Sujata Bajaj: Olympic artwork in France
The law of attraction is at play. The universe has decided to reward me with the abundance of what keeps me happy. The wealth of art keeps my soul and mind nourished way beyond acquisition. Stay engaged and immersed in art and you will find it keeps away inconsequential matter that weighs you down.
Olympic Art
THE world is recovering from its Olympic hangover. What endures in my mind is the exuberance of Sujata Bajaj’s palette rooted in her journey deeply shaped by France and India. She approached the project by JSW as an ode to the Olympic legacy. Well-known for her larger-than-life formats and execution, she brings the warmth of the Indian tiringa and French flag’s blue, white and red explicitly. It is a celebration of tradition and heritage while welcoming modernity.
The Ashoka Chakra reveals itself from within one of the Olympic circles with a hint of metallic gold, silver and bronze to represent the medals for the events. Says Bajaj, “The universality of the Olympic message is mirrored within the fill of the circles themselves where the fluidity of the colors suggest world maps as seen from distant outer space.”
Kathiwada City House
WE have a surprise from my super senior young guns aunt and uncle who decide that if the Olympic athletes can put in such inspirational effort to perform, they can visit Indore before they hit the top of the house. So it is a 360-degree spin on their return to catch up with their aging peers and bring home mind over matter. The cherished family from their wedding album is displayed in the nook of the well-appointed Kathiwada City House. I have heard stories, that deserve an oral repository in their right, as flower girl for their wedding and regale in their delight.
Sangeeta Kathiwada has built a community of patrons passionate about streams that encourage mindful living in her tasteful space. Her private art collection adorns the walls while the hotel project model and floor plan of the ancestral home in Kathiwada hold your attention.
Apro Dikro Zubin holds centre stage
It’s been an unending stream of miracles. I live on a planet that dreams and lives art. And it responds. I am transported to the realm of the unreal at the rehearsal of SOI conducted by the legend Maestro Zubin Mehta at Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA thanks to Francis (hailing from a musical family in Aldona, Goa) who has been playing the viola for the SOI since its inception.
It is always insightful to preview the effort to put together the opus magnus that leads to the performance. The orchestra tunes in and is bubbly. Amidst good cheer, they break into a peppy Happy Birthday to anyone who is celebrating in the audience. The orchestra playfully taps their bows and feet as the bearer signals the entrance of the maestro by placing the baton on the podium at the dot of 11 am.
The repertoire is the works of Johann Strauss: the grandiose “Overture to Die Fledermaus” to the soprano vocalist Chen Reiss accompanied for “Csárdás.” The melodies bring a flashback of the SOI in the orchestra pit in front of the stage of JBT for the magnificent musical theatrical “Die Fledermaus” in October 2022.
It is magical to see the first violinist take the cue from the maestro to relay the specific bars that need attention. From the lively tritsch-tratsch polka to the Emperor’s regal waltz it is small wonder why the nonagenarian beloved conductor has a special place in the hearts of the eternal world of music.
Studio and Process
ARTIST Jyotee invites me to her studio and shares her process and evolving artworks. The black and white palette, the negative spaces, the introduction of color, the fluidity of seemingly origami folds and perspectives; get us on the same page. She explains her gravitation to anti-gravity I am invited to play and create my pattern with the sheets on the table and she is pleased with the results. Her current play of motifs and memories of childhood is the new series she is working on. The interaction makes it possible to see why and how the artist and viewer collide to complete the circle of visual art.
Bhakti (Devotion)
“THE Art of Krishna” in all artistic interpretations was held at The Art House, NMACC at BKC. From the traditional Tanjavore art form to the sculptures of the deity in stone and the iconic form in Jaganaath the multilevel display was a comprehensive collection. Ashvin E. Rajagopalan curated what was a staple for us who devoured Amar Chitra Katha in our growing years.
The central exhibit has to be Raja Ravi Verma’s birth of the blue lord who had to be clandestinely swapped to escape the wrath of Kamsa ridden with the fear of his death by Devaki and Vasudeva’s eighth child. There were other national treasures by RRV, the father of modern art in India, Jamini Roy and modern masters like Hussain, Manjit Bawa and Raqib Shaw.
The monsoon is yielding to the festive season. The excitement is palpable. As we transition from handcrafted crochet rakhi, the makeshift workshops are finishing the idols of Ganesha to usher in the best-loved Hindu God.
Art & Charlie
“PAYSAGES Politises” curated by TAK Contemporary exhibits eight artists from different parts of the world with interdisciplinary practices. The note says “…to explore the memory facets as a site. A site is a culmination of its natural elements, social structure, and political system. Our personal and collective memories shape our understanding of the world and the place within.”
The spatial works, which included toilet paper elaborately entwined over the wire, are a breath of fresh air in the space. Ayesha Parikh’s delicious homemade dip for the vernissage at the endearing cottage housing Art & Charlie, in Pali village, Bandra was the perfect complement to the versatility of medium and execution on display.
On view till September 18
ANOTHER octogenarian, our Lorna, Bombay-based Goan nightingale turns 80. It is time to celebrate her life as another icon who defies age and defines resilience. The circle of life begins.