march end report

Nikhil in the garden

Performance ****

artist name: Nikhil Chopra
country: India
Location: Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Jijamata Udyan, Byculla

victorian costume – he looked very elegant. The ambience was fantastic and he fitted there perfectly. Loved him there.

He walked from the 2nd floor of the museum—the stairs to the hall to the garden of the museum with grace. Did a huge drawing of the museum for two days. The visitors for this museum is really public. Mainly they come for the zoo and also visit this museum which is in the same complex of the zoo called rani bagh now re named as Jijamata udyan. The public couldn't avoid not watching nikhil.

Nikhil as chitrakar in bombay-- i think this was a public performance. In kashmir it worked and here it did. The site specific and the role he played with completely different characters mattered.

Photography not allowed but i took some illegally. I was warned 3 times but passed off by saying i am artists friend.

As i have a devi surname the same way now nikhil has chitrakar surname like the midnapore chitrakars.


Shows:

Artist Name: Nilima Sheikh *****

artists country: India
location: Chemould Prescott Road, Bombay

title of the show 'Each night put Kashmir in your dreams'

as always love her work. But will only give no stars for lighting. Why do artist give last priority for lighting. But in her Espace show in Delhi loved the lighting.

The usage of space and lighting and walls makes the work little boring here in chemould. But as her works are so strong and reads like a book so i think other things shouldn't matter.

Most of the scrolls i have seen earlier but to visit them again was a pleasure.

Couldn't see the video properly as the projector refused to work after a while.

Dinner -- food as usual was fantastic.

Movie:
LSD – love sex aur dhokha *********countless stars
director Dibakar Banerjee

Camera to storytelling and watching in regal was really a treat. Unpredictable story approach and abrupt ending made the film quite a space for the viewer to imagine and also question.

Actors did a fantastic job, all new faces. The story really makes your hair stand still. Few places are really scary... not a fun fun film but an intense film in a fun approach. The use of low end cameras was fun. The thing i loved is the technology was part of the story. Whole film was linked to each other. Must must see film.

Lahore: bad bad bad film.
I dont understand why do we always have to teach others what peace is? In this logic -all the peace films i found few common elements sp when it is a story of a sports which is like a war:

1.we have to win then the peace comes for sure.
2.If we dont win then we make others realize --actually it was a sacrifice and make others guilty and make sure the win comes backs to us.
3.We never teach our players or janta to be violent –we follow Gandhiji's non-violence path. But sadly our enemies always are violent as they could be.
4.We are always right.
5.We love to hear we are tolerant and we love the word Sorry or “mafi” --no no not we saying it –in the end the enemy acknowledging it.
6.Acknowledgment is very important and we really love it.
7.Women plays a huge role on this peace process but men take away the glory


why i saw this film after LSD –back to back watching film can back fire you many times.

LSD then Lahore and then Nilima Shiekh on the same day with a sour Bum and thigh was little too much.

But still 2 out of 3 things was good which made a good day.

kandivali to alibagh

on our way

Bharatmata

Bharatmata

Bhaucha Dhakka

on the ferry with the bikewallas

sunscreen

tired

villa

April 1^st

it is easy to open a blog but writing is really boring, i hope i had a Ganesha who could write for me and i become a narrator the Vyasa

cycle trip to Alibagh from Bombay suburbs

cycling to Alibagh – march 27^th and march 28^th – just one day after becoming 40.

morning 5am i took an auto with my cycle to juhu circle and then waiting for all the 3 idiots to come, 2 men -- hour late.

2 women 2 men – gender equal no 33%

2 gear cycle and 2 normal cycle

Juhu circle to Bhaucha Dhakka to alibagh-- linking road to bandra to tulsi pipe line to dadar to lower parel to bharatmata to cotton green to bhaucha dhakka, then took a ferry to Rewas. Then again cycled almost to Alibagh but entered a small village called Khim just before Alibagh next to the beach, found a villa and was almost dead. The caretaker lady told her sister-in-law to make some veg food for us we hogged and then were flat. The men slept till 7 eve but women where more excited about the beach. Sadly we forgot our swim suits.

