An online exhibition of black and white photographs of the 1950s and 1960s by Vinoo Bhagat, Kishan S. Rana and Deb Mukharji

The display includes short podcast walkthrough of the exhibition by each of the photographers

THE THREE AMIGOS
Vinoo Bhagat, Kishan S. Rana and Deb Mukharji met as under-graduates at St Stephen’s College, Delhi (Classes of 1957 & 1961). As keen amateurs, handicapped with limited resources but driven by a shared passion, in days of no hobby instruction, they learnt from one another, capturing their world in black-and-white images. They beavered away in the Photo Society darkroom, often in sweltering heat (no air-conditioning in colleges!), improvising with basic equipment. 

Each pursued his vision. Vinoo and Deb, avid trekkers, wandered widely in the Himalayan mountains and meadows, unspoilt as they then were. Further, Vinoo, Kishan and Deb traipsed through the streets of Old and New Delhi, searching for the photogenic. Some captured images are of documentary value. Historic events and personalities also feature in their eclectic collections.  And the photos reflect the exuberance of teenage amateurs. 
 
About the photographers

 Vinoo Bhagat 

My first nine years were lived in Lahore, with summer holidays spent in beautiful Kashmir. I studied in Aitchison college for a year in 1946 (stood first in class). The next year when riots began we were sent to Kashmir and spent almost six months there. We were flown out to Delhi on 27 Oc-tober 1947 in Dakota aircraft that were returning after dropping off Indi-an troops at Srinagar airport. The troops went to fight off the Razakars, who were very near the airport, as soon as they landed; some people at the airport heard popping noises of guns nearby.

I joined Modern School in Delhi in November 1947, and started two hob-bies: playing the sitar (music class was compulsory), and photography, both hobbies have stayed with me all along.

In 1948 in summer holidays in Kasauli, a Kodak box camera appeared from somewhere. I took my first photographs, unremarkable and un-traceable later. But having seen developed films hanging to dry outside the photographer’s shop, I decided to develop the film myself; chemicals were procured from the shop and poured into soup bowls in which the film was seesawed after having placed red paper over the light bulb in the bathroom – and voila it was done. This continued.

1951 was a defining year, three of us cousins spent two amazing months in Kashmir, trekking in high mountains full of snow, coming down to Srinagar and in between treks staying in Nedous hotel, enjoying comfort and excellent food (the plum fool was remarkably good). Apart from us and our support staff, and gujjars pasturing their livestock, we did not see anyone else on our treks.

Mr M.N. Kapur the much admired and respected school Principal started a photography club and had a proper darkroom set up in the early 1950s. I was often to be found there. Once, I asked the chemistry teacher for potassium cyanide to lighten an over-darkened print. He gave me a large brown jar filled with cigarette like sticks of cyanide; I dissolved a stick and treated the print in the tray with bare hands.

At the same time, I started representing the school in inter-school music competitions by playing the sitar; stood first every time as far as I recall.

School trips were started, in 1952 some twenty of us students and two teachers went to Bombay, Elephanta caves, a film studio (where a starlet plonked herself on the director’s lap while we were there). Goa then ruled by the Portugese was next, the towns were small and undistin-guished, but the lush green countryside was beautiful, our ancient bus would cross rivers on a raft. We saw the embalmed body of St. Xavier. Heard the priest playing the Nadaswaram in the temple in Mangeshkar village. The trip was rounded off by a visit to Aurangabad seeing the Bibi-ka-maqbara, a poor imitation of the Taj, and then to the Ajanta caves.

Drawings had a crucial function in the realization of Raphael's art. They were not only the patterns for final works, but the means of their development; they shaped the creative process at the same time as they documented it. And, considering the vast projects executed collaboratively, they were the guarantee of the identification of the final product with the master who conceived the design.

   Kishan S. Rana

Kishan S. Rana MA economics, St Stephen’s College, Delhi. Indian Foreign Service (1960-95); Ambassador/High Commissioner: Algeria, Czechoslovakia, Kenya, Mauritius, & Germany. Emeritus Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, Delhi; Professor Emeritus, DiploFoundation; Archives By-Fellow, Churchill College, Cambridge. Authored and edited eleven books on diplomatic studies; 150 articles in journals and newspaper columns.
Began photography while at school, with an Agfa folding camera; his father gifted a Rolleicord twin-lens reflex camera in 1954, which remained with him till 1961, when he left for Hong Kong as a Chinese language IFS probationer; he then bought a first Cannon 35 mm camera with interchangeable lenses, and shifted to colour film slide photography. A collection of China slides (Beijing, 1963-65 and 1970-72), awaits, to be scanned with modern technology. Photo exhibitions held: Berlin, June 1995; IIC, New Delhi, 2003. Frontline magazine carried three of his photo essays in in 1995-98.
The black & white photos in this collection are all based on original negatives from 1954-59, scanned in 2020 with an Epson V600 photo scanner, producing large file images (1 to 4 MB range), then processed with Adobe Photoshop. The images in the virtual exhibition are in the range of 400 to 700 kb file sizes; the large file images (1 to 8 MB) are available with the photographer. The images are available for sale.
Email: kishanrana@gmail.com
     

