PHYSICAL PROGRAMME

A personal archive of Tibetan Resistance (1957-1974)
A project by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam in collaboration with Natasha Ginwala

The exhibition re-evaluates the audiovisual material that Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam have gathered over the years by weaving in Lhamo Tsering’s personal archives, and presenting a re-mastered version of their documentary, to create a more complete and complex mosaic of this largely obscure story.

On view are archival photographs, letters and documents, maps and video installations

Preview on Wednesday, 20 April 2022 at 18:00

As part of this exhibition there will be several related programmes:

On 21 April 2022 at 18:30 in C.D. Deshmukh Auditorium
The Sweet Requiem (Kyoyang Ngarmo/India/USA)

(91 min; 2018; Tibetan with English subtitles)
A film by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam who will be present for the screening

Recipient of the NETPAC Award for Best Film, Kolkata International Film Festival 2018

At the age of eight, Dolkar fled her home with her father to escape Chinese armed forces, and faced an arduous journey across the Himalayas. Now 26, she lives in a Tibetan refugee colony in Delhi, where an unexpected encounter with a man from her past awakens long-suppressed memories, propelling Dolkar on an obsessive search for the truth.

On 23 April 2022 at 17:30: Gallery Walk-through
With Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam

On 26 April 2022 at 18:30 in the Art Gallery
In Conversation
Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam in conversation Latika Gupta

On 30 April 2022 at 18:30 in Seminar Rooms I – III
Walking the Himalayas
An illustrated talk by poet and activist Tenzin Tsundue about his recent walk across the Himalayas, from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh

(Collaboration: White Crane Films; with support from the International Campaign for Tibet)

PHYSICAL PROGRAMME

An exhibition of paintings in oil 
By Jyoti Nagpal from Delhi

The exhibition will be inaugurated by Dr. Karan Singh on Tuesday, 29 March 2022 at 18:30

Artist Bio

Film on the exhibition  | Click here to watch

The Good Earth
Artist’s Perspective

I have a deep fascination for dense foliage and its changing colours in different seasons, which, to me are symbolic of the eternal cycle of life. I have watched the joyous tenderness of new life in spring turning into strong and lush fullness of summer, uncaring and abundant in its glory, its gradual maturing into the rich colours of autumn. And its graceful softening into the greyness of winter, having lived life to the full, ultimately making way for the new. In so doing, Nature seems to celebrate life in the simple acceptance of the discipline of existence.
Nature represents for me movement, mellowness, warmth, harmony, fulfilment, exuberance, and a celebration of life, indeed the very joie de vivre.
The recent pandemic made everyone painfully aware of the fragile nature of our ecosystem. It reminded us that Mother Nature has a lot of patience. She sends repeated warnings to humankind against misuse, abuse, and overuse of her resources before finally unleashing its fury. The pandemic was a rude realization of how helpless we are against the power of Nature. At the same time, Nature is benevolent and forgiving. She responds instantly to positive efforts of humanity to rectify mistakes.
This collection of paintings is an attempt to portray the beauty of Nature as I observe and perceive it. The lockdown period opened quite another aspect of Nature to me. It was a time for introspection while being cooped up inside homes, a time when one could hear the silence outside, when the skies became blue again instead of polluted grey, when mountain ranges became visible on the horizon, when deer and peacocks ventured out to reclaim their space, when new varieties of birds arrived in flocks, when colourful butterflies reappeared, when squirrels scampered up to you to pick food from your palm. It was a time for resurgence and renewal for Nature. The lockdown was simultaneously a tragedy and an awakening which I have tried to portray in my own way in many paintings of this series.

