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Talk: Japan’s post-war avant-garde

Jnanapravah to host ‘Gutai’s World’ a talk by Dr Alexandra Munroe at Fort this evening. Artists and historians, take note.

As part of its ‘Criticism and Theory’ module, Jnanapravaha is hosting a talk titled ‘Gutai’s World: Japan’s postwar avant-garde and the fate of internationalism’ by Dr Alexandra Munroe

In spring 2013, the Guggenheim Museum presented the first US museum retrospective exhibition ever devoted to Gutai, the most influential artists’ collective and artistic movement in postwar Japan and among the most important international avant-garde movements active anywhere in the world during the 1950s and ‘60s.

Founded by the visionary artist Yoshihara Jiro in 1954, the Gutai group spanned two generations, totalling 59 Japanese artists over its 18-year history. The name ‘Gutai’ literally means ‘concreteness and captures the direct engagement with materials its members championed under Yoshihara’s call to “Do what no one has done before!” and to elicit “the scream of matter itself.”

From its earliest festival-like events, Gutai artists sought to break down the barriers between art, the ordinary public, and everyday life, and continuously took on new artistic challenges using the body in direct action with materials, time and space, nature and technology.

Dr Munroe will discuss Gutai’s extraordinary range of bold and innovative creativity; examine its aesthetic strategies in the cultural, social and political context of postwar Japan, including its relationship with the traditional arts; and will argue for the need to establish Gutai in an expanded, transnational history and critical discourse of modern art.

The talk is at 6.30 pm today, January 23. Head to Jnanapravah, Queen’s Mansion, 3rd floor, G Talwatkar Marg, Fort. Entry is free.

(Compiled by Medha Kulkarni. Picture courtesy Jnanapravah Mumbai)

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RK Laxman, in an exhibition

Over 200 of the legendary cartoonist’s works are being displayed at Worli’s Nehru Centre Art Gallery till January 5, 2014.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Journalists and students of the profession will often remark on the role and importance of the political cartoonist in the newspaper’s overall scheme of things – and lament at the absence of the cartoonist in contemporary media.

Hence, it is heartening to visit an exhibition of works by India’s best-loved political cartoonist, RK Laxman. The exhibition, the 21st in the ‘Indian Master’s Retrospective’, was inaugurated by Maharashtra State Governor K Sankaranarayanan at the Worli-based Nehru Centre Art Gallery, and the works have been curated by the Gallery’s Assistant Director, Nina Rege. The showing includes over 200 cartoons, old and new, made by Laxman.

RK Laxman exhibitionSpeaking at the inauguration, the Governor said, “Few cartoonists have held forth such a long sway over readers as RK Laxman has done with his remarkable work, day after day and year after year for 60 long years. He has been a ‘people’s representative’ in the real sense of the term for all these years.  He gave face to the aam aadmi in our country. Through his cartoons, he has represented the silent millions of the country, voiced their real problems and raised their issues forcefully in the corridors of power.

“Very importantly, Shri Laxman has explained to the readers a range of complex political, national and international issues using his master strokes and a few simple lines. Personally, I rate the cartoonist a few notches higher than the Editor.”

The Governor exhorted the public to visit the exhibition as it “brings to light some of Shri Laxman’s best and yet less known works.  It has also brought out Laxman, the artist. His sketches of personalities and landscapes are outstanding and prove his brilliance as an artist.”

A new book,  Finely Exaggerated, will also be released during the exhibition period.

Head to Nehru Centre Art Gallery, Worli, from 11 am to 7 pm. The exhibition is on till January 5, 2014. Call 022 24963426 for details.

(Pictures courtesy Raj Bhavan, Mumbai)

 

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What did you do with your clothes?

Did you lose weight and now have several old clothes you don’t need? Donate them for needy persons in Maharashtra.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

With awareness of weight loss and its benefits rising every day, there are several people who actively take up a healthy lifestyle and lose their excess weight. However, once the weight is lost, there is the question of buying a new wardrobe of clothes since the old ones are no longer useful.

Dr Jayashree TodkarIn several homes where the fat to obese have lost weight, either through surgery or exercise, there may be loads of clothes that are discarded to make way for new ones. Today, Dr Jayashree Todkar (in pic on left), leading bariatric surgeon, is giving Mumbaikars a chance to donate their old clothes to promote awareness of obesity in Maharashtra. “I appeal to people who were obese and have lost weight to donate their used clothes which they no longer need after surgery or weight loss. The donated clothes will be distributed to needy persons,” Dr Todkar says.

This awareness campaign will kick start at Dr Hiranandani Hospital, Powai, on Saturday, November 30, 2013. The event is open to the general public. Today, Dr Todkar will give a detailed presentation on obesity, diet and nutrition.

