AQUA-Drawings by Urmila VG

AQUA
"If there is magic on this planet it is contained in water"
Water, in Sanskrit, is called Apa or Jala, and in Hindu philosophy the term refers to water as an element, one of the Panchamahabhutas, or "five great elements". An accomplished printmaker, Urmila’s new series is a collection of drawings titled “Aqua” focused entirely on the shape-shifting quality of water as a fundamental element.

This translucent element’s shape shifts between a spinning column of water and a crashing wave. While some artists showed a direct interest in water itself, such as Leonardo da Vinci who was fascinated by water throughout his illustrious career and studied it both as an artist/scientist and as a hydrological engineer, many others represented the many attributes of water conveyed literally, metaphorically, symbolically, or allegorically in mythology, religion, and folklore through their life’s works.

For Urmila VG, becoming a mother and looking at the body as a container of life inspired this series of work. During her pregnancy, seeing water as one of the major elements within the “body container”, it metaphorically represents the collection of water in the female body as gender-specific roles and duties within the domestic context. From the burden of representation in her previous works, Urmila breaks into representing water as foam. As with most liquids, water molecules are normally attracted to each other. This attraction creates tension at the surface of the water often seen as a thin 'skin’. An interaction breaks the surface tension which in turn allows air to mix with water and create bubbles. These congregate as natural foam. Urmila focuses on drawing each bubble to create a web of life and celebrate life through the element – Water.

Suresh Jayaram.

THE INTIMATE LINE-Drawings Painting mixed media works by Pradeep Kumar DM

Pradeep Kumar’s solo exhibition features a suite of drawings, paintings and mixed media work on paper, canvas, tiles, charcoal blocks, cow dung (smeared on paper) and other found objects.
Hailing from a small but culturally vibrant ‘Lambani’ community, Pradeep has developed an instinctive ability to cull out anecdotes from a personal archive and illuminating them in his work. Characterized by passion and proficiency with the moving line, he strokes his images of private tales with elements of fantasy and imagination.

Pradeep brings a raw force and melodic energy to his work– be it in the depiction of the contours of the body; heightened eroticism of infatuated individuals; or witty communion of human and animal forms. The manner in which everyday objects and material are employed to explore aspects of human behaviour and relationships makes him stand out among his peers and fellow artists.

Pradeep has a post-graduate degree from Bangalore University (MVA – painting). He has had solo shows in Bangalore and Pondicherry; besides group exhibits in Seoul, South Korea (2013); and Aarau, Switzerland (2014). In 2010, he won the Camel Art Foundation Award; and undertook a study tour of Paris and a few other European cities. 
 

    

SHORE-A public art display by Mrugen Rathod

शोर reads as a homonym, meaning both Noise and its reference to the sea (sea shore in this context). In this project Mrugen initiated collaborative endeavors that brought together the traditional artists of Odisha to create a dialogue around the impending degeneration of natural resources and the arts in the state; using both to actively create a substantial stand. Located across various towns in Odisha, the project engaged with the intricacies beyond the apparent environmental / ecological reading looking at finer concerns of the contemporaneous situation of traditional art / handicrafts, its dynamics in a consumerist / capitalist market, politics of propaganda, disparity in sustenance measures, vigil of the society, government policies and law amongst other concerns. The display will include narratives, objects and texts that came out of collaborative efforts between the various members of this project, and attempt to extend certain dialogues into the gallery space.

This project was made possible through the support of Foundation of Indian Contemporary Art’s Public Art Grant 2014.

UNSAXOPHONIC-A musical performance by Ali Fyffe and Matt Hinchliffe

About halfsound: halfsound is an Australian experimental saxophone duo formed by Ali Fyffe and Matt Hinchliffe. We like to work with a wide variety of sounds with a strong focus on innovation and challenging perceptions of music, the saxophone and, more broadly, art. We play a mixture of notated and improvised music as well as our own performance concepts. We have a particular interest in using the saxophone in unexpected ways to create sounds that are as far removed as possible from the typical sounds of our instrument. We sometimes also perform with electronics and other objects to expand our sonic palette. We also have a strong interest in collaboration, particularly in inter-disciplinary settings so we regularly work with other musicians, artists and performers who share our passion for trying new ideas. For more information about us, check out www.halfsound.com

About the performance: The performance will be a sonic exploration of deconstruction, modification and reconstruction. Throughout the performance, we will gradually deconstruct and modify the mechanisms of our saxophones as well as use parts of the saxophone in conjunction with other objects to explore sound worlds that become increasingly "unsaxophonic". The idea is to deliberately create sounds that will challenge preconceived notions of the saxophone or, at times, even music. As the performance progresses, pitch will gradually descend into a cacophony of slurps, clicks, screeches and other non-musical sounds.