Deb Mukharji

Deb Mukharji was a career diplomat in his professional life and retired as India's ambassador to Nepal in 2001. Solo exhibitions of his photographs have been held at the India International Centre, Delhi, in 1994, 2002 and 2019, at the Drik gallery in Dhaka in 2000 and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kolkata in 2004. His photography was described as "...poetry through lens" by late Mrinal Sen. He is the author of Magic of Nepal (Rupa: 2005), Visions of the Infinite (Nepalaya: 2009) and A Quest Beyond the Himalaya (Niyogi: 2013)     

Deb Mukharji curated the Himalaya project of the India International Centre in 2014-2015   

Email: deb.mukharji@gmail.com

An exhibition of selected drawings of the Renaissance Master, Raphael Sanzio

Second exhibition organised to commemorate the 500th death anniversary of Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520), master painter and architect of Italian High Renaissance, one of the most influential and naturally gifted artists in the history of art

Raphael Drawings

Raphael was one of the finest draftsmen in the history of Western art, and used drawings extensively to plan his compositions. The execution of a vast number of studies in a variety of techniques was Raphael’s standard practice. According to a near-contemporary, when beginning to plan a composition, he would lay out a large number of stock drawings of his on the floor, and begin to draw "rapidly", borrowing figures from here and there. The number of extant drawings is over four hundred, however, this is only a fraction of the quantity he produced. He used different drawings to refine his poses and compositions, apparently to a greater extent than most other painters, to judge by the number of variants that survive: "... This is how Raphael himself, who was so rich in inventiveness, used to work, always coming up with four or six ways to show a narrative, each one different from the rest, and all of them full of grace and well done." wrote another writer after his death. For John Shearman, Raphael's art marks "a shift of resources away from production to research and development".

When a final composition was achieved, scaled-up full-size cartoons were often made, which were then pricked with a pin and "pounced" with a bag of soot to leave dotted lines on the surface as a guide. He also made unusually extensive use, on both paper and plaster, of a "blind stylus", scratching lines which leave only an indentation, but no mark. These can be seen on the wall in The School of Athens, and in the originals of many drawings. The "Raphael Cartoons", as tapestry designs, were fully coloured in a glue distemper medium, as they were sent to Brussels to be followed by the weavers.

During his association with Perugino's workshop he acquired proficiency in the use of silverpoint, a method in which the metal tip of a stylus is worked on a prepared ground applied to the paper. It is a highly disciplined procedure that demands superior skill. Raphael displayed great virtuosity with silverpoint, and continued its use into his mature period.

Raphael first used pen and ink extensively in the period after 1505, when he was open to the influence of Leonardo's and Michelangelo's approaches to drawing. Drawings in pen and ink often combined washes in ink or lead white, applied with a brush, in order to add tonal qualities.

Raphael employed black chalk from the time of his earliest drawings, while he came to the consistent use of red chalk later in his work, starting from around 1514. Red chalk can be sharpened to a hard point and handled like a stylus; manipulated differently, it renders very delicate and extensive modulations of tone. In some of Raphael's studies, outlines from a stylus lie under the red chalk drawing.

Drawings had a crucial function in the realization of Raphael's art. They were not only the patterns for final works, but the means of their development; they shaped the creative process at the same time as they documented it. And, considering the vast projects executed collaboratively, they were the guarantee of the identification of the final product with the master who conceived the design.

