View Catalogue

Art Musings opened their exhibition, Exquisite Cadaver on 20 October 2011 with a solo exhibition by Raghava K K. This is Raghava’s third solo exhibition with Art Musings after the very successful Brooklyn Bound R-Train in 2009 – 10 and Drawn and Quartered in 2008. Says Raghava K K of this current body of works, “Exquisite Cadaver is a series of artwork that has arisen from a recent diasporic dilemma. I perform many roles – artist, Indian, American, father, husband, parent, child, student, teacher. Even within the art world itself, I am a thinker, a philosopher, an ingénue, and also a seller of beauty, a businessman, a politician. So fragmented is my identity, that I find it rather caricatured to identify with any one predominant role. Exquisite Cadaver is a game that represents a more complex search for identity and truth. Now, I play exquisite cadaver with my fragmented selves, creating a series of mythological characters, borrowing from tradition, history, and even my own nostalgia. Over the last year, each of these works has been created simultaneously in parts, fragmenting the storyline that runs through the series. Through this body of works, I am creating the mythology of the post-post-contemporary diasporic Indian, one that becomes coherent only in its entirety.”

20.10.2011 – 30.11.2011

Art Musings opens their next exhibition ‘Graceful Silence’ featuring Bengal-based artist Lalu Prasad Shaw showcasing 40 works in tempera. This is Lalu Prasad Shaw’s second solo show in Mumbai with Art Musings after ‘Sepia’ Notes in 2007. The artist draws inspiration from nature and the milieu surrounding the great Bengali middle class, often depicting scenes from his own life onto his canvas. His works are highly stylized portraits of Bengali women laying emphasis on his subject’s physical characteristics. Capturing the expressions of his subjects perfectly with the greatest economy of line and colour, each of Shaw’s paintings has an intimate feel to it. An immensely gifted artist and print maker, Shaw’s work is notable for its smooth synthesis of disparate stylistic elements. Influenced by the pre-independence Company School of Art, the traditional Kalighat Pat and the Ajanta cave paintings, Shaw’s works, mainly executed in gouache or tempera, have a very still, well-composed and smooth exterior. His style is unique and modern in its adaptation of academic and traditional Indian formats.

23.09.2011 – 18.10.2011

Lalu Prasad Shaw | Woman with Jasmine Flowers | Tempera on Paper | 20” x 15” | 2011

Lalu Prasad Shaw | Woman in the Green Sari | Tempera on Paper | 20” x 15” | 2011

Lalu Prasad Shaw | Woman in Striped Sari | Tempera on Paper | 20” x 15” | 2011

Lalu Prasad Shaw | Sringar | Tempera on Paper | 20” x 15” | 2011

Lalu Prasad Shaw | Lady and the Blue Moon | Tempera on Paper | 21” x 15’’ | 2011

Lalu Prasad Shaw | Grace | Tempera on Paper | 20” x 15” | 2011

Lalu Prasad Shaw | Blue Mood | Tempera on Paper | 21” x 14” | 2007

View Catalogue

Art Musings opened there current exhibition features 5 renowned sculptors. Works in myriad mediums include bronze, brass, fibreglass, silver-plated copper and bell metal. Satish Gujral’s bronze sculptures have a fluid energy. This sense of movement, combined with the inherent strength of the material, gives the works a sinuous form. The use of patina and colour in the works create a subtle and aesthetic synergy. Nandagopal’s narrative sculptural work in copper and brass constitutes one of the most important collections in contemporary Indian sculpture. While Nandagopal is an artist steeped in the traditions of his country, his work has a contemporary sensibility that appeals to an international taste. Paresh Maity’s works are typical of his style – dynamic, strong and arresting. The bold lines, the piercing gaze and the painting over the sculptures give them a unique identity. Paris-based Sakti Burman’s sculptural works are almost three-dimensional translations of his paintings. The works have a sensuous languid fluidity, creating a world of fantasy, fable and poetic harmony. Radhakrishnan is a modernist who recharges age-old sculptural processes with a new sensibility. The artist adopts neither a referential avant-garde approach nor a derivatively tribal folk style; instead, his style seems to spring from the form he seeks to convey, and uniquely suits its subject. The exhibition continues till 14 September 2011.