On the day of the event, Todkar will give a detailed presentation on obesity, diet and nutrition. Adults and children both will have the opportunity to listen to this presentation and learn details about the importance of having a healthy body. Dr Todkar says, “I will take this campaign to other parts of Maharashtra to spread the message about obesity. The campaign will go to Pune, Kolhapur, Ahmednagar and Nagpur.”

To register, contact Sonam on +91-98195 22811or Dr Neeta on +91-80071 41000. The event starts today at 6 pm and will continue in December 2013.

(Picture courtesy in.reset.org)

 

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Two events to liven up your Monday

Mondays start the working week, but there’s no reason you should have a sombre evening. Pick from two events today.

Yes, Mondays sure are a painful day of the week to go through, but why not set the stage for a cheerful Tuesday with some dance and art? Today, two events – one on classical dance from Assam and the other, an art showing at Colaba, are worth checking out.

#1: Sattriya: Classical dance of Assam

India is home to some exceptional forms of dance, with each state boasting of it’s own kind. On October 28, Dr Sunil Kothari will give an illustrated talk on ‘Sattriya’, the classical dance of Assam, with excerpts from a DVD on the Sattras, or Monsatries, on Majuli island on the banks of the river Brahmaputra, at Jnanapravaha.

The Sattras have been practicing a form of devotional dance for the past 500 years, written and directed by the 15th century scholar and the Neo-Vaishnavite saint Sankaradeva. He propagated ‘Eka Nama Sharan’ and his dance drama from ‘Ankiya Bhaona’ has morphed into a classical dance Sattriya, which is now recognised as the eighth Indian classical dance form.

Dr Kothari will be accompanied by Prateesha Suresh, an exponent of Sattriya to perform the salient features of this rare form.

Padma Shree and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, dance historian, scholar, author and critic Dr Sunil Kothari, is a former Dean and Professor at the School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU, New Delhi. He has authored several books on dance including ones on Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi and New Directions in Indian Dance. A Fullbright Professor, he has lectured at several universities in India and abroad.

Head to Jnanapravaha, Queen’s Mansion, 3rd Floor, Ghanshyam Talwatkar Marg, beside Cathedral Middle School, Fort. The event starts at 6 pm. Entry is free but on a first come, first serve basis and seating is limited. Call 022 2207 2974/75 or look up www.jp-india.org.

#2: Solo showing: Perceptions from the Precipice

marriage of fishes, gopikrishnaKerala-based artist Gopikrishna’s solo show titled Perceptions from the Precipice opens at Art Musings, Colaba, today.

The paintings are in oils and watercolours, where humans and animals interact together in a mythical space born out of the artist’s imagination. A storyteller at heart, Gopikrishna paints vivid scenes with his mythical creatures and characters and the effect is as mesmerising as pages from any fairytale. Myriad hues combined with fluid but defined forms add a dimension of surrealism to these works. The ordinary and the impossible, unity and solititude, illumination and darkness, all come together in a seamless harmony in the series.

The works were painted in a two-year time span, between 2011 to 2013. According to the artist, “This body of paintings represent what has been glimpsed, experienced, memorised and realised through this period. Life, as always, has been a traverse through pinnacles and ravines. Paintings thus born bear evidence of the secretive existences perceived from the precipices of life. They reveal a state of timelessness as unaffected by the bangs of the time-bound. They see out the spiritual fibres deeply hidden in the structure of the life-forms.”

The show opens on Monday,October 28 and goes on till December 5.The artist will be present at the opening. Catch the showing at Art Musings, 1, Admiralty Building, Colaba Cross Lane. Call 022 2216 3339/2218 6071 for details.

(Compiled by Medha Kulkarni. Pictures courtesy www.jp-india.org and artmusings.net)

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Walking for tigers, from Tadoba to Mumbai

The Tiger Cyclo-Walk, an initiative to create awareness about the Bengal Tiger and a respectful nature-human relationship, is inviting participants.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

We all talk of conserving the environment and we feel especially terrible about the dwindling numbers of our national animal, the Tiger, but how about walking the talk? Literally?

Come December 14, 2013, you could be part of a unique ‘Tiger Cyclowalk’ that winds its way from the highlands of Tadoba and lands in Mumbai by February 10, 2014. The walk will traverse a distance of about 1,200 kilometres and will travel through major cities and towns such as Chandrapur, Igatpuri, Malegaon and Thane before ending at the Arabian Sea.