Aušra Kleizaitė, Gintarė Valevičiūtė Brazauskienė Stream of Passion, 2019 Drawings, animation When an art conversation turns to questions of sexuality more than often it discusses the pleasure of looking and the voyeuristic gaze of the artist or the viewer. In Stream of Passion the artists Aušra Kleizaitė and Gintarė Valevičiūtė Brazauskienė offer an invitation to explore the notion of sexuality in a more complex way (not just through a keyhole) encompassing divine and bodily matter, the concepts of life and death, the relationship between man and animal. The energy of dualities portraying the rhythm of life is very much present in the drawings and animations on show. The drawings depict supernatural beings – goat-men or Satyrs, half-man, half-goat in ancient Greek mythology – nature spirits, fertility deities, often portrayed as lustful creatures. Although Satyrs have a destructive and dangerous nature in Stream of Passion these divine beings are presented as shy and timid. They remind us of in-love teenagers, who are preparing for the first physical encounter. The counterbalance to these bodily pleasures is the animations depicting a young goat. What we see is an animal-metaphor onto which we transfer our guilt and thus cleanse ourselves of the sin. The scapegoat has to suffer and redeem the sins of others. In Stream of Passion the viewer remains as the witness of the scapegoat ritual post facto. The victim is symbolized by the red rori powder, which in India is applied to the third eye, at the centre of the forehead between the eyebrows. The third eye is believed to be the channel through which humankind opens spiritually (offers itself) to the Divine, just as the goat is sacrificed (offered) to God. In this case, the sacrifice of the goat symbolizes a new beginning and restores the cycle of time as well as life and death that begins and ends with a breath. The all-connecting component in Stream of Passion is breathing that can be viewed as a metaphor for the union of life and death, full and empty. Each time you breathe in, your lungs are filled with oxygen. Each time you breathe out, your lungs are emptied. Nonetheless, the opposites of full and empty cannot be in opposition, but must rather create a regulating alternation. The flow from full to empty and back again symbolizes the flow of life. In Stream of Passion breathing is depicted by a line of bright lust colour that connects everything: drawings, animations and the exhibition space. With its uninterrupted thread it joins different energies of man and woman, human and divine. Finally, it tells a story: gasping, heaving, longing, lustful, yearning, passionate, rapid, pulsating, violent, panting and connected. It is a continuous process, an eternal and endless (love) story. Text by Neringa Stoškutė
I weave your name on the loom of my mind, To make my garment when you come to me. My loom has ten thousand threads To make my garment when you come to me. The sun and moon watch while I weave your name; The sun and moon hear while I count your name. These are the wages I get by day and night To deposit in the lotus bank of my heart. I weave your name on the loom of my mind To clean and soften ten thousand threads And to comb the twists and knots of my thoughts. No more shall I weave a garment of pain. For you have come to me, drawn by my weaving, Ceaselessly weaving your name on the loom of my mind. — Kabir
 

