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 | Untitled Document | CURRENT ISSUE JANUARY 01, 2007 | | | | YOUR WEEK: ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT |  | | PHOTOGRAPHY | | Binary Frames | | | | DELHI: Photographer Dayanita Singh is showing her work after a long gap in India. Enigmatically titled Go Away Closer, the show is on view at Delhi's Nature Morte gallery till January 20. Dayanita is not only one of our most celebrated photographers internationally, but is also one who has carved her distinctive path quite irrespective of what is "trendy". Though invariably, her works have set off fashions- be it the interest in eunuchs, the family or in Goa. The present showing offers selections from her varied opus including her more recent work with chairs and industrial sites. According to the Pakistani writer Intezar Hussain, the crisis of communication in literature arose when, "we lost the art of talking with animals and plants". When writers here started disregarding the lessons of Panchatantra and the Arabian tales in favour of James Joyce. In art, too, the late painter J. Swaminathan was wont to say: "The problem of modernism is that it tends to be too homo-centric. It places Man squarely in the centre of the universe." In the post-modern era, if anything, art has become all the more irrevocably entangled with the triumphs and tragedies of mankind. Dayanita's new work both negates and subverts this axiom of human centrality in art and life. From intensely human and personalised images, she shifts focus -without losing the slightest empathy-to inanimate objects like chairs, empty theatres and deserted landscapes to create intensely moving images. Here Man, like God in Faiz's famous line: "hazir bhi hai, ghayab bhi". That he is in attendance and absconding at the same time. Don't miss. -By S. Kalidas |
| | MUSIC | | The Raga of Gen Next | | |  | | PICTURE SPEAK | |  | | The father-son duo Abhijit (left) and Ajay Pohankar | | MUMBAI: A day-long music show titled Jalsa-Kutcheri is dedicated to the maestros of tomorrow who are expected to carry forward the legacy of classical music. Organised by Banyan Tree, the concert will be held between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. on December 25. The event will provide the connoisseurs of music an opportunity to listen to ragas dedicated to different times of the day. The festival will have maestros like Alam Khan (Sarod), Purbayan Chatterjee (Sitar), Veena Jayanthi (Veena), Rakesh Chaurasia, Rupak Kulkarni (Flute), Sanjeev Abhyankar, Ajay Pohankar, Satyasheel Deshpande (Hindustani Vocal), Abhijit Pohankar (Keyboards), Ronu Majumdar (Flute), Narsimhalu Wadavati (Clarionet), Kala Ramnath (Violin), Sombala Satle (Dhrupad), Pushparaj Koshti (Surbahar) and Anubrato Chatterjee (Tabla) gracing the occasion. The artistes will be accompanied by Pandit Anindo Chatterjee (Tabla), Fazal Qureshi (Tabla), Vijay Ghate (Tabla), Satyajeet Talwalkar (Tabla) and Aditya Kalyanpur (Tabla). To be held at Nehru Center, Worli. -By S. Sahaya Ranjit |
| | PAINTING | | Mystic Fantasy | | | | DELHI: "Alchemy of Chance: Works on Paper" is an exhibition of works by one of India's most understated painters, Jai Zarotia. Conceptualised by Roobina Karode Shukla Sawant, this show spans the artist's oeuvre over a quarter century. Located in the realm of mystery and dreams, Zarotia's work is anything but surrealistic. Rather, his works are like half-remembered tales from myth and memory rendered on to the two dimensional surface with utmost facility. On view at the Delhi Art Gallery from December 22 to January 13. -By S. Kalidas |
| | FILM REVIEW | | Tour Worthwhile | | | PICTURE SPEAK | |  | | Abraham (left) and Warsi (right) in Kabul Express | | KABUL EXPRESS
Starring: Arshad Warsi, John Abraham, Hanif Hum Ghum, Salman Shahid Yash Raj Films, the production house which made foreign locations de rigueur in Bollywood, now takes us on a road trip through the ultimate exotic destination: Afghanistan. The staggeringly beautiful and bloodied country is the real star of Kabul Express. Hauntingly photographed by cinematographer Anshuman Mahaley, Afghanistan is a testimony to both: the majesty of nature and the tragic cruelty of man. This is a land of one-legged children, buildings hollowed out by bombs and bullets, unspeakably violent men and women who hover like ghosts in shrouds. Debutant director Kabir Khan, who has shot several documentaries in the region, has great affection for the land and its people. Kabul Express, a tale of two journalists in search of a great war story, is occasionally slow and sometimes clumsy-characters just stop and sermonise on the proceedings. Its politics isn't particularly sophisticated. Khan wants to present everyone's point of view which is why a Taliban man turns out to be a Pakistani soldier who wants to see his daughter. But the film has conviction and heart. The writing and performances give heft to Khan's story and this is a road trip worth taking. -By Anupama Chopra |
| | ART EXHIBITION | | Cityscapes | | | PICTURE SPEAK | |  | | A work by Ravikumar Kashi | | BANGALORE: An onslaught of images super-imposed with text; banners, televisions, computers, newspapers, photographs and hoardings. These are only some of the visuals that come through in the works of what the artist prefers to call a "construction of a secondary reality". Ravikumar Kashi is among the acknowledged voices of contemporary art. In his latest solo show "City Without End", there are images that have become part of our everyday lives, although the gloss that is apparent in real life seems to be sutured with a blazing wound beneath in his images. The show comprises canvases using oil and acrylic colours, as well as handmade paper-works cast in pulp. Multiplexity of images, the artist admits, are his primary concern. "Hundreds of television screens", and instead of alienating each other, Kashi finds a connect in each, leading to the creation of a larger whole. On at Gallery Sumukha till December 30 and in Chennai till January 2007. -By Nirmala Ravindran DELHI: Shail Singh and Abha Kapoor have put together a potpourri of works by six artists-Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Suhas Roy, Annu Naik, Dharana, Balu Sadalge and Michael Silas- at the Galerie Romain Rolland, Alliance Francaise de Delhi, on December 29 and 30. Dr Karan Singh will be inaugurating the show. |
| | MUSIC | | Soulful Innings | | INTERFACE
A tale of two young musicians. One plays drums and tabla and the other, santoor. Bikram Ghosh and Rahul Sharma get together to explore the different dimensions of rhythm and melody. Rings of Saturn is certainly one of the best compositions in this album, while Another Life is equally impressive in which Ghosh explores life and its meanings. "I have tried to capture the pain and pining that one goes through for a better tomorrow," says Ghosh. If Ghosh is trying to depict life, Sharma is at his best, interpreting death in Dance of Death. Ghosh gives a tarana-like treatment to his compositions in this album and calls them "Raga Trance". USTAD & DIVAS
Some years back, Sarangi maestro Ustad Sultan Khan and singer Chitra had released Piya Basanti, which was like a breath of fresh air. Today, the Ustad is back with three divas-Shreya Ghoshal, Chitra and Sunidhi Chauhan-to create a sensational impact yet again. The music has been composed by Sandesh Shandilya and the songs have been arranged by Salim Suleman. While More Piya sung by the Ustad and Chauhan has a classical touch, Rageelo Rut is based on Rajasthani folk. Sultan Khan says he wants to reach out to the youth through quite a few numbers in this album. -By S. Sahaya Ranjit | | |
Index | | Untitled Document 
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