Kochi Art, Culture, Literature, Kochi-Muziris Biennale

[vjkrishn]

Saaz Aggarwal at David Hall, Fortkochi

David Hall, Kochi’s own classic art gallery, is coming up with a new venture. A book reading session and an evening with Saaz Aggarwal, author of ‘The Songbird on My Shoulder’ will happen on the 4th of February at 5:30 p.m. Saaz is a humor columnist, ghost writer, literary critic and corporate biographer.

‘The Songbird on my Shoulder’ is a collection of short spurts of thought, many of which have been printed before in mainstream Indian publications. What you get is a funny, thought-provoking, and sometimes poignant world-view of a Madam who lives in Pune, India – the Oxford of the East, the Home of the Shrewsbury Biscuit, and the road-accident fatality-and-brain-damage capital of the world.

This unorthodox mid-life memoir has a particularly revealing section towards the end in the simulated voices of characters such as Bridget Jones, Bill Bryson, Dave Barry, and one Batty Watsa whom you might recognize from somewhere.

Saaz Aggarwal is a humor columnist, ghost writer, literary critic, and corporate biographer. She is also known for her Bombay Clichés, quirky paintings of contemporary urban India using a traditional Indian folk style. Some of these will been display at the reading.

Make sure you are a part of this interactive session with Saaz Aggarwal.

[Malayaali]

Visual Arts seminar at St.Teresas from today

A three-day national seminar on new approaches to visual arts will commence at St Teresa’s College from Wednesday.
Organised by the Malayalam department in association with Kerala Folklore Academy, the seminar will be inaugurated by veteran Mohiniyattam exponent Kalamandalam Kshemavathy at 9 am. Principal Sr Helan A P will preside over the function. C G Rajendra Babu will give the keynote address on the relevance of new approaches in visual arts. Experts in the the disciplines will present papers on dance, drama and cinema and further augment them through performances and discussions. Kalamandalam Kshemavathy is set to make it a vibrant start on Wednesday, with a dance choreographed to the the lines of activist-poetess Sugathakumari’s mellifluous creation, ‘Krishna Ni Enne Ariyille’.
The seminar is being viewed as not only a platform for enjoying art forms, but also as an opening to new vistas for research scholars.
The registration fee is `300, while for scholars, the it has been pegged at `150. For details, call K V Saleena at 9447845326 or Sisha S at 9633784243.

[mohammedirshad06]

The Muziris Tourism festival began on the 1st February at Paravoor, Ernakulam. This is the first celebration conducted prior to the inauguration of the Muziris heritage tourism project in April. V D Satheeshan, MLA detailed the variety of programs scheduled for the five day festival. Municipality Chairperson Vatsala Prasannakumar also attended the function.

A 1800sft venue, resembling a ship has been constructed for the festival. On the opening day, Minister A P Anilkumar inaugurated the cultural prossession organised as part of the festival. The prossession ended at the Paravoor Government High School.

Cultural programs will be conducted from 5.30 p.m. at the main venue every day. Mattannoor Shankaran Kutty, Rimi Tomy, Vivekanandan and Pradeep Babu are among the artists who will be performing.

A seminar on the subject ‘Muziris and the Historical Heritage’ will be conducted on the 4th February, which is to be inaugurated by eminent historian M G S Narayanan. A pet show, flower show and food festival are also being organised as part of the festival. Celebrities including Mammootty, K J Yesudas, Kavya Madhavan along with ministers of the central and state governments and other culturally eminent personalities will participate in the shows. The town is all set to enthusiastically participate in the festival, with merchants decorating their shops with illuminations to welcome visitors.

Muziris is listed as one of the best 45 places to be visited by The New York Times. The Muziris project is one of the most ambitious archeological projects ever to be taken up in the state. Professionals from all around the world are working to recreate the ‘Muziris City’, a seaport which is believed to have existed before 14 AD. Archeologists after long years of excavation have identified the city which was destroyed in a tsunami or flood centuries ago.

http://www.yentha.com/news/view/1/mu...stival-begins-

[vjkrishn]

Emotions drenched in colours

To see colours that you don't usually get to see at art exhibitions, go to Nanappa Gallery, Orthic Creative Centre, on Karakkamuri Crossroad. Vijayan Kannampilly, who is at home in two worlds, the word and paint, is showing 28 of his works there till February 6

[mohammedirshad06]

London's largest Art Network Magazine Art Lyst listed Kochi Muziris into their showcase events

India’s First International Contemporary Art Festival



Kochi‐Muziris Biennale 2012 to celebrate India's rich cultural heritage and to showcase the best in international contemporary art

This year, India is set to host its first ever festival of international contemporary visual arts, the Kochi‐Muziris Biennale – a not‐for-profit enterprise that will take place in Kerala within the city of Kochi and Muziris. Co‐founded by two of India’s leading artists, Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu, the Biennale hopes to celebrate India's rich cultural heritage as well as to showcase the best in international contemporary art, presenting artworks throughout Kochi and Muziris in existing exhibition sites, public spaces, heritage buildings and other non‐traditional venues.