Aušra Kleizaitė

Born in Kaunas, Lithuania, in 1972, Aušra Kleizaitė is a contemporary visual artist known for her expressive works on paper and conceptual textile. Kleizaitė's body of work reflects her interest in human condition and various aspects of human life: soul, spirit, and social interactions. Trained as a printmaker and a textile artist, she creates multi-layered drawings that explore nature, culture, relationships, emotions, and everyday life. In her creative process, Kleizaitė stays open to exploration and uses simple materials - paper, charcoal, and soft pastel - to tell complex stories. Her works embrace a full range of human experience: it can be full of stars, or full of demons.
The cornerstone of her artistic practice, Kleizaitė is also interested in drawing’s capabilities to express and reflect ideas and emotions as well as its ability to be transformed into three-dimentional objects that can be connected in installations.
The intersection of Western and Eastern cultures is the favorite subject of her research.
Name: Aušra
Family name: Kleizaitė
Born: 14 06 1972
Home address: P.Vileisio 6F-17, LT-10308, Vilnius, Lithuania
Phone:
Mobile: +370 – 698 – 88020
Email: ausrakleizaite@hotmail.com
http://ausrakleizaite.com/
Education and qualification:
1998 –2000 Vilnius Academy of Art, Kaunas Institute of Art
Muitinės 4, 3000 Kaunas, Lithuania,
Master of Arts
1994 – 1998 Vilnius Academy of Art, Kaunas Institute of Art
Muitinės 4, 3000 Kaunas, Lietuva
Bachelor of Arts
1983 – 1989 Kaunas J.Naujalis secondary School of Art
Dainavos 1, 3005 Kaunas, Lithuania
1979 – 1983 Kaunas Komjaunimo secondary school
Exhibitions:
December 1998. The Palete Gallery of Kaunas Institute of Art (together with the group), Kaunas, Lithuania;
July 1999. Kaunas Perkūnas House (together with the group),Kaunas, Lithuania;
June 17-18th 2000. Performance Art Festival, Paide, Estonia;
June 2000. The Academy Gallery, Vilnius Academy of Art, Vilnius, Lithuania;
September 2000. The Gallery of the Textile and Art Guild, Kaunas, Lithuania;
October 6- November 11th, 2000. The Exhibition of Visual Arts: “1997 – 2000”, (together with the group), Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania;
May 18-19th , 2002. The City Days, The Alley of Muses, Kaunas, Lithuania;
June 24-August 28th , 2002. The Summer Etudes of Textile, Centre of the Art and Leisure Kupeta, Palanga, Lithuania;
May 19-June 10th , 2003. Exhibition of Lithuanian Contemporary Art, Technopolis Center, Athens, Greece.
July 11-August 11th , 2003. International exhibition “Erotica”. “Barotti” gallery and the Klaipeda exhibition palace, Klaipeda, Lithuania.
January 15th – February 16th , 2004, Exhibition “The Best Work of the Year”, Kaunas city gallery, Kaunas, Lithuania.
February 5th – April 9th , 2004, Exhibition of Contemporary Textile Art, Jurbarkas regional museum, Jurbarkas, Lithuania.
August 10th – September 19th , “Tradition and Innovation”, European Textile Exhibition, Ryga, Latvia;
2005 “New Lithuanian Textile”, Berlin, Germany.
October 2006, exhibition “Mandala”, gallery “Aukso Avis”, Vilnius, Lithuania;
February 13th -17th, 2013, “Drawing Box” Inaugural show, Artist’s Center, Kala Ghoda, Mumbay, India;
February 26th - March 2nd, 2013, “Drawing Box”, sir JJ School of Arts, Mumbay, India;
April 4th - 21st, 2013, “Drawing Box” in Ireland”, Crescen Arts Center Gallery, Belfast, Ireland;
July 18th - August 17th, 2013, “The Drawing Box”, Ranelagh Arts Center, Dublin, Ireland;
April 18th - April 28th group show by D.I.S.C. the Art residents “6.85 PM”, Suvadra Art Gallery, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India;
November 14th - January 14th 2014-15 Exhibition “The Shroud of time”, Picture museum, Kaunas Lithuania
November 15, 2014 Exhibition Sanskriti Kendra Foundation residence, Delhi, India;
March 14th, 2015, “Human”, Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to the Republic of India, New Delhi, India;
March 28th - 31st, 2016, International Art exhibition “Artists under The Great Sky” Rinchen BZango Art Gallery, University of Jammu, Jammu, India;
April 1st - 8th, 2016, International Art Exhibition organized by D.I.S.C. the Art “3”,
Lalit Kala Academy, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India;
June 13th, 2017, exhibition of international workshop participants “Palette of Friendship”, Batumi, Georgia;
November 1st – 5th, 2017, exhibition of international Art symposium “Our Body and Hands in Water”, Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur, India;
April 22nd, 2018, exhibition of participants International Art Symposium Gabal El-Tair monastery, El Minia University, Minia, Egypt;