PHYSICAL EXHIBITION  
  
12 exhibitions curated by fellows of Curatorial Intensive South Asia (CISA) 2021 

Late Echo curated by Aakriti Chandervanshi
Is there a contemporary in Ladakhi Art? curated by Abeer Gupta 
Place a Mirror on my Heart curated by Akramul Momen
Resisting, With Power curated by Dhrupad Mehta
Kitchen to Kacheri curated by Ishita Shah 
Partners in Progress: Ek Kadam Bharat ki aur Curated by Kanika Makhija
An Attempt to Develop the Law of Storms curated by Moakshaa Vohra
COPY-RIGHT curated by Oorja Garg
On a Walk curated by Sayali Mundye
Disobedient Bodies curated by Shirin Fathi
Translations of a Hermit curated by Shivangi Bansal
An Ode to the Anonymous curated by Tenzing Sedonla Ukyab Lama

Preview on Tuesday, 15 March 2022 at 18:00

(Collaboration: Khoj; and Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan)
 

PHYSICAL PROGRAMME
    

Ray between the Covers
An exhibition of digital reprints of book jackets, illustrated and designed by Satyajit Ray, beginning with his early work for Signet Press. Included in the exhibition are book jackets for his own fiction and non-fiction work; examples of his calligraphic covers; word play with titles; buoyant and cheerful covers for children’s fiction, among others

This exhibition is part of the year-long celebrations marking the centenary year of Satyajit Ray, legendary filmmaker, writer, illustrator and music composer.

The exhibition will continue online from 2 March to 13 March 2022. To access the exhibition, please visit www.iicdelhinic.in
 

Introductory Text

Satyajit Ray, the artist:
Satyajit Ray was a multifaceted genius who will be remembered as much for his graphic designing and illustrations as for his storytelling prowess.  He was a great artist first, well before he made his name as a filmmaker. He designed book covers, film posters, illustrated children’s books and had a mastery over calligraphy and typography creating numerous new fonts in Bengali and four Roman fonts, receiving an award for designing the typeface for Ray Roman. Ray’s artistic work reflects a sophisticated experimentation with various artistic styles and traditions, both local and foreign, without compromising on aesthetic or authenticity. Throughout his career, sketching, graphic design and calligraphy merged seamlessly with his filmmaking. 

From early childhood Ray was acquainted with the process of printing blocks, block printing and block carving techniques that he picked up at the family owned printing press U Ray and Sons. In 1940, he joined Santiniketan to study art under Nandalal Bose and Binode Behari Mukherjee who instilled in him a love of Indian classical art, reinforced by a tour he took in 1941 to see the great masterpieces for himself. Ray visited Ajanta, Ellora, Elephanta, Sanchi and Khajuraho, assimilating the qualities that distinguish Eastern from Western art. Critics note that this awareness sharpened his perception of the way very small details in Indian art could be used to express something much greater.

As a graphic illustrator, Ray started his career in 1943 as a junior visualiser at D.J. Keymer (now Ogilvy), a British-run advertising agency where he established a strong reputation as an art director and designer. His advertisements often reflected his familiarity with different folk motifs, traditional day-to-day rangolis (in Bengal, alpana) or the patachitra style of painting. At the same time, Ray ventured out as a book cover designer for the newly opened pioneering publishing house, Signet Press where he designed some of his best book covers revolutionising book jacket designs in Bengali literary traditions. At Signet a significant early assignment was the entire responsibility of layout, illustration and cover design of the abridged version of Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay’s immortal Bengali classic Pather Panchali with far-reaching consequences.

With an impressive portfolio of 5,500 book covers, posters, advertisement layouts and film titles and innumerable illustrations for Bengali fiction, both his own and others, Satyajit Ray encapsulated a fine blend of functionality and aesthetics of illustrations.

PHYSICAL PROGRAMME

An exhibition focusing on the depiction of women as Devi or Goddesses as seen in folk and tribal art of India. On view are Goddesses in Kalighat, Madhubani, Mata ni Pachedi, pichwai painting traditions; folk art paintings of Assam, Bengal, and Odisha; and through the shadow puppets and wooden sculptures of Karnataka
Curated by Seema Bhalla

Preview on Friday, 17th December 2021 at 18:30

(Collaboration: Art Konsult)
 

PHYSICAL PROGRAMME

An exhibition of photographs dedicated to Qawwali practitioners
Photographs by Dinesh Khanna, Mustafa Quraishi and Leena Kejriwal

