Art

31

Aug

By The Press Editor

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Art, Lifestyle

Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2025 | Will curator Nikhil Chopra start a new chapter for the ‘People’s Biennale’?

For two decades now, artist Nikhil Chopra and his personae have walked the planet, eating, dressing, pondering, undressing, and sleeping like the rest of us. Unlike most of us, their habitats have ranged from basements in Ohio and town squares in Havana, parks in Budapest and the meadows of Kashmir, prestigious museums in New York and Berlin to derelict warehouses in Kochi.Yog Raj Chitrakar, Michelle, Black Pearl, Sir Raja and about a dozen more: Chopra has slipped in and out of each character that’s been drafted as carefully, mindfully and luxuriously (complete with elaborate costumes and make-up) as the paintings…

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21

Aug

By The Press Editor

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Art, Lifestyle

Why Bengaluru’s Museum of Art & Photography is leaning into tech and the tactile

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a new-age museum in our smartphone era must create perfect selfie spots. Over the past decade, founders, architects, exhibition designers, curators and artists have had to also imagine their works and spaces to double up as Instagram backdrops. At Bengaluru’s Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), however, this isn’t at their “core of building a museum-going culture”, says Abhishek Poddar, the founder of this museum. “At MAP, these interactive elements, whether analogue or digital, are always intentional choices, not add-ons.” Abhishek Poddar, founder of MAP | Photo Credit: Prarthana Shetty Accommodating this buzzing…

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14

Aug

By The Press Editor

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Art, Lifestyle

Artist Kaveri Bharath’s art show connects ceramics,colours, and memories in Chennai

Some clay pieces from the exhibition. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Artist Kaveri Bharath’s ongoing exhibition, Fifty-50, in collaboration with the Alliance Française of Madras, is an ode to her journey as an artist and a ceramicist. “Inspired by my grandfather’s sculpting, I always played in mud and clay as a kid. The last 30 years of making, teaching, and thinking through clay is represented in the ceramics on display here,” says Kaveri.Born in Chennai, Kaveri grew up in a very non-traditional family that encouraged her love for creating with her hands. “For my parents, education was very important, but…

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11

Aug

By The Press Editor

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Art, Lifestyle

Stories of life, space, and identity at Lalit Kala Academi

Mapping Memories is more than a visual showcase — it is a journey through the inner landscapes of its artists. Currently on at At Lalit Kala Akademi, in collaboration with The Hindu’s Made of Chennai, each piece traces connections to spaces that have shaped the maker’ identities and experiences. These vivid stories are told in oil, watercolour, acrylic, and sculpture.  “A lot of the artists who have shown their works do not have representation, and for us, it is important that they get their voices heard and that their creative expressions are seen. These are compelling narratives of each person…

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02

Aug

By The Press Editor

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Art, Lifestyle

Photo feature | The fisherwomen of Harnai: loud, fierce, colourful

The fisherwomen of Harnai | Photo Credit: Indrajit Khambe My first impression of the Harnai fish market is always chaos. The smell of fish, the sound of fisherwomen shouting and buffaloes lowing, and the sight of brightly coloured nauvari saris, chunky gold jewellery, and heaps of freshly-caught fish. I never know which of my senses to follow first.It’s also a chaos that I never tire of — ever since I first visited the town in Dapoli, in the south of Maharashtra, in 2012. Every visit is a discovery. But what I keep coming back to photograph are the fisherwomen, under whose strong leadership the…

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02

Aug

By The Press Editor

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Art, Lifestyle

‘Volume IV’ at Experimenter Colaba | Kallol Datta’s act of defiance

The body is first taught obedience through fabric. The swaddle before speech, the school uniform before dissent, shame before skin. Clothing is behavioural before — and because — it is cultural.In Volume IV: Truths, Half-Truths, Half-Lies, Lies, Kolkata-based artist and fashion designer Kallol Datta invites us to look at clothing as a long and loaded manual of social instruction. Drawing from Lessons for Women, a 2,000-year-old guidebook written by Chinese historian Ban Zhao for her daughters, Datta unpacks how garments have told people, especially women, how to sit, stand, move, behave, belong, and be excluded. Kallol Datta | Photo Credit: Rusha Bose…

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30

Jul

By The Press Editor

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Art, Lifestyle

Is public art in Hyderabad losing its local touch?

Public art on Shaikpet flyover in Hyderabad | Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR Busy junctions, bridges, quiet neighbourhoods and flyover walls across Hyderabad are turning into canvases for public art. From murals inspired by Nature and education to portraits of sports icons, everyday heroes and the city’s historic landmarks, there’s plenty to take in. These open-air galleries brighten up the urban landscape and bring art closer to the public. But not everyone is convinced — some feel the murals are more decorative than meaningful. It is all part of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s (GHMC) ongoing beautification drive.City-based artist and curator…

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29

Jul

By The Press Editor

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Art, Lifestyle

Meet the Anands: How chess icon Viswanathan Anand’s son has taken to art

Viswanathan Anand hardly has space to play a game of chess inside his house.Art has taken over a bulk of the space at his luxurious residence in Chennai’s Kotturpuram. If a painting of lord Hayagriva is located next to a fancy chess board that was gifted to him abroad, a sketch of a tiger is perched right near a chess board made of paper. Viswanathan Anand and Akhil interview | Video Credit: Thamodharan B., Shivaraj S. Anand does not mind at all... because the brain behind these works is his son, Sai Akhil Anand, who is gearing up for his…

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25

Jul

By The Press Editor

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Art, Lifestyle

100 elephants and their designer blankets on The Great Elephant Migration

Last Sunday, 100 elephants entered Beverly Hills’ palm-lined streets, home to many Hollywood stars. No one backed away in fear, though — because the large beasts were handcrafted from the invasive Lantana camara plant, and travelled on trucks decorated with vibrant Indian lorry art.It was the last leg of The Great Elephant Migration, a 5,000-mile installation art journey across the United States, through cities, national parks, and tribal lands, supported by over 20 conservation organisations. The life-size pachyderms were draped in ceremonial blankets created by 55 renowned designers and indigenous communities from around the world. Elephant sculptures in Beverly Hills | Photo Credit:…

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25

Jul

By The Press Editor

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Art, Lifestyle

Artist Vivi Jojo Vellukunnel’s water-inspired works will be showcased at an art party in Kumarakom

From Vivi Jojo Vellukunnel’s ‘The Mind of Water’ series | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Water has been a constant source of inspiration for artist Vivi Jojo Vellukunnel. Having grown up watching the many moods of the Kodoor river in Kottayam, Vivi’s deepest creative impulses have been shaped by water. A series of 15 abstract paintings by him, will be showcased at a one-night art party, ‘The Mind of Water’ at Kumarakom.Why a lakeside party and not a showcase at a gallery? “Honestly it is an experiment. I feel that an art party would mean greater engagement with the works and…

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