June 21st – July 27th, 2018, exhibition of International Plain Air, ‘Baroti’ gallery, Didzioji vandens g. 2, Klaipeda, Lithuania;
July 7th, 2018, exhibition of participants of International Art Event ‘Djerba Dream’, Erriadh, Djerba, Tunisia;
March 1st – 31st, 2019, exhibition of Lithuanian woman artists ‘Laisva’, Business Center k29, Vilnius, Lithuania;
July 27th - August 3rd,2019, exhibition of the participants of International Plain Air in Rusnė, Rusnė Lutheran Church, Rusnė; September 27th – September 3rd, 2019, exhibiton 'Art Code', exhibition of participants of international art residency ‚The Circle of Creation‘ ‚Galera‘, Užupio 2, Vilnius, Lithuania; November 8th – December 31st, 2019, Gallery ‘Balta’, Exhibition of Lithuanian Textile ‘Aistringoji Lietuvos Tekstilė Lietuvos dvaruose, Samogittian Art Museum Duke Mykolas Oginskis Estate, Plungė, Gelgaudiškio Menor, Gelgaudiškis, Babtyno-Žemaitkiemio Menor House, Lithuania;
December 23rd – January 30th, 2019-2020, Exhibition ‘Spalva – Nuotaika – Simbolis’,
Gallery ‘Balta’, Valanciaus 21, Kaunas, Lithuania.
Collaborative projects
April 24th – June 2nd, 2019, exhibition ‘Erotika ne per rakto skylutę‘, installation of drawings and animation with Gintarė Valevičiūtė ‘Stream of Passion’, Trakų Vokė Menor, Vilnius, Lithuania;
May 17th – June 2nd, 2019, exhibition ‘Atsidaryk’, installation of drawings and animation with Gintarė Valevičiūtė ‘Stream of Passion’, Church of Holy Sacramento Kaunas, Lithuania;
August 23rd – September 23rd, 2019, drawings and animation with Gintarė Valevičiūtė, exhibition of installation ‘Stream of Passion’ at Kala Chaupal Gallery, Uniworld City, Haryana, India;
August 23rd – September 23rd, 2019, drawings and animation with Gintarė Valevičiūtė, exhibition of installation ‘Stream of Passion’ at Kala Chaupal Gallery, Uniworld City, Haryana, India;
September 1st – 2nd, 2019, art event ‘Exhibition canceled 1886’ drawings and animation with Gintarė Valevičiūtė, improvised installation ‘Stream of Passion’ at Chowky Ghat Mansarovar near Kedar Ghat, Kedareswar Guest House, Varanasi, India;
September 7th – 8th, 2019, drawings and animation with Gintarė Valevičiūtė, improvised installation ‘Stream of Passion’ at Center for Baltic Culture and Studies, Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya University, Haridwar, India.
Personal exhibitions
August 27-September 8th, 2002. The Plastic Objects, “Kaire-desine” Gallery of Vilnius Union of the Artists;
February 5th –April 9th, Exhibition of Contemporary Textile Art, Jurbarkas regional museum, Jurbarkas, Lithuania;
April 9th -25th, 2004, “RELAX”, Exhibition of Textile Objects, Sanskriti Pratishthan, New Delhi, India;
May 17th –June 5th, 2004, “RELAX”, Exhibition of Textile Objects, “Rūtos galerija”, Vilnius, Lithuania.
June 20th – 18th July, 2006, “Arrow of flowers”, Exhibition of Drawings and Textile Objects, Textile Gallery “Aukso Avis”, Vilnius, Lithuania.
September 5th -19th, 2006, “Arrow of flowers”, gallery “Soviart”, Kiev, Ukraine
September 6th - October 12, 2012, “Drawings”, “Companys”, Vilnius, Lithuania,
November 16th - December 5th, 2012, “Drawings”, Gallery “Baroti”, Klaipeda, Lithuania.
February 23rd - March 16th, 2013, “Drawings”, “Mažoji” Gallery, Druskininkai,
Lithuania.
September 14th - October 2nd, 2013, “..some things are closer than they appear..”,
Kaunas Artist’s House, Kaunas, Lithuania.
September 20th - October 20th, 2016, exhibition of drawings “INTRO”, Traku Vokes Dvaro Sodyba, Vilnius, Lithuania;
May 18th - June 18th, 2017, “Anthology of Apologies”, Creative Industries Center Kaunas, Gallery “Ars et Mundus”, Kaunas, Lithuania;
January 6th – February 6th, 2018, „No tension. Faces of the Princess“, Traku Vokes Dvaro Sodyba, Vilnius, Lithuania;
January 13th, 2018, Exhibition of Drawings, Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to the Republic of India, New Delhi, India;
May 4th – May 21st, 2018, Exhibition of Drawings ‘Lotus Bank’, ‘Medusa’ Art Gallery, Visu Sventuju 9, Vilnius, Lithuania;
December 14th – December 30th, 2018, Exhibition of Drawings ‘DraWWing Blue, Baroti Gallery, Klaipėda, Lithuania;
August 6th – August 16th, 2019, exhibition of drawings‚ Ožkos Kaune‘, gallery ‚Balta‘, Valančiaus 21, Kaunas, Lihuania;
September 13th – October 25th , 2019, Exhibition of drawings‚ ‘Mergaitės ir Ožkos‘, Gallery ‚Aukso Pjūvis‘, Gelgaudiškio Manor House, Parko g. 5, Gelgaudiškis, Šakių region, Lithuania;
December 19th – February 16th , 2019-2020, Exhibition of drawings ‘All the Drama”, National Kaunas Drama Theater, Gallery ‘Aukso Pjūvis‘, Laisvės al. 71, Kaunas, Lithuania.
Awards and prizes
Unesco – Aschberg Grant 2003 – 2004;
The best object of 2003, Exhibition “The best Art Work of the Year”, Kaunas city gallery, Kaunas, Lithuania.