Sunil JoshiSo what’s it about, really? “This is an educative movement to make the masses aware about the environment and tigers,” says Sunil Joshi (in pic on left), noted trekker, mountaineer and walker and CEO of The Great Outdoors, a Thane-based manufacturer of outdoor sports gear. Sunil conceptualised the initiative; he has walked 2,560 kilometers in Norway, from North Cape (Northern tip of Norway ) to Lindesnes (Southern tip of Norway) while he represented India for ‘Walk Norway Programme’. “We wish to spread awareness and help people in and around the State’s existing forests to protect the jungles. The plantation of more and more Indian origin trees will balance the ecology. Protecting our wilderness will, in turn, protect the tiger,” Sunil explains.

Over a period of 60 days, Sunil and his team plus those who join the initiative will cycle and walk across the route and on the way, show films and slides about tigers and the environment in educational institutes and social organisations. “Apart from this, we will appeal to the local populations to accompany a lap on the cyclo-walk,” Sunil explains. “There will also be tree plantation ceremonies to boost awareness.”

The team hopes to amass a budget of about Rs 9,60,000 to include food, vehicle hire, fuel costs, communication, transport, team expenses, promotional items, educational expenses, tiger cyclo walketc. “We hope to get sponsorships and donations towards meeting our expenses,” Sunil says.

The think tank behind the initiative comprises Dr Susan Sharma, social entrepreneur, Phil Davis, founder of Tiger Awareness, Dr Sudhir Gaikwad Inamdar, wildlife enthusiast and medical practitioner, Amol Bais, social educator, Vivek Kulkarni, ecologist, Vasant Limaye, IIT engineer and educator, Shobhan Das, architect and Charuhas Joshi, Professor, Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai.

“We hope that masses will be made aware of the importance of preserving our environment and our tigers. This is just the beginning of the movement for saving tigers and forests,” Sunil asserts. “We will spread this movement in the near future by arranging five simultaneous cyclo-walks across India and Nepal.”

If you want to join the cyclo-walk, volunteer for the cause or sponsor a part of the project, contact Sunil Joshi on 9223319216/ 9869724929.

(Pictures courtesy Dr Sudhir Gaikwad Inamdar)

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Film and social media in Mumbai

Two events – one on films and the other on social media – will keep you entertained this Friday evening.
by Medha Kulkarni

Guru Dutt in PyaasaPyaasa, reloaded

In its 100 years of existence, the Indian film industry has produced some fabulous gems in terms of cinema. Today, make your way to NCPA, Mumbai to relive one of Indian cinema’s most iconic films, Pyaasa.

The NCPA Flashback Series, in collaboration with the NFAI, commemorates 100 years of Indian cinema. Every month, Indian cinema’s glorious past will be revisited through a selection of rare classics.

Guru Dutt’s classic melodrama was the first in a series to address the state of the nation and the displaced romantic artist. Vijay is an unsuccessful poet whose work is sold by his brothers as waste paper. Unable to bear the reigning philistinism, he chooses to live on the streets where a young prostitute, Gulab, falls in love with him and his poetry, while Vijay’s former girlfriend Meena marries an arrogant publisher for comfort and security.

When a dead beggar to whom Vijay gave his coat is mistaken for Vijay, Gulab has his poetry published in a book which becomes a bestseller. Everyone who had rejected Vijay now gathers to pay tribute to the dead poet. Vijay disrupts the celebration with a passionate song denouncing hypocrisy and calling for the violent destruction of a corrupt world.

Pyaasa

 

(B&W/Hindi/153mins/1957)

Directed and produced by Guru Dutt

Dialogues by Abrar Alvi

Cast: Guru Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Mala Sinha, Johnny Walker and others

Head to the Little Theatre, NCPA, today at 6.30 pm. Admission on a first-come-first served basis. NCPA members will get preferential seating till 6.20 pm.

 

indiaculturelabOf social media and fashion

Social Media has been one of the biggest revolutions of this century. It has impacted every field and changed the rules. This Friday, September 27, The Fashion Funda panel discussion at the Godrej India Culture Labs seeks to explore this phenomena.

The discussion ‘Is social media the new front row?’ boasts of panelists such a Nonita Kalra (former Editor-in-Chief of Elle Magazine), Malini Agarwal (founder and Blogger-in-Chief of MissMalini), Pearl Shah (celebrity stylist and former Fashion Director of Marie Claire), Karishma Rajani (writer and blogger at the personal style blog Purple Peeptoes) and Parmesh Shahani (head of the Godrej India Culture Lab).

One of the highlights of the event is that the audience gets the chance to take a walk through  special ‘Fashionstallations’ made by Teach For India students – a look into the world of fashion as seen through a child’s eyes.

With a promise of ‘chic kababs‘ post the panel discussion, the event promises to be an engaging and interesting one.

Entry is free but seating is limited so make sure you reach the venue in time so as to not miss it. Get more information on the website www.indiaculturelab.org.

(Pictures courtesy urduwallahs.wordpress.com, 1linereview.blogspot.com, indiaculturelab.org)

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