DELHI Be-dar-o-deewar sa ik ghar banana chaahiye/koi hamsaaya na ho, paasban koi na ho (make me a home with no doors or walls/I would have no companion; nor the need of a sentry)-Mirza Ghalib.
New York-based Zarina Hashmi returns to Delhi after a gap of three years to show her paper-pulp sculptures titled Kaghaz Ke Ghar. "Paper Houses," she says, "is a play of words both literally and metaphorically." Having been an itinerant artist for most of her life, Hashmi has for long been anchored to the ideas of home, identity and belonging in her art. Her childhood memories of Aligarh-she stills remembers learning to write on a takhti (wooden board) with a kalam-well up like so many virgin springs in her superbly abstracted, austere and minimalist mindscape. Having studied in Japan, Hashmi practises a monochromatic, Zen-like aesthetic. Her penchant for basic geometric shapes is not so much reminiscent of European masters like Piet Mondrian or Kasimir Malevich as has been remarked by American critics, as perhaps of her own heritage of Islamic art of India and Pakistan.
Hashmi's square within square or a set of triangles forming a circle would appear to the Indian eye as abstractions of a stepwell (or a sacrificial altar) and a canvas tent rather than forms derived from dry (be-ras), Euclidean geometry. Here geometric abstractions are echoes of an emotion of melancholic memory. Occasionally, in her prints especially, she introduces a line, phrase or word in calligraphed nastalikh (Persian) script to lend that element of personal resonance.
A must-see show by one of India's truly great artists.
On at Gallery Espace, from January 12 to February 2.
-By S. Kalidas
ART FESTIVAL
Green Cover
PICTURE SPEAK
Sacred Trees by Von Schaewen
CHENNAI To highlight the intrinsic relationship between man and nature, Prakriti Foundation will present its second Tree of Life festival through a series of programmes in the city. While Deidi Von Schaewen will display her photographs of giant trees in 'Sacred Trees', an exhibition of original works of Ram Singh Urveti, Bhajju Shyam and Durga Bai will throw light on the Gond traditions in "Night Life of Trees" at Apparao Galleries. These paintings tell fascinating tales of how ancient wisdom enabled people to live in harmony with nature. A number of puppet shows from different countries will also be staged at the Museum Theatre-'Hatch', from Australia, traces the challenges faced by its protagonist, and 'The Fable of the Fox', by a Spanish group led by Penelope Bartlau, talks about life's cycle. The festival will also organise story-telling sessions, nature walks and spinning sessions to highlight Gandhian philosophy. "We want to revive our ancient wisdom to counter the rapid ecological decay of our habitat," says Ranvir Shah of Prakriti Foundation. From January 16 to 21.
-By S.S. Jeevan
MUSIC
Sounds of Spring
PICTURE SPEAK
Saskia Rao-de Haas
DELHI Celebrate the festival of spring and basant panchami not only with puja and colours but also with music on January 23. The evening will start off with a vocal recital by Devjani Dhar, a student at the Gandharva Vidyalaya. It will be followed by a cello recital by Saskia Rao-de Haas, disciple of flute maestro Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. This recital will be something to watch out for, since Saskia has modified the Western cello to conform to the rudiments of Indian classical music. Be there. At Gandharva Mahavidyalaya.
PUPPET FESTIVAL
Strings of Life
PICTURE SPEAK
The Witches and the Fakirs
DELHI Puppets strike a deal with their creators. You move them, and they move you with their stories and music. In short, they are a celebration of life. In its fifth year of celebration of life, Ishara International Puppet Theatre Festival has arranged for a week-long festival from January 13 to 20. It brings together various styles of puppetry-traditional, modern and abstract. The spotlight this time is on family, with the hope that children will not be the only audience. There will also be short art films on puppets, curated by Heather Henson, daughter of Jim Henson (who created Kermit, Miss Piggy and Gonzo). With a focus on real-time performed puppetry and emphasis on character and an imaginative mix of techniques, silhouette animation and live puppetry, these films are inspired by the likes of Moby, Nosferatu, Mother Goose and The Starlight Mints. Apart from performances by groups from Spain, Turkey and Australia, there is also an Ishara production, 'Simple Things', which uses simple objects like umbrellas and bamboo sticks to create images with a natural theme. Puppetry, marginalised by other art forms, needs encouragement. Spend quality time with your family and watch inanimate characters come alive. Entry by tickets. At Habitat World.
-By S. Sahaya Ranjit
RECOMMENDATIONS
Sublime Images
PICTURE SPEAK
Works from Subliminal (left) and Mithila Painting
MUMBAI The eighth anniversary celebrations at the Jamaat Art Gallery offer a peek into the personal collection of photographs by commercial and film photographer Ashok Salian. 'Subliminal' is a collection of 18 photographs taken over the last six years, based on five different themes. Inspired by different themes such as masks, doors and windows, the photographs are captivating and draw one into them. "It's a dark series. All these pictures have some sort of a chain running through them," says Salian. The pictures reflect his interests. A series on yoga finds place in the exhibition -Salian took to yoga a few years ago-and his collection of interesting masks has inspired three photographs. The brightest in the series is 'Exhilaration', with reds and blues and ballet movements. Salian has experimented with various photographic techniques. In some pictures, he has painted over the images and photographed them again while others have four and five different photographs within the same frame. "People wonder if they are paintings but they are photographs taken manually," explains Salian. 'Subliminal' will be on display at the Jamaat Art Gallery till February 7.
-By Aditi Pai
DELHI The Ethnic Arts Foundation is organising a retrospective and contemporary exhibition on the evolution of Mithila painting. It is curated by David Szanton, Malini Bakshi and Manisha Jha. The paintings trace the development of the indigenous aesthetic tradition. At the India Habitat Centre, from January 14-26.
MUSIC REVIEW
On a Dreamy Note
PICTURE SPEAK
SaReGaMa, CD Rs 160
ANWAR This album showcases the way in which Indian classical music and western instrumentation can be fused. The new melodies by the duo of Mithoon and Pankaj Awasthi are simply outstanding. The Sufi-like number, Maula mere, is a clear winner. Roop Kumar Rathod's high-pitched rendering is refreshing and the sound of the sarangi soulful. Another number worth a mention is Javeda zindagi, composed by Mithoon and sung by Kshitij and Shilpa Rao. Rao's voice is quite sensuous. Mithoon has attempted to give each song a unique treatment. The other tracks, composed by Awasthi, reflect his self-taught style as a composer-singer. His rough vocals have an emotional appeal and convey the loneliness of the protagonist. Jo maine aas lagayi, a sonorous number, is like a thumri which expresses disappointment in love. Awasthi has the capability to mould his voice according to the song. The flute is at the heart of Anwar's Dream-A Symphony in Blue, a dream-like instrumental sequence. Giving a jhatka touch is Bangla khula by Meghna Sriram, a poor copy of Beedi jalayile. But it is light and peppy. Worth listening to.