Gintarė Valevičiute Brazauskienė

Gintarė Valevičiute Brazauskienė Description of Creative Activity and Filmography Gintarė Brazauskienė (Valevičiūtė) participates in the process of creation of various art projects as a creator of interdisciplinary art (cinema, video art, animation, installation, illustration, ...). Graduated from postgraduate art studies in art in Vilnius Academy of Arts (VAA), Gintarė continues her academic, artistic activities – she teaches in the Photography and Media Arts Department, presents artistic creations at exhibitions and film festivals. Films and video works directed by Gintarė have won awards at international film and media art festivals. The short documentary “God Created Everything but a Carpet”. was nominated for the Lithuanian Cinema Academy's "Silver Crane" Award for Best Short Documentary Film. VAA exhibition hall Titanic exposition currated by Gintare in ARTVILNIUS'19, the 10th jubilee international art fair, was announced as "The Best ArtVilnius'19 Gallery", "The Selected Gallery by Viewers", and the presented artist won "The Best ArtVilnius'19 Young Artist" award.
Date of birth, place of birth: 12th April 1981, Marijampolė Education 2009 - 2012 Vilnius Academy of Arts, Postgraduate studies. Fine Arts Licentiate degree. 2008 - 2010 Vilnius Academy of Arts. Pedagogical qualification studies. Art and technology teacher qualification. 2007 09 - 12 University of Plymouth. Media Arts. Erasmus Studies. 2006 - 2008 Vilnius Academy of Arts, Photography and Media Arts Department, Photography and Media Arts (MA). 2003 - 2006 Vilnius Academy of Arts, Photography and Media Arts Department, Animation (BA). 1999 - 2003 Šiauliai University, Fine Arts Department, Painting (BA).
Professional activities 2011 - present. Vilnius Academy of Arts, Photography and Media Arts Department. Lecturer. 2012 - 2013. Vilnius Justinas Vienožinskis Art School, Animation. Teacher. 2018. Vilnius Academy of Arts, Exhibition Hall "Titanic". Exhibition: anima(re)anima in the expanded field. Curator, organizer of excursions. 2018. Nida Art Colony, LT. "Animation Experience 2: Nida's Sound Imprints." Creative coordinator, participant. 2017. Nida Art Colony, LT. "Animation Experience: Moving Layers." Creative coordinator, participant.
2016. "Tirtha Yatra through Himalayas", 24:34' video. Author, editing director. 2016. "Teacher - Disciple", 03:01' video creation. Author, director. 2014. "Nine days, nine nights" 12:00' video movie. Director. 2012. "Mai Ram Yoga Ashram" 8:53' video movie. Director. 2011. "Sūrya namaskār" 5:58' video movie. Director. 2010. "Grunwald Battle 600". Author of video projections. 2010. Short film "It's Not About the Apple" (directed by Tomas Vilys). Film artist. 2009. Lithuanian Millennium Song Festival "Amziu sutartine", "Vario audra / Brass Storm". Visualizations. 2009. Play by Idioteatras "Mum's The Word" (dir. Aidas Giniotis). Visualizations. 2009. Project "ON SITE in Vilnius". Coordinator, assistant of artist Anja Westerfrölke. 2009. Documentary "When Art Meets Culture". Author. 2009. Short Opera Festival NOA (New Opera Action). Opera "Babel". Visualizations. 2009. Short film “Goodhearted Ana (directed by Mykolas Žukauskas). Film artist. 2008. Short film "Suicide" (directed by Mindaugas Sruogius). Film artist. 2008. Film "The Merry Widow" (dir. Леонид Горовец). Director's assistant. Achievements  2019. ARTVILNIUS'19, the 10th jubilee international art fair, LITEXPO Lithuanian exhibition and congress center. VAA exhibition hall Titanic exposition currated together with Arturas Bukauskas. "The Best ArtVilnius'19 Gallery" - VAA exhibition hall Titanic. "The Selected Gallery by Viewers" - VAA exhibition hall Titanic. "The Best ArtVilnius'19 Young Artist" - Laura Sabaliauskaite, presented by „Titanic. VAA exhibition halls“.  2019. Granted by Lithuanian Film Center at the Ministry of Culture scholarship to create script and visual style for film project "Narrow line between the eyelids".  2019. Granted by the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture financing for the implementation of the interactive film project "Purga".  2012. Documentary Film “God Created Everything but a Carpet” (directed together with Mikas Žukauskas). Nominated for Cinema Academy of Lithuania award "Sidabrine Gerve / Silver Crane". Award for the best short documentary film.  2012. In gallery "Academy" presented the art project "ANIMARE: Giving Life, Reviving" and the scientific paper "Alternative Animation and Its Trends in Contemporary Art". Obtained a Licentiate qualification degree in the field of art studies, fine art direction (02 M1).  2007. International moving images festival "NEXT FESTIVAL". Film "Masquerade" is recognized as the best Lithuanian film.