Kochi‐Muziris Biennale will be the largest contemporary public art event in the country, and is a first for India in terms of scale and ambition. To be held every other year, the project will showcase artwork created by some of the world’s best-known artists, both established and emerging. The exhibition will present a variety of mediums from film, installation, painting, sculpture, new media and performance art.

Alongside the exhibitions the Kochi Biennale Foundation will organise an extensive public programme of seminars, workshops and a comprehensive and far‐reaching educational programme. Its four aims in this respect are: to develop cultural and social awareness through education; to develop visual arts practices and theory in Kochi and India; to develop cultural tourism by attracting national and international visitors to the festival engaging with the local communities; and to become a catalyst for regeneration and urban development .

The official Declaration launch of the Biennale was held at Durbar Hall Ground, Kochi, on Thursday 17 February 2011, 6pm. The event was officially declared by the then Minister of Education and Culture Mr. M. A. Baby in the presence of ministers, senior government officials, senior artists, scholars, critics and the public. The launch was followed by a performance by the band Avial, and Panchari Melam by Padmashri Peruvanam Kuttan Marar, supported by 180 artists, in a live audio‐visual percussion concert.

http://www.artlyst.com/articles/indi...y-art-festival

[vjkrishn]

Glass Painting Show " Nirachillu "



Sijuvijayan Ayushmishra presents a Glass Painting Show Nirachillu, will be held on 1-6 February 2012 at Durbar Hall Ground, Cochin.

[vjkrishn]

High on design



Sanskrithi School of Interior Design turns 12. To mark the occasion it is holding a painting exhibition put up by its students.

It is easy to miss Sanskrithi, School of Interior Design, in Ravipuram, so cruise slowly and you will find the banner announcing ‘Sadhana'. The exhibition of paintings by students, past and present, are on show at Sanskrithi. It is on till February 10.

The paintings of various dimensions and sensibilities adorn the walls of the gallery. A brightly lit room done in a warm shade of ochre welcomes the visitor. The artists are amateurs but that doesn't show. The artists, all students of interior design, have expressed their creativity in different ways and have used different forms. The paintings are not limited to the canvas, there is pottery, fabric and some on the spot caricaturing too. The media used are diverse – water colours, oil, mixed media, Fuji colour etc.

Jayaprakash Narayan G. (JP) director of Sanskrithi elaborates, “The School completes 12 years this year and we thought it would be a good idea to celebrate the years gone by. And it just happened that we got 12 students to contribute.” Turning 12 is just one aspect of the show; it also has a larger purpose – creating awareness about global warming. In keeping with the theme, most of the paintings draw inspiration from the colours and forms of nature.

Besides JP's works, the other budding artists whose works are on show include Devika Ashok, Malini Ashok, Harshina Rasheed, Jaya Bhatia, Pratheeksha Prasad, Rabeka Rechana Paul, Rose Mary Hormise, Arun V.K., Arshad K., C. D. Dileep and A. Hariharan.

Dileep teaches mural paintings at Sanskrithi, while Devika and Malini are students of mural paintings. Dileep and Hariharan's murals are on show. While some of the murals stick to the traditional style, there is a modern interpretation of ‘Ardhanareeshwara'. Rebecca, an architecture student, is the youngest artist. Jaya Bhatia's mixed media paintings and pottery are on show. Jaya, who finished her interior design course last year, is a self-taught artist. She uses mixed media for her paintings and her pottery is quirky. For instance there is a long necked terracotta pot worked in such a way that it appears to sport a corset.

Arun's, a freelance interior designer, water colour paintings are a delight to look at, the fluidity of his brush and his keen eye for detail add to the pleasure. Arshad's miniature is relevant to the times and therefore talks about Mullaperiyar.