The men as they slept like a log so we couldn't continue our journey to Revdanda

the villa was excellent, looks like a colonial or a Portuguese wooden bungla. Kept very badly. But it is for sale the owner stays in Hong kong and the caretaker lady who has 5 daughters one son and 4 grand daughter looks not more than 45yrs old.

now people will laugh at me –took an auto- then a ferry what is the cycling about. But i need to tell people from juhu circle to Bhaucha Dhakka is minimum 30km and then rewas to that village was 24km so it is 54km

returned back the same way but de-routed to Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Jijamata Udyan, Byculla to see nikhil chopra. Then i cycled till kandivali thakur complex no auto and the km increased i am sure it must be more than 70km i think 75 maybe 80km uffff

Tips:

1. Start at 5am

2. Dont drink the previous night and sleep early not at 2am—doesn't matter you completed 40 that night.

3. Have a cushion fixed to the cycle seat

4. take a hook-- if tired you can hook yourself to an auto or bus or truck

5. Dont wear a front button shirt –tshirts and half pants

6. eat and drink lots of water and foood

7. always go in a trip with people who love eating. And ready to cycle few more km to search for good exciting local food.

things to Remember:

1. in the ferry—morning 8.30
   ferries roof is called Foul and the main sitting downstairs is called Fair. So the foul was filled with bikes and our 4 cycle
   --there where 15 to 20 bikers
   --all bikers started their morning with rum and beer and we 4 of us where having vada pav
   --the bikers with their drinks started singing bhajans from jai hanuman to ma santoshi mata and ended with jai maharashtra songs --total 2 hours

2. the food made by the local women for dinner:

   surmai fish fry + Kolambi (Malvani Prawns Curry) + rice bhakri (rice roti)

3. Bum pains

mumbai update 2010 march

Mumbai report March 20th 2010,

nothing much to write.
My rankings: * to ****************************************endless......

Performance 1 **hmm ok one more *

artist name: Nikhil Chopra
country: India
Location: Chatterjee and Lal ( no it is not a chartered account's office it is a kool gallery), Mumbai
timing: 12 to 5-- woooo for 5 days

set: drums drums drums, beer beer beer, cig, cig cigssss, and dark dark dark, with 1spot light
costume: daily different, golden to chikimiki black/blue i dont know the blue was the light or the dress, but black for sure.

Photo:
i could take photo without permission :-)

concept: drink drink drink and beat the drum, sometimes the artists little 2 or 3 yrs old son came to offer help as the child thought he can beat up the drum better. But the talented upcoming son was ignored by the drunk jealous father, so the son preferred to take a revenge by loudly howling and then we saw the son was shooed way.

i would say Nikhil Chopras this performance was like an interval, retaining his english babu style

PS: by the way i heard he was beating these kind of drums for the first time.


Show no 2: **

Artist name: T Venkanna
Country: India
Location: Gallery Maskara, Warehouse on 3rd Pasta' (this is not the italian pasta lane)

Photo strictly prohibited – the quality, my cell ph image gives anyways the artist would have committed suicide.

Need to know badly why the gender and sp the male gender has become so important, is it because now people are open, coming out of the closets? Or is it a in thing. 10 or maybe 20years back it was female female gaze then the migration, race and other stuff even like child labor came as a fashion now we have the Male ko dikhao....

toys were made well.

I think Maskara had few brilliant shows in his first year. He claims Venkanna to be his best but i disagree.

Show no 3: ***

Artist name: Bharat Sikka
Country: India
Location: Project88

why to take a photo of a photo?

Nothing much to say

Show no 4:
front:*
back:***

Artist name: Sunil Gawde
Country: India
Location: Sakshi

old work displayed before, but this was his 2nd edition and this edition went to Venice Biennial. And then he completed his half century.

Big Joos after that.

Show no 5**********************************conti....

The Artful Pose: Early Studio Photography in Mumbai
(c.1855-1940) at the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Jijamata Udyan, Byculla
collection from Alkazi Foundation for the Arts

was so much into the works forgot to take photographs not sure of permission but purchased a book.