 2006. The Prime Minister's of Lithuania gratitude for activeness and successful participation in international film festivals.  2004. Interdisciplinary seminar "Gender and Popular Culture". Winner of the video film competition, film "Washing Up". Filmography NINE DAYS, NINE NIGHTS (2014) 12:00' video film, director. MAI RAM YOGA ASHRAM (2012) 8:53' video film, director. GOD CREATED EVERYTHING BUT A CARPET (2012) documentary film directed together with Mikas Žukauskas. SŪRYA NAMASKĀR (2011) 5:58' video film, director. REMARRIAGE (2010), video installation. RASOS STREET (2010) 30:00' documentary film. RECONCILIATION (2009/2010) 10:00' audiovisual work. WHEN ART MEETS CULTURE (2009) 7:20' documentary film. FAMILY DAY (2008) 15:00' documentary film. FROM THE CLIFF (2006) 1:12' audiovisual work. MASQUERADE (2006) 2:50' video installation. MUSIC BOX (2005) 0:27' audiovisual work. VINYET OF AN ANIMATED FILM FESTIVAL (2005) 0:25'. THIS IS NOT A WORKSHOP (2005) 1:59' collective work of NEXTFESTIVAL video seminar. DAROM / DIY 2005 (2005) 20:00' documentary film. LOLITA STORM GIRLS (2005) 0:59' music clip. RAIN (2005) 2:04' cartoon animation film based on the motif of J. Erlickas poem. HOME (2005) 1:14' animated film. WASHING UP (2004) 8:00' audiovisual work. AUTOPORTRET (2004) 0:20' audiovisual work. GAME (2004) 1:00' audiovisual work. SOLD SUMMERS (2004) 0:36' video installation. Exhibitions, festivals. 2019. ‘Stream of Passion’. Art project ‘Stream of Passion’: video, animation and paintings. Author together with Ausra Kleizaite. Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidalaya Center for Baltic Culture and Studies gallery. Haridvaras, Utarakhandas, India. 2019. “Exhibition canceled 1668”, “Stream of Passion” performance, video, animation and paintings. Varanasis, India. 2019. ‘Stream of Passion’, video, animation and paintings. Author together with Ausra Kleizaite. Kala Chaupal gallery, Haryana, India.
2019. Traku Voke Manor. Art project ‘Stream of Passion’: animation and paintings. Author together with Ausra Kleizaite. Presented in group exhibition „Erotika ne per rakto skylute“. 2019. ARTVILNIUS'19, the 10th jubilee international art fair, LITEXPO Lithuanian exhibition and congress center. VAA exhibition hall Titanic exposition currator together with Arturas Bukauskas. 2018. Vilnius Academy of Arts, Exhibition Hall "Titanic". Exhibition: anima(re)anima in the expanded field. Curator, organizer of excursions.
2012. Lithuanian Art 2012: 18 Exhibitions. The cycle of events-installations in the CAC Reading Room. Presentation of the live animation „The Universal Encyclopedia: bean like a book”. 2012. Cinema Spring Film Festival, Vilnius. The documentary “God Created Everything but a Carpet”
2011. Interformat Symposium, Vilnius/Nida. Installation „The Universal Encylopedia /Visuotinė Enciklopedija“. 2011. Exhibition of Vilnius Academy of Arts art post-graduates. Audiovisual work "Hangs". 2011. Gallery "Art Park", project "Animare: Giving Life, Reviving". Installation “The Seasons”.
2010. Kaunas in Art: Premier 2010. Video installation „ReMarriage”. 2010. Kaunas City Song and Dance Festival “600th Anniversary of the battle of Grunwald”, video projections. 2010. Vilnius, artwork FLUXUS ARTIST'S CREATIVE ACTIVITY REVIEW, in occasion of opening of “Fluxus Ministry” (Gedimino str. 27). Protest art action. 2010. Liege, Belgium film festival (Liège Belgium, La Zone), video narration “Reconciliation”. 2009. Lithuanian Millennium Song Festival "Amžių sutartinė". Visualizations. 2009. Interdisciplinary Women Art and Culture festival “Voix de Femmes”. Belgium, Liege. Video story “Reconciliation”. 2009. Exhibition "Embodiments", video installation "Masquerade". 2009. Ladyfest Vilnius'2009, documentary film "Family Day". 2009. Short Opera Festival NOA (New Opera Action). Opera BABEL visualizations. 2008. "Art Cell" exhibition of best works of graduates of of Vilnius Academy of Arts, work "Ideal Weight". 2007. "Sabotage 2007" alternative women's festival, work "Ideal Weight". 2006. VILNIUS International animated film festival, film "Masquerade". 2006. "Diagnoze - lytis / Gender positive" seminar, film review, film "Masquerade". 2006. CORTA Film Festival, Portugal, film "From the Cliff". 2006. The 3rd Vilnius Film and Video Festival "NEXT FESTIVAL", film "From the Cliff". 2006. Siauliai, visual art exhibition ART FACTOR, collages. 2005. Alytus Experimental Art Biennial "Careful! Politics!", Installation "Washing Up". 2005. Independent Vilnius Film and Video Festival "NEXT FESTIVAL", film "Washing Up". 2004. Project "ECHO". Curator and participant. 2003. Siauliai VIRUS.8, project "You Can". Curator.