Prateeksha and Harshina are students of architecture, Rose Mary works for an interior design firm. Going by the quality of works and artistry it is difficult to tell that most of them are novices as far an art show goes. JP's works and a crayon drawing by his son, Keshav, are also on show. JP's works are minimalist (in terms of colours) paintings that show snapshots of sights in Kochi and Mattancherry.

As part of the show, films on ‘Environment Protection' (by Aranyam, Bangalore) will be screened at 11 a.m. ‘Wild Dog Diaries' and ‘Concert for India's Environment' are scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

[vjkrishn]

Anoli Perera ' Comfort Zones '




Anoli Perera Comfort Zones is an exhibition of paintings and sculptures to be held at Kashi Art Gallery from 12 February to 10 March 2012.

Comfort Zones will showcase exhibits portrayed by artist Anoli Perera. Anoli Perera was born in Colombo and is a self taught artist, she is currently based in Colombo and works as a full time professional artist. She has been part of the wave of artists in the 1990s who have professed a new ideological position in the art production in relation to the contemporary art knowledge and social context in Sri Lanka. She has been trained as a stone carver in the USA and has had number of art exhibitions in Sri Lanka as well as internationally. Her art practice of over 15 years includes painting, sculpture, installations and photo-performances.

[vjkrishn]

An artistic trilogy

Three artists are showcasing their works at David Hall, Fort Kochi, in a show simplistically called ‘Three Spaces'. Generally a group show has a curatorial common thread but here each space is markedly individualist in conceptualisation and execution and hence the effect is of a solo show of each artist.( Sunil Laal T.R,Sudipta Das from Assam,Nagapoornima from Hyderabad are the artists)

The show is on till February 12.

[vjkrishn]

Societal angst

Subtle shades have no place in Raji Pisharasiar's palette. She prefers strikingly bold colours. Fitting, one would think, going by the gravity of issues she deals with. ‘Mayavarnangal', an exhibition of paintings by Raji at the Durbar Hall Art Gallery, is a powerful take on a woman's life in today's society. Freedom, exploitation, education, materialism, pollution, all form part of her canvas.

The show is on till February 10.

[vjkrishn]

‘The Wanted Land’ at David Hall, Fortkochi

David Hall in collaboration with the Dutch Embassy presents “The Wanted Land” a video installation by artist Renee Ridgeway. This is something art-lovers wouldn’t want to miss. David Hall has been hosting the best events, and this one would also be a class apart.

The event comprises of video installations that refer to the Hortus Malabaricus, its compiler Hendrik van Drakenstein and its contemporary usage. It also deals with the history and present day traces of Dutch colonization in Fort Cochin. Fort Kochi has been a bowl of cultures. Having hosted people from far-off lands, this place in the city of Ernakulam is the homeland to many people. From Jews to Anglo-Indians and more, we see an array of cultures here.

The event will be held on February 15th to the 22nd, 2012, at David Hall, Fort Cochin.

February 18th, 2012 : from 5p.m. to 8 p.m. Opening of the exhibition, public discussion and launch of the online community platform.

Mrs. Mariella van Miltenburg, Head of the Department of Political Affairs and Public Diplomacy of the Netherlands Embassy in New Delhi, will officially open the exhibition. Make sure that you take part be part of this event.

[vjkrishn]

Different strokes


Nine artists pay tribute to their teacher in a show, ‘Unity in Diversity'

Variety is certainly the highlight of the painting exhibition on at the Kerala Art Gallery. Nine artists, with their every different works, are paying a tribute to their teacher, Vijayan P. Sthanath. “We work in different media and the ideas and themes are never the same. But we decided to get together to honour our guru,” says R. Jayanth Kumar, one of the artists. The show has been aptly titled ‘Unity in Diversity'.

Eroor Biju's work, showing a bullock cart in slim ochre lines set against a dull grey background, is a take on the pace of life in the city. Sheffy Tattarath prefers cloth to canvas. Acrylic gives the cloth a velvety finish and the paint seems to dissolve into it, lending a special emotional quality to the painting. So, a scene from Christ's Last Supper appears poignant, and an image of an old man working on the field instantly connects with the viewer.

Among the 25 paintings, a majority are landscapes, in pleasing colours that soothe the tired eye. But Jayanth's works could make one stop and think. Two of his works explore religion. The 24 Arabic alphabet is an aesthetic impulse for him. The peculiar curve and the dot above bear a stark resemblance to the Islamic symbol of the crescent. “The painting is my way of connecting the two,” he says.