17.08.2011 – 14.09.2011

Art Musings presents renowned Hyderabad-based artist Laxma Goud (1940, India). In this exhibition, Goud displays his versatility over a range of mediums, from watercolour, gouache, pastel and glass painting, to printmaking, stencil, drawing, and sculpture in bronze and terracotta. In his world, the tree spirits and the anthropomorphic residents of the animal kingdom of village fairy tales join Goud’s men and women to create new, interesting fantasies. A recurrent theme with the artist is that of the erotic, treated as an active and powerful aspect of male and female sexuality and existence. A recipient of several important awards, Goud has exhibited extensively all over the world.

15.07.2011 – 10.08.2011

Untitled | Intaglio | 19" x 15" | 2005

Untitled | Pencil On Paper | 9" x 7"

Untitled | Intaglio | 9" X 9"

Laxmi | Acrylic Reverse Painting on Acrylic Sheet | 13" X 10" | 2008

Art Musings opens their next exhibition Quarto with a group show featuring 4 contemporary artists Smriti Dixit, Vivek Sharma, Ajay Dhandre and Sharmi Chowdhary on 18 April 2011. Works on display include paintings in oils and acrylic, as well as sculptural and mixed media works. Smriti Dixit, (1971, Bhopal, India) earned her BFA from M.S. University, Baroda, 1994. This series entitled Flower is inspired by Buddhist ceremonial rites where, in lieu of flowers, they offer a spiritual cloth called Khada. The Khada-made flowers use myriad possibilities of knotting, stitching, pasting and folding, and signify the process of creation and evolution. The weathered works suggest the elaborateness of her creative process. Viveek Sharma, (1968, Mumbai, India), graduated from the J.J. School of Arts in Mumbai in 1994. He received the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen scholarship in 2009, in Germany. In the current series Identity, Viveek portrays the innocence of street urchins who are constantly grappling with the harsh reality of survival, yet dream of a brave new world. Sharma has had several solo and group exhibitions in India, Europe and USA. Ajay Dhandre, (1977, Wardha, India), graduated in 2001 from the Government College of Art, Nagpur. Ajay’s concept explores the revolution of a future visual language that is being generated by technological progress. In this series entitled Future Encyclopedia, he explores the seamless merging of intelligent machines with organic life gives rise to a new hybrid reality, indicating an evolutionary step into the future of human history. Sharmi Chowdhury, (1974,Kolkata,India) has done her B.F.A in painting from Kala Bhavan, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan in 2003 and M.V.A in painting from M.S. University, Baroda in 2005. Sharmi is fascinated with the everyday lives of women and men, and their continuous struggle through life. In this series she has adopted the narrative mode of documenting the life around, working on metaphors and symbols that represent specific characters in a given situation.

18.04.2011 – 12.06.2011

Viveek Sharma | Food For Thought | Oil on Canvas | 60” x 48”

Viveek Sharma | Ready To Take Off | Oil On Canvas | 68” X 60”

Smriti Dixit | Flower Is the Beautiful Part That Makes Fruit and Seeds – 2 | Mixed Media

Sharmi Chowdhury | On Synthetic Crusts | Tempera on Silk | 48” x 36” | 2010

Sharmi Chowdhury | Estranged Belongings | Tempera on Silk | Iron Box | 48” x 36” | 2010

Ajay Dhandre | Future Encyclopedia | Watercolor On Paper | 72” X 60”

Ajay Dhandre | Eggs Formation | Watercolour on Paper | 48’’ X 60” | 2010

View Catalogue

Art Musings presents Paris-based artist Maya Burman, in a solo exhibition entitled A Dreamer’s Labyrinth. Daughter of celebrated Indian painter Sakti Burman and French artist Maite Delteil, Maya has developed her own unique style. Works on display include paintings in pen and watercolour. Maya Burman’s inclination towards floral, decorative patters is along the lines of the French Art Nouveau tradition. Patterns weave and float around the central forms evoking a sense of exuberance and joie de vivre. Maya creates a dreamlike fairyland in her paintings. Her former training in architecture influences her work, visible in the scenes set within arches, columns and porches. In the larger works there are multiple viewpoints and the sections are not always linear. In the smaller format works however, she depicts a minutely dense imagery.

