tribal
Terracotta, Dhokra, woodcarving, paintings
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The Labyrinth
and Sacred Geometry |
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 Richard
Dunn will be making a large labyrinth on the ground using
coloured pigments as a kind of Rangoli painting in the circular
hall at IGNCA, Mati Ghar. Richard Dunn has extensively explored
the labyrinth through paintings and installations using
disruptive colour and at times exhibited with silhouette images
of plants. In many cultures the labyrinth has a special and
sacred meaning: it is a path that reflects that which we take in
life, a metaphor for the complexity of place - our directed and
metaphoric pathways, but it also is an image for reflection and
meditation within dense urban living. This ground piece relates
to two forms of cultural heritage - Celtic labyrinths of
Scotland, and through its colour and location, Indian
labyrinths, echoing in the context of the Festival of Sacred
Arts Delhi the Buddhist Mandala. Through its pattern, and its
complex colour relations, is the potential to connect cultures
through a device that promotes similar mental processes and
cultural memories.
Richard Dunn is an artist
born in Sydney. He studied architecture at UNSW, and painting at
the Royal College of Art, London and lived in Europe from
1966-1976, and New York 1984-1985 as a fellow of the
International Studio Program P.S.1 MOMA, New York. He was guest
professor at National Academy of Fine Art, Oslo, 2000 and
Kunstakademie Dusseldorf, winter semester 2003/4. Richard Dunn
is Professor of Contemporary Visual Art and Artist-in-Residence
at the University of Sydney.
Solo museum exhibitions
include Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Germany, in 2004 and 2005 and
retrospective surveys at the Art Gallery of New South Wales,
Sydney in1992 and Monash University Museum of Art in 1994. Most
recent solo international exhibitions have been at the
Künstlerverein Malkasten, Düsseldorf and the Förderverein Kunst
der DRK Kliniken, Berlin | Westend and group exhibitions at
Museo D'Arte Moderna E Contemporanea Palazzo Belmonte Riso,
Palermo; Tianjin Art
Artist:
Richard Dunn |
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Painted
Myths: Contemporary Folk Art from Bengal by Roma Chatterji
 The
Chitrakars or patuas from Medinipur district of West Bengal are a
community of traditional painters and singers who compose stories
based on sacred epics as well as secular events. While painting is
an activity undertaken by several traditional artisan groups in
Bengal, the Chitrakars are the only ones who performed by singing
and displaying their scrolls.
Their origin myth describes them as an interstitial group cursed by
Lord Siva to be Muslims who would continue to paint pictures of
Hindu Gods and Goddesses. This status, according to some Chitrakars,
makes them neither completely acceptable to Muslims nor to Hindus.
It also gives them a truly secular voice so vital in the world that
we live in today. Modern-day Chitrakars have propagated the message
of communal harmony in their compositions on the recent riots and on
the Gulf War. Their commentaries couched in the language of myth are
profoundly symbolic and draw on a rich oral tradition of
storytelling that was once widely prevalent among the heterodox
artisan castes of Bengal. However the engagement with contemporary
issues also inflects their aesthetics and many Chitrakars experiment
with novel painterly values.
At one time such communities were spread over a large part of
eastern India – each with their special style of painting. At
present, though, it is only in restricted areas of Medinipur,
Birbhum, Purulia and Dumka that this activity
Nandigram
by Banku Chitrakar
remains. Medinipur scroll painters unlike their counterparts
elsewhere are also extremely responsive to political events. Over
the years they have composed on themes that range from events of
local or national siginificance such as boat accidents and communal
violence to global events such as the Tsunami and the strike on the
World Trade Centre and have also deified local heroes.
In this exhibition we intend to foreground the contemporeity of this
folk tradition not merely to foreground new themes but also to focus
on the changes in aesthetic value. Thus apart from displaying a mix
of traditional and modern themes we have also tried to bring out
changes in aesthetic perception by exhibiting the work of painters
from different generations, senior artists as well as young
children. Folk art tends to be represented as static. By juxtaposing
themes from myth and secular life as well as paintings by artists
from different generations we hope to present the dynamic face of
this rich tradition.
