Showing posts with label Ushmita Sahu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ushmita Sahu. Show all posts

2 Apr 2018

Art Mumbai: Written on Water curated by Sanjeev Sonpimpare

Written on Water is a human experience, celebrating warmth of acceptance and belonging, writes Shubhalakshmi Shukla

Curated by the Mumbai based artist Sanjeev Sonpimpare, Written on Water at Gallery Beyond, Mumbai, brings together a miscellaneous collection of artworks by artists from Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kalabhavan Santiniketan, Baroda and Mumbai, with Alok Bal, Balaji Ponna, Binoy Varghese, Madhuri Kathe, Moutushi Chakraborty, Nilesh Shaharkar, Nitasha Jaini, Prasanta Sahu, Pratul Dash, Ritu Kamath, Ruchika W Singh, Sanjeev Sonpimpare, Sarika Mehta and Ushmita Sahu. 
Sanjeev Sonpimpare002, Industrial oil on canvas, 11.5'' x 23.5'', Written on Water, Art Scene India
Sanjeev Sonpimpare, Industrial oil on canvas, 11.5'' x 23.5''
The artworks explore artists’ individualistic search and concerns. Within these, the show interweaves with the current state of human consciousness, and issues related to gender, caste, class and race disturbance, violence and unrest.

“We all long for certain positivity to be there in our lives, and we constantly work on it just to set things in a pleasant state. It is in a constant flux, outside and inside. Let’s not deny that we all are living in times that are dark in hue. This instability and impermanence that we negotiate in everyday life become a way to remind ourselves that this may be the only instance let for us to greet each other, and move further with our lives," explains Sonpimpare in his curatorial note. 
Nitasha Haini001, Acrylic on canvas, 38'' x 48'', Written on Water, Art Scene India
Nitasha Jaini, Acrylic on canvas, 38'' x 48''
Some artists have chosen to view the inward turmoil, bringing to the surface the discreet narratives of the marginal, for instance, the Santiniketan based Prasanta Sahu. Others have chosen to detach the 'female body' from all the attributes of patriarchy, keeping the context of urban kitsch and beauty alive as in 'Aurat' by Kolakata based Moutushi Chkaraborty. While, Sanjeev Sonpimpare brings about an existential search for language, an unlayering of melancholy in the current times.
Madhuri Kathe002, Mixed Media on canvas, 60'' x 36'' Written on Water, Art Scene India
Madhuri Kathe, Mixed Media, 60'' x 36''

Dr. Madhuri Kathe’s concerns with the human body are subtly expressed, creating her visual idiom through layers of translucent fabric and colors to speak of human interiority undergoing social transformations and acquiring an unbelievable transparency. Nitasha Jaini creates a context for a new emerging identity of the city male in India, dissolving feudal and fundamentalist values of patriarchy. Ritu Kamath celebrates the new woman in the city, free of bondage and sufferings of the male dominated world. 


Ushmita Sahu, a participating artist found this to be an exceptional experience, “I feel when a fellow artist and friend curates a project, it gives participating artists a sense of freedom as well as ownership which was also evident in the regular sharing of thoughts and ideas by all artists in a dedicated WhatsApp group for several months leading up to the show. This camaraderie and commitment has translated into amazing works being created for the show."
Pratul Dash 001 to 003, Water colour on paper, 8'' x 5.5'', Written on Water, Art Scene India
Pratul Dash, Water colour on paper, 8'' x 5.5'',
Prasanta Sahu, Reverse painting with Acrylic colour on Acrylic sheet, 24'' x 24'', Written on Water, Art Scene India
Prasanta Sahu, Reverse acrylic painting on acrylic sheet, 24'' x 24''

“I have a feeling of accomplishment in bringing good works together, and see the show as a unified one, in terms of display and totality. Conceptually too, all artists have worked in sync to the concept note, but more importantly they were chosen accordingly,” expands Sonpimpare.

Written on Water is a human experience. It is symptomatic of high capitalism as well celebrates newness. Like urban affairs are often celebratory and momentary, the exhibition too celebrates with splashing warmth of acceptance and belongingness. What remains dark is the unsaid, the unspoken, the submerged and lost. The loss and erasure of personal history can be liberating and yet simultaneously scary, like a schizophrenic cacophony. How is human memory going to keep record of ‘celebration as celebration’ is the question!

The show continues till April 7th 2018.

About the Writer: Shubhalakshmi Shukla is an independent writer and curator based in Mumbai. Her first book on contemporary art practices Imagined Locales, is launched by The Studio X Mumbai.

 
All images are courtesy the writer

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21 Mar 2018

Art News: Building Bridges at Gallery Sumukha

‘Building Bridges’ at Gallery Sumukha is an international project conceived by Ushmita Sahu in collaboration with Emergent Art Space (San Francisco). The project was conceived to unfold over a period of one year from March 2017 to March 2018 in various stages with an open call for submissions from individual freelance artists of up to 30 years in age, working in video, photography, performance and sound art genres from across the world. 

Vishal Kumaraswamy Video Still 2, Building Bridges at Gallery Sumukha

The unique angle to the project is that it was conceived, curated and executed via the virtual platform. None of the artists, the curator or the sponsors had ever met physically. All communication has been conducted over the internet. After artist’s selection, in the month of October 2017, EAS & the curator conducted a closed community blog as an intrinsic part of the project, which was hosted by Emergent Art on their website.

The aim of the blog was to foster exchange and to facilitate a deeper understanding and knowledge of the other, to create a dialogical process aimed at encouraging and exchanging thoughts, ideas, images and texts about their works and their experiences, getting to know each other, exploring the others’ worlds, the ones similar as well as those more distant, for background, experience, country and culture. The underlying intent was to look beyond stereotypes and build lasting bridges between differences and distant points. The blog saw regular posts and interaction by the artists on various concerns and topics ranging from gender and body issues, to post colonial identity, transmigration and many more.
Dengke Chen 1, Building Bridges at Gallery Sumukha
After the month long blogging process each artist created new works for a tri-city show in India (Kolkata in January, Delhi in February & Bangalore in March 2018). All the works created are of digital format – whether photography, video, book art, augmented reality & animation or sound works, each has been created keeping in mind that the sharing process is also virtual in nature. The curator has been in constant touch over the internet, guiding and mentoring the artists. All the finalized works were sent to her, whereupon she downloaded them and got them ready in their physical avatar for the live shows.

According to Sahu, “Taking inspiration from Newton’s adage - We build too many walls and not enough bridges, Project BUILDING BRIDGES has aimed to encourage 13 young artists from across the globe to come together and foster a voice of reason and dialogue that will help create a platform for empathy, and understanding through art, creativity and exchange.”


Project BUILDING BRIDGES continues at Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore till 28th March 2018.

*press release

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