01.03.2011 – 09.04.2011

View Catalogue

Art Musings opens their third edition of Resonance featuring renowned master artists S H Raza, Anjolie Ela Menon and Sakti Burman. Raza’s work has the mystic aspects of Hindu philosophy. The ‘Bindu’ has now become more of an icon, sacred in its symbolism, and placing his work in an Indian context. For this exhibition, Raza is displaying a series based on Bharat and Nav Bharat. Sakti Burman’s paintings evoke the look of a weathered fresco. Burman uses a marbling effect, achieved by blending oils with acrylics, and employs pointillism to apply paint. In this exhibition, Burman has done a suite of paintings in various sizes depicting Dreamland. Menon is well known for experimentation and innovation, incorporating diverse cultures, with traces of Greco-Roman and Byzantine traditions. Her works generate a creative friction by juxtaposing the classical icon and the popular image. In this exhibition, Menon presents a spectacular large work Bird in a Golden Cage, as well as a series of small paintings in her trademark style.

04.02.2011 – 26.02.2011

Art Musings is participating in the India Art Summit, India’s premier art fair. Art Musings will be showcasing 10 artists including renowned masters S H Raza, Sakti Burman, and Anjolie Ela Menon, leading contemporary artist Nalini Malani and young established artists Raghava K K, Gopikrishna, Nilofer Suleman, Nikhil Chaganlal, Maya Burman, and Sujata Bajaj. The artists are displaying works in acrylic, oil and watercolour in their trademark style. S H Raza’s work has the mystic aspects of Hindu philosophy. The ‘Bindu’ now has become more of an icon, sacred in its symbolism, and placing his work in an Indian context. Sakti Burman’s paintings evoke the look of a weathered fresco. Burman uses a marbling effect, by blending oils with acrylics. Anjolie Ela Menon’s art incorporates diverse cultures, with traces of Greco-Roman and Byzantine traditions. Her works generate a creative friction by juxtaposing the classical icon and the popular image. Nalini Malani is a senior multimedia artist whose practice encompasses drawing and painting, as well as projected animation, video and film. Raghava K K’s work conceptually grapples with issues of sexuality and the construct of identity in contemporary society. In Gopikrishna’s surrealistic paintings, one can witness the ordinary and the impossible, unity and solitude, illumination and darkness. Nilofer Suleman’s work is inspired by Indian typography and street graphics. Her work is a coalition of styles that take Indian Graphic Culture onto a contemporary platform. Nikhil Chaganlal has developed a unique technique of painting on Masonite. Narrations hidden in objects and furniture reveal emotions of restless sexuality and aspiring spirituality. Maya Burman’s paintings are reminiscent of the French art nouveau tradition. The details of Indian miniature painting and European Middle Age architecture merge in her art Sujata Bajaj has worked with different art forms and media such as etching, wood-cut, sculpture, murals, cold ceramic, fiberglass, metal, mixed media and, now, acrylic.