Roma Chatterji teaches at the Department of Sociology, Delhi School
of Economics, Delhi University. She has an abiding interest in
folklore. She has written extensively on the oral cultures and
performative traditions of Purulia in Bengal. This is the third
exhibition of her collection of pata paintings and it emerges from
her current research on folk art. The first exhibition of her
collection titled Global Events and Local Narratives: The
Contemporary Scroll Painters of Bengal was held at the Museum of
Tribal and Folk Art in October 2008 and sponsored by the artist
Arpana Caur.
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Inner Reflections: “A
Creative Journey through Art by child monks of Tsechokling
Monastery.”
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This project involved nine child monks aged from 12 to 20 of the
Tsechokling Monastery in Mc Leod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh. India.
They were voluntary participants of Interactive Art workshops
conducted over a 2-month period (September- October 2009),
on-site at the Monastery.
The Half Moon project consisted of workshops to introduce the
child monks to various Art forms and to make them comfortable
using art to discover their own creative abilities. The
workshops covered various disciplines of art, from creative
writing (prose and poetry), painting, drawing, photography and
clay modeling. The monks explored an array of themes like their
experiences of Tibetan monastic life, views on Buddhism,
spirituality, identity of self, family, belonging, their hopes,
aspirations and dreams of the future of Tibet and their role in
it.
The life of the novice monks in the monastic education system is
one of rigorous training and the contemplation and subsequent
understanding of teachings. The holistic approach of these
workshops was aimed at enriching their life experiences,
enhancing their abilities, and creating new understanding and
awareness for their personal growth as well as that of the
community.
The workshops stimulated their young perceptive minds and
appealed to their aesthetic sensibilities igniting their
imaginations to weave ideas and discover the creative talent
within them. The initial reluctance, or perhaps shyness, once
overcome, revealed that the monks were fascinated by the world
of art, which prompted them to positively portray their inner
emotions in the various mediums. They showed no inhibitions and
enthusiastically went about expressing themselves in their art
works from painting to sculpture. With respect to photography,
they were fascinated by the idea of looking through the lens and
capturing the moment for posterity. The paintings, sculpture and
photographic works where they were required to collaborate
together and work as a team offered both a pedagogical moment
and unique insights and the resultant artwork whether painting,
sculpture or photo-story brought out different ideas and
interpretations of the themes. The process of defining their
works in their own words was similar to making a mandala with
different colors yet aiming towards a common visual language. It
was a new way to build community, and they were enthusiastic.
As a witness to the joy and enthusiasm of the monks during the
activities of this program it is our hope and belief that the
Half Moon project can enrich other monasteries and communities
through the lasting effects and benefits of using art as a
creative expression for personal development, and confidence.
Art is an immensely positive contribution to monastic life in
all its expressions and aspects.
At the same time, The Half Moon project provides an intimate,
unique and insightful perspective of the lives of the child
monks within the monastic setting, their dreams and aspirations
for those of us who are outside their mysterious world. Thus, it
fosters greater awareness within the Tibetan Community and the
international community in order to provide a better
understanding of what it means to be a child and a Tibetan
Buddhist monk.
We would sincerely like to thank the Foundation for Universal
Responsibility of his Holiness the Dalai Lama for their valuable
support in making this project possible during commemorating
Tibet’s 50 years in exile.
Meet the Children
Mingmar
Dorjee,
Tenzin
Norbu,
Tsering
Dorjee,
Nima Sangay,
Sangay
Tendun, Ngawang
Tsering,
Nyima Mangar,
Thupten Tsering,
Tenzin Sangpo
Curated by
Robinson, Priyanka Singh & Tenzin Wangden
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