Conceptualised by Manjari Chaturvedi

Inauguration on 17th November 2021 at 6 pm by Shri Amitabh Kant and Shri Hans Raj Hans

As part of the inauguration there will be a Dastaan-e-Qawwali presented by Askari Naqvi

Solo recitations of Qawwals will be presented by new voices at 17:00 hrs each evening during the course of the exhibition

PHYSICAL PROGRAMME

An exhibition of museum quality Dhakai Jamdani sarees from the collection of Siddhartha Tagore. On display are Jamdanis from the late 19th century woven in Dhaka (Bangladesh) and some from an earlier period including some rare pieces produced by the East India Company 

Curated by Puneet Kaushik and Rema Kumar

(Collaboration: Art Konsult)

PHYSICAL PROGRAMME
An International Artists Exhibition 
A group exhibition of artworks by artists of Art for Change Foundation led by Dr. Rachel Smith, Stefan Eicher, Joshua John, Shalem Kallimel and Isaac Gergan
 
Works by 12 international artists and 9 Indian artists along with works from the Art for Change Foundation's collection will be on view. The artists from the March 2020 International Artist Residency are: Dan Cooper (USA); Elizabeth Kwant (UK);  Sedrick Huckaby (USA); K.W. Bell (USA); Moriah Miller (USA); Heather Harper (USA); Stephanie McDairmant (USA); Jennie Kimbrough (USA); Marianne Lettieri (USA);  Laura Stevenson (USA); Liz Braid (Australia); Shamira Wilson (USA); Navya Sah (India); Sanjeev Mirajkar (India); Sakshi Yadav (India); Mohd. Intiyaz (India); Bernard Cargay (India); Sangeeta Pathak (India); Ravi Chaurasiya (India); Isaac Gergan (India); Mohd. Sultan Alam (India); and Khandakar Ohida (India).

 Curatorial note

Connecting with those who are different from us.
In India, as in the rest of the world, we face divisions of every kind. Differences such as gender, religion, politics, socioeconomic status, and language make it difficult for us to understand each other. For this reason, Art For Change Foundation’s theme for the International Artist Residency 2020 is “What to do with Difference? Art and Artist as Bridge”. For two weeks in Delhi, a diverse group of 21 national and international artists came together to engage the issue of difference, from the small and personal aspects of individual relationships, to the perennial questions of community and social identity. 
How does Art address Differences?
Artists are observers, listeners, and storytellers. Through their art, they invite others to engage these stories, generating empathy and reflecting truth. Although solutions to the problems we face are not always clear, art can reveal the complexities of an issue that provide clarity and better understanding. Looking at the strife that differences have caused in the world around us, it is easy to become discouraged. Yet art can provide hope and direction, even when it addresses the worst of circumstances or the things that divide us. 
Bridging Differences
The idea of bridging differences has struck the resident artists in multiple ways. Informed by the collective conversation, their work in this exhibit explores many topics in individual and collaborative artworks. In just two short weeks, in spite of their diversity, the artists found that art has created something that transcends their differences: a community founded on love’s creative nature. We invite you to join this important conversation. 

More about the residency and program can be found at https://artforchange.space/residencies#/difference

An exhibition of photographs and text
By Sharni Jayawardena and Malathi de Alwis
 
Inauguration on Tuesday, 13 May 2014 at 18:30
 
Devotion to Kannaki-Pattini is an inspiring example of Hindu-Buddhist syncretism in Sri Lanka. Tamil Hindus know her as Kannaki and Sinhala Buddhists as Pattini. However, a large number of Sri Lankans, even devotees, are unaware that she is a shared deity. While some beliefs and rituals of veneration are shared, there are also significant variations between and across the two religions, and regionally. This photographic exhibition attempts to capture that diversity and complexity
 
As part of this exhibition, there will be a talk on Monday, 19 May 2014 at 18:30 in the Art Gallery on
Devotion and Syncretism: Pattini-Kannaki Worship in Sri Lanka
Illustrated lecture by Dr. Malathi de Alwis, Consultant Socio-Cultural Anthropologist