Art

Following a long wait, Bengaluru inaugurated its very own National Gallery of Modern Art earlier this year. Functioning under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, National Gallery has its head quarters in New Delhi, and another centre in Mumbai. Originally established in 1954, NGMA developed as a premiere institute for the housing and display of modern and contemporary art objects, of which they currently have more than 17,000. Over 500 items from this collection – paintings, sculptures, prints - were selected to be part of the inaugural exhibition at the Bengaluru centre with the title of ‘Signposts of the…

With cameras we shot Things 'cool' and hot And stories we got Of what was but is not... Pasha's chai 'Lock'ed with paan Mosque view Ulsoor Market Timekeepers for generations Smile please... Pandian, Ijaz and friend Glow of steel! How's my future? Clothes ahoy! A centurion Bankers of yore Pure caffeine Welcome home:) Oct-3 to Oct-9: Bazaar Street, Halasuru Market Carts moving and stopping Cycles ringing and pedalling Stalls on wooden boxes Shops under metal roofs   Pasha the tea maker Mary the fruit vendor Pandian the sundal seller Abdul the fishmonger   Temples, churches, mosques Standing for centuries Hawkers…

When was the last time you saw at least 70 different characters (could be more if one actually counted!), not to mention other things like vehicles, tables, houses and more  on one sheet of paper, with each character minutely detailed with suitable clothes, accessories, postures & expressions?  Not to mention having you in splits at the same time! If you are a resident of Bangalore and your answer is ‘in the past couple of weeks’, I am sure that you are one of those lucky to have visited the exhibition of Mario de Miranda’s works that is currently on at…

Recently, I was surprised by the efforts that the government takes in checking TB cases by distributing free medicines through the nearest centres. The system is made so fool-proof that the medicines are taken by the patients regularly in the presence of a medical officer.  In fact a doctor or at least a nurse visits the house of the patient and guides the family members about the importance of taking the medicines regularly, the various precautions that the family should take and ensures that the medicines are distributed from the most convenient location.  The hospitals are monitored strictly.  The doctors…

 The University Women's Association Hostel site in New Thippasandra A colourful construction site. A few workers. Some children. A park with walkers inside and outside. Kids playing on the road and the school playground nearby. Fairly silent residents. Some cars and motorbikes moving or resting. It was a Sunday afternoon in New Thippasandra (ward no. 83) flanked by the busy and colourful market and the seemingly clean and green CV Raman Nagar Road dusty with vehicles. Aliya, little Mahruk, Prayas (the initiator of Spirited Caravans, a journey of mobile spaces offering glimpses of a friendlier city) and I walked around…

On Monday, 14th September, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa unveiled a mural depicting Karnataka’s celebrated past, multifaceted present and promising future, presented through a collage of diverse images creating an ascending visual narrative, at Vikas Soudha, annexe of the state secretariat. Shivakumar's murals. Pic: M S Gopal. The mural’s artist Shivakumar is a painter by training and honed his skills at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat where he passed out in the year 2000. However, like many artists, he loves to experiment and loves to look beyond just painting to express his ideas. That’s probably why his design which uses metals,…

TOTO FUNDS THE ARTS ANNOUNCES 2010 AWARDSTOTO FUNDS THE ARTS (TFA) invites submissions for its sixth annual arts awards for young photographers, writers, musicians and bands. There are five awards to be won - one for music (Rs 50,000), two for photography (Rs 25,000 each), and two for creative writing (Rs 25,000 each).TOTO FUNDS THE ARTS was founded in 2004, in memory of Angirus ‘Toto' Vellani who was intensely passionate about music, literature, films and the arts. Toto's untimely demise spurred his family and friends to create a non-profit foundation that would encourage the young to give expression to their…

TOTO AWARDS 2010PHOTOGRAPHYCALL FOR ENTRIESTOTO FUNDS THE ARTS (TFA), in association with TASVEER, invites entries for its third annual TOTO awards for young Indian photographers. Two cash awards of Rs. 25,000 each will be given in January 2010. The spirit of the Toto Awards is to identify promise and encourage young talent. THEREFORE, entries are only invited from young people -- over the age of 18, who will not have celebrated their 30th birthday before 1 January 2010. The submissions should comprise a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 36 images, either in colour or black and white, or…

Theatre has always been a media that awed me. The whole idea of performing live is fascinating and challenging. I have been attending plays for a long time, but being part of a theatre crew was a totally different experience. I got an opportunity to be a part of the production team for Evam’s “An Idiot for dinner” that was recently staged at Rangashankara on the 12th, 13th and the 14th of June. A stage adaptation of the Hindi movie, Bheja Fry, which is based on the French play Le dîner de cons. Sanjay and his friends have a tradition…

There are many instances when you find yourself staring at something and wondering, ‘Have I seen this somewhere?' MS Gopal's photo exhibition, which opened on 11th May and will go on for a month at F&B restaurant, off St. Marks Road, makes you ask that question. M S Gopal's picture of a security guard, Jeevan originally from Assam. Gopal, a young professional has found his metier in shooting Bangalore with his pocket sized Canon A350. Many may feel that this is too small a tool for taking photographs, but Gopal looks at it as an opportunity. He can carry it…