The last thing of the day i wanted to watch Road Movies but alas it is gone hope it is going on somewhere but now will see LSD for sure.

Cycle is going quite strong – had a round in SG Park –nice to cycle there but rs 20 every day is quite bizarre.

Earlier shows which continued till this week:

Show no 6 – Pink *
Opening was filled with all kinds of Stars so she gets pink star

Artist: Mithu Sen
Country India
Location: Chemould Prescott Road, Queens mansion

Title of the show: Black Candy (iforgotmypenisathome)
Many people actually forgot their pen by mistake instead of ......

Title had too much fire without a lighter. People went mad on the title. It became a trend in FB and there was a Black candy language created -like we had silsila sarees in fashion in the late 80s. But my grammar and sentence making is better than the BC lingo.


Show no 7– 2 spaces one space gets ** &little more and another gets *

Artist: Shreyas Karle
Country India
Location: Gallery Pundole and Project 88 (2 solo together actually he should get more stars i will check on my rating soon and consider the application.

Will he become the future star or will he become a falling star? Political humor needs more understanding and polishing. But good approach and like the simplicity. But lacks stability. He is walking on the thin line so he might fall either ways –need to watch


Show no 8 : *

title of the show: Her Work is Never Done—I, II

what does the title exactly mean?

Do u mean she never works or she only works and doesn't do any masti? Or it is a very complex superwomen? 'HER' is addressed to exactly whom? But the concept says she is a supper heroine, then my question is if she is a superwomen then chutki mai kaam hona chaheye boss.

delhi update march 2010

performance 1

Artist Name: Han Bing
artists country: china
location: khoj, Delhi

idea: making love to the garbage
source of the garbage: nearby mall
dress: skin tight chaddi
timing: 45min

set: glass room, one side garbage other side for the camera and audience to stand.
from ceiling some thermocol small white balls showering on every bodies head like stars or flowers in weddings

performance: artist passionately started making love to the garbage and and and and for 45 min, but as he couldn't reach the high point he had to quit.

Backstage story: the garbage came in the morning, the artist asked the helpers to sterilize it and then it came to the stage as a mock garbage.

After performance: artist ran to have a bath because the garbage still seems to not let go its identity, so it was proved it was a pure respectable garbage.

performance 2

Artist Name: Han Bing
artists country: china
location: Espace, Delhi

idea: making love to the Stone
dress: wearing white lungi
timing: 45min

set: road, open air, stones between cotton(rue) with 7 rickshaw men chiter-bhiter all around lying on stones. each person one stone, artist has his own stone

performance: artist passionately started making love to one of the stone and and and and in 20 min, he had to quit again.

Backstage story: 7 rickshaw guys where asked to be in tight skin colour chaddi but they refused so they wore check lungies so the artist too preferred to wear a white lungi. not sure the stones were sterilized or not?


Pakistani Show rating: *********
artist curating a show always has a double edge.

Atul show:
clever works, enjoyed the local humor layering as usual, but still the risk factor was not there. As usual too many reference which i personally enjoyed and like the aspect him being local not so much global. But i dont know was it necessary to have shutters in canvas? I would like him to just cross the border and he being a very intelligent artist i am sure he can.

weather report: very nice total spring getting hot.

kiara

20th Dec 2009
Kiara dies




























































































last day

march to dec 2009

March to Dec 2009

quite a mess, with lots of shows, lots of entertainment with events, people falling on my work to having fantastic traveling few images to remember 2009:

85 yrs old man falls into this pit and trips 4 times from one corner to the other end diagonally, left top to right bottom. Trips on the plasma, but he was trying to save the plasma. (the gallery owner inaugurated the plasma one hour back to this incidence.)

Hits his head on the right side, bleeds a little, and is perfectly fine goes to the club to have his regular quota of drinks and the next morn as usual goes for a morning walk with his new girl friend.

ladakh zanzkar valley

Archana Devi in Pari Mahal

pari mahal