Sijimon S. is known as the ‘videshi' in the group as his strokes are “a clear deviation from the usual style of Malayali artists”. Sijimon's fluid style captures landscapes in a unique way. Haris Babu and Shibu Abdhil's works, too, say a thing or two about the artists' vision of the world. People, animals, cities, and fields transform and morph into lines, blurs and smudges. The exhibition is on till February 29.

[vjkrishn]

The Garden of Malabar blooms again


Renee Ridgway with her Installation at David Hall, Fort Kochi

Visual artist Renee Ridgway's show, ‘The Wanted Land', at David Hall yokes themes of Dutch colonisation, and traditional knowledge of Ayurveda

After three years of extensive research that engaged visual artist Renee Ridgway to ferret through several archives and meet related people across countries, the Dutch American artist is ready with her collated material in a show called, ‘The Wanted Land', which is on at David Hall, Fort Kochi. The show, which comprises three video installations along with archival objects and indigenous plants contained in the Hortus Malabaricus, will address subjects like Dutch colonisation, migration, trade, traditional knowledge of Ayurveda and bio patents.

Showcasing heritage

One of the highlights of the show will be the showcasing of the Latin version of the Hortus Malabaricus (meaning Garden of Malabar), which is a broad tome that deals with the medicinal properties of the flora of Kerala. Originally written in Latin, it was compiled over a period of 30 years and published from Amsterdam during 1678-1693. The book was conceived by the then Governor of Malabar, Hendrik van Rheede aka Commodore Odatha.

‘The Wanted Land', says Renee, “Is my personal interpretation and usage of the word. I am not a botanist but an artist, a cultural activist. I am using it as a historical reference.”

Renee has followed closely the Dutch colonial history in America, South Africa, Indonesia and has now zoomed in on the Dutch presence in India. Last year she held the show at Museum Beelden aan Zee in The Hague, titling it, ‘The Unwanted Land'.

Renee adumbrates David Hall, the venue, to be a perfect setting for the subject, of Van Rheede having compiled the historic work at this spot. She is doing a re-run of that imagined time when doctors, translators and botanists worked in tandem to bring out the book. On February 18, Saturday, David Hall will turn into a similar space where open discussion will encourage anybody interested in the Hortus Malabaricus, “to take part in the discussion and even bring plants”.

K.J. Sohan, former mayor and a contributor to the research, has arranged for a hundred plants to be brought to the venue, says Renee. The session will be opened by Ms. Mariella van Miltenburg, Head of the Department of Political Affairs and Public Diplomacy of the Netherlands Embassy in New Delhi. It h will also mark the launch of the website, hortusmalabaricus.net.

“The website will be there to collate everybody's knowledge regarding the subject.”

As an artist, Renee has put together a multi-channel installation consisting of local images and views of people from the Netherlands. “It is a kind of vox populi and scholarly knowledge on the subject”, she elucidates, adding that questions such as why Van Rheede commissioned the Hortus Malabaricus will be addressed.

The main hall of the venue will focus on Dutch colonial history in Cochin, as told by the local people from the area. The video will feature Kochiites of Dutch lineage and perspectives of research scholars like Anjana Singh.

Personal touch

In one of the other halls of the venue, two videos will reveal Renee's personal usage of Hortus Malabaricus as told “by my Ayurvedic doctor, Thomas Punnen.”

He cured Renee from her bad attacks of migraine through Ayurveda. While traditional knowledge is one dimension of the research the others are varied perspectives on migration, emigration, integration and finally disintegration.

“I am an American emigrant. My doctor, who migrated to Amsterdam, has come back to India. We have the same emigration lawyers,” discloses Renee and in these shifting lives, touching Dutch history, she has built up the story of ‘The Wanted Land'.

The video production has been done by filmmaker Rick Van Amersfoot and the show is sponsored by the Dutch Embassy and cghearth group. The show is on till Feb 22.

[vjkrishn]

FOR KATHAKALI’S SAKE Parikshit Thampuran, Maharaja of Cochin, inaugurating the Ernakulam Kathakali Club

Ernakulam Kathakali Club Target: To encourage and propagate Kathakali and to promote the artists of this exclusive art form

ORIGIN: Ernakulam Kathakali Club, one of the oldest cultural organisations in Kochi, has been on the go ever since it came into being way back in the year 1959. It was inaugurated by Parikshit Thampuran, the then Maharaja of Cochin. It was the undying passion and devotion of a like-minded few for Kathakali that culminated in the formation of Ernakulam Kathakali Club. As of now, the club has around 300 members but they still find it difficult to make ends meet. Having successfully entered into sixth decade of its activities, the highpoint of this organisation is its consistency, still conducting its monthly programmes without fail. “The uninterrupted manner in which we have kept the show going could well be termed as our greatest accomplishment. During the last 52 years it was only on one occasion that the club had to suspend its regular monthly show. That was on the day of the Perumon train tragedy,” says K.Sukumaran, secretary of the club and an avid Kathakali fan.