20.01.2011 – 23.01.2011

S H Raza | Tree | Acrylic on Canvas | 40 x 40 cms | 2008

S H Raza | Nagas | Acrylic on Canvas | 50 x 50 cms | 2008

Sakti Burman | Twilight Dancer | Oil on Canvas | 10.5” x 9” | 2010

Sakti Burman | Conversation | Oil on Canvas | 10.5” x 9” | 2010

Raghava K K | We Thought It Was a Lover’s Quarrel | Watercolour on Paper | 69” x 46” | 2010

Raghava K K | Foul Air in the Delivery Wards | Watercolour on Paper | 69” x 46” | 2010

Nilofer Suleman | Jamila & Banu | Acrylic on Canvas | 45’’ x 45”

Nilofer Suleman | Amrit Manthan | Acrylic on Canvas | 45” x 45”

Nikhil Chaganlal | One Morning in Alibaugh | Mixed Media on Masonite Board | 18” x 18” | 2010

Nikhil Chaganlal | Farm House by the Sea | Mixed Media on Masonite Board | 18” x 12” | 2009

Nalini Malani | Murmur Of Maternal Lamentations | AC, Ink And Enamel Reverse Painting On Ac Sheet | 72” X 36” | 2008

Nalini Malani | Alice Down The Rabbit Hole-1 | Acr, Ink & Enamel Rev. Painting On Acr Sheet | 10” DIA | 2010

Maya Burman | Mother’s Warmth | Mixed Media on Paper | 47’’ x 16” | 2010

Maya Burman | Masquerade Party | Mixed Media on Paper | 32” x 47” | 2010

Gopikrishna | Tying the Travelling Man To the Tree of Soul | Watercolour on Paper | 22” X 36” | 2009

Gopikrishna | Travelling Portuguese | Oil on Canvas | 54” x 66” | 2008

Anjolie Ela Menon | Eisha – II | Oil on Masonite Board | 12” x 8” | 2010

Anjolie Ela Menon | Oil on Masonite Board | 12” x 8” | 2010

Art Musings opens their exhibition, featuring Shibu Natesan, Raghava K K, Viveek Sharma and Ajay Dandre on 12 January 2011. Works on display include recent watercolor paintings. Raghava K K’s work conceptually grapples with issues of sexuality and the construct of identity in contemporary society. In this exhibition, Raghava has presented a series of watercolors in his distinct style. Shibu Natesan embraces photorealism. The simulations resemble the original to a startling degree and prompt readings, which are contrary to what is intended, thus displacing the meaning without significantly altering the appearance. Ajay Dandre’s works investigate the revolution of a future visual language that is being generated by technological progress with reference to a new hyper technological research in natural organism and artificial material investigation. Viveek Sharma has focused on drawing and paintings of photorealistic images, displaying iconic buildings of the city. In this series, the artist includes Hanuman on the margins of the represented scene as an integral part of the narrative, as a silent observer of the event. The exhibition continues till 1 February 2011.

12.01.2011 – 01.02.2011

Viveek Sharma | Gateway to My Destiny | Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 23” | 2010

Viveek Sharma | Gateway to My Destiny | Mixed Media on Paper | 23” x 30” | 2010

Shibu Natesan | Untitled | Watercolour on Paper | 23’’ x 17’’

Shibu Natesan | Room | Watercolour on Paper | 17” x 23”

Ajay Dhandre | Future Encyclopedia | Watercolor On Paper | 72” X 60”

Ajay Dhandre | Eggs Formation | Watercolour on Paper | 48’’ X 60” | 2010

 View Catalogue

Art Musings presents their second solo exhibition of artist Nilofer Suleman. Suleman believes that inspiration lurks at every street corner, in the chai kadas, old Hindi movie posters, Ravi Varma’s god oleographs, in the excessiveness of painted trucks and in the simplicity of our archetypal interactions on the street and in the movies. She is inspired by Indian typography and street graphics and brings Indian Graphic Culture onto a contemporary platform. Suleman juxtaposes the real world on the streets to a softer world where lotuses sprout from any surface, serpents fall asleep daintily in one’s hair, and blue-skinned lovers embrace. Through her paintings, we see glimpses of how these worlds meet in everyday ritual and adornment. We Two, Ours One is an exploration of the innocent mirroring and emulation of the romances and attitudes of our self-created Gods and film stars till there is no clear distinction between the two.

01.12.2010 – 12.01.2011