Two centuries ago, the British botanists began a visual study of Indian flora. Indian artists were commissioned to make botanical paintings which were sent back to Britain where it survives in collections at some of the Royal botanical gardens.  Siddhartha Das Studio has recently commissioned skilled miniature artists to create a series of botanical paintings of Indian flowering plants to celebrate this legacy

Two centuries ago, the British botanists began a visual study of Indian flora. Indian artists were commissioned to make botanical paintings which were sent back to Britain where it still survives in collections at some of the Royal botanical gardens. 

India has always been a pluralist society with many influences. The flora is a manifestation of this. Over the centuries the Indian flora has been cross-pollinated through trade from regions across the world. These overtimes got indigenised and became Indian.

Siddhartha Das Studio has commissioned skilled miniature artists to create a series of botanical paintings of Indian flowering plants to celebrate this legacy.

Art Prints are available on request. Please contact: info@siddharthadas.com

Siddhartha Das Studio  
Over a period of 18 years, Siddhartha Das Studio has led or collaborated on many cultural projects across the world. Projects undertaken across India and abroad include: cultural institutions, museum complexes and thematic exhibitions; art projects and installations; and livelihood programmes rooted in crafts communities.

Some of the Studio’s projects include the award-winning curation and design of the 80year-old Sardar Govt. Museum, Jodhpur; the interiors for the historic Jal Mahal, Jaipur, and flagship stores for GVK’s Airports in Bangalore and Mumbai; exhibitions at IGNCA and the Crafts Museum, Delhi and has designed the Indian Institute of Art & Design campus, New Delhi. Das has designed books, theatre sets and credit titles for films.

Siddhartha Das {Studio Lead}
Siddhartha Das has worked on cultural projects across the world for over 20 years. He has both conceived and implemented them across various disciplines of- design, architecture, art and crafts.

He is an Asia Society, Charles Wallace and Nehru Trust Fellow and also has received various international fellowships for study tours and been a part of art residencies in Canada and Japan. Siddhartha was awarded the British Council’s International Young Design Entrepreneur in 2009. Das is an alumni of Hindu College, Delhi University and thereafter of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

In 2002, he founded the multi-disciplinary Siddhartha Das Studio. He has been a contributor to the Arts Illustrated magazine for three years and has worked with over 2,500 craftspeople across 15 states of India. Das has extensively worked in Europe and other parts of the world.

He is the Vice-Chairman of the JD Centre of Art, Bhubaneswar and has overseen all its work across disciplines from construction, interiors, programming to conservation. He has also organised its International Film Festivals on Art and Artists, among other art programmes.

A featured speaker in India and around the world, he has been a visiting faculty at various institutions including CEPT and NID, Ahmedabad; Central Saint Martins, London and Willem de Kooning Academie (WdKA), Rotterdam.

For more information, please visit www.siddharthadas.com

An online exhibition of photographs by Ajit Rana
A kaleidoscopic journey across Bali, Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam presenting the diverse landscapes, textures and people of Asia

Asia offers a rich palette of choices that makes each country a unique experience in its own right.

From the tropical luxuriance of Myanmar to the sparse landscapes of the high plateau of Central Asia, from the modern skyscrapers of Hong Kong to Hanoi’s narrow frontage buildings, one is faced with shifts of shape, colour and people. Equally unique is Bali, that extraordinary
outpouring of Hindu heritage temples and sculptures, studded within a largely Muslim Indonesia.

The diversity lives in Asia’s landscapes, cities, natural habitat and most of all it’s people. Each culture has an ancient history and traditions that stem from an authentic heritage. The aim of this exhibition is to give a flavour of the diversity of Asia without any pretense at capturing all of its rich diversity, because no one exhibition collection can properly do justice to any country’s richness, let alone what is arguably the world’s most varied continent.

These are some of the photographs captured in this exhibition.Taking the road less travelled and following your heart – these are two philosophies Ajit Rana lives by. With a passion for adventure, outdoors, cooking and travel, Ajit has never followed the traditional path, and from a young age, has shaped his life by his passions. This is reflected in his photography, which is driven by his passion for
nature, food, human emotion ns and different cultures. Introduced to photography by his father at the age of 12, Ajit took his learnings on both the art and science behind photography from him and tailored it to his own style. From capturing for posterity, intimate emotions of family members to the joy in the eyes of a village child, to the
scars of life in the face of an elder, Ajit lives his experiences through his camera. He believes that you are able to see things through the lens that you would not see with a naked eye simply because you are looking for detail in everything and framing a hot that has movement, a story, emotion and is unique every single time.

Adventure travel and wildlife safaris unravel opportunities through beautiful landscapes, cultures and abstract inspirations usually untapped and waiting to be captured. Through his off-roading company – Overlander India, Ajit has the unique opportunity to explore old remote cultures and organize photography tours.

The present exhibition of photographs is an example of Ajit’s travels over the last couple of years in Asia.

Ajit’s work has been exhibited thrice in New Delhi and he is working on his first international exhibition in Hong Kong. He has also written several travel and luxury related photo essays for well-known publications.

Limited editions of 5, signed prints are available. For details, please contact Ajit Rana on +919811159571 Email: ajitrana@gmail.com