ACTIVITIES:Apart from the regular monthly programmes the club organises special programmes. The annual celebrations are conducted in a fitting manner with maestros donning important roles in choice plays. “Till recently night-long Kathakali performances for two days were an integral part of the annual celebrations. During the eighties, which can be considered as the golden era of the club, Kathakali performances by maestros used to be held to packed houses,” remembers Ravindran A. N., cultural activist and member of the club for over four decades. The club also has been honouring talented artistes by awarding them with the ‘Kalahamsam' and ‘Tauratrika' awards.

IMPACT:Kathakali is not an art form which is easily understood and appreciated. It is here that the club becomes relevant. It has been in the forefront of propagating and preserving this art form. The week-long appreciation classes that the club used to conduct have been responsible in initiating many new Kathakali aficionados. It also helped many understand the art and enhanced their enjoyment of the Attakathas.

[Malayaali]

Parinday to spread its wings in Kochi

Anupriya Deotale is excited to perform in Kochi for the first time on February 18. The violinist from Delhi and her troupe of fusion music artistes will perform at Jose Thomas performing arts centre (JTPac) in Tripunithura. The band, Parinday, promises a gala evening with 'Western-Hindustani' musical fusion.

"I had played in Thiruvananthapuram once and then I heard great things about Kochi people's appreciation for music," said Anupriya. She is the first Indian to receive the noted Ustad Salamat Ali and Nazakat Ali Khan award at Lahore, Pakistan in 2004.

Parinday's ideology is that fusion is the one of the best ways to promote classical music in our society. "The growth in the number of fusion bands shows how people appreciate this branch of music. But usually one school of music is compromised, but we are proud of the fact that we strike a perfect balance," said Anupriya.

The troupe plans to perform a couple of their new compositions for Kochiites on Saturday. Parinday or 'Birds' is a metaphor of 'the soul soaring to indescribable heights.' The group's compositions and themes are based on ragas, moving freely through classical and western influences.Parinday has performed in many parts of India and even in countries like Spain, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany

[Malayaali]

Aluva Sivarathri - the biggest cultural trade fair in Kerala



Source: Mathrubhumi

[Malayaali]

Temporary pedestrian bridge built to Aluva Manappuram



Source: Mathrubhumi

[Malayaali]

'Hortus Malabaricus' themed do in Kochi

We all tend to share a keen interest in checking out different cultures. So when Renee Ridgway, a Dutch-American visual artist from Lebanon, put out video installations - The Wanted Land - on display, an eclectic mix of the city's known faces dropped by to check it out.

The central theme - Hortus Malabaricus - showcased Dutch colonisation, migration, trade, bio patents and Ayurveda. At the do, we saw former mayor K J Sohan, head of political affairs and public diplomacy (Netherlands Embassy in New Delhi) Mariella van Miltenburg, architect Monolitha Chatterjee and entrepreneur Jose Dominic.

[vjkrishn]

Fly Daily To Dreams

Fly daily to dreams - PS Degree Show 2012 will be held at Durbar Hall Ground, Ernakulam from 20-29 February 2012.

Exhibition of paintings by final year MFA Students, Government RLV College, Tripunithura, Ernakulam, Kerala, India will be there for exhibition.

[Malayaali]

‘Confluence’ at David Hall Art Gallery

David Hall Art Gallery, Fort Kochi is all set with their next exhibition- Confluence, a group show of paintings par excellence. The opening of the exhibition will be on the 26th of February 2012 at 5 p.m. They have been coming up with some remarkable art exhibitions over the past few months, and this one will be no different.

The art works of the following artists will be on display- Bhaskaran Bhara, Anto George, Leon K L, Gipin Varghese, Bhagyanath C, Upendranath T R, Sebastian Varghese, Reghunadhan K, Sanam Narayanan and Suvitha K V.

For more details, you can mail them at padmini@davidhall.in, or call them at 0484- 2218298.