India’s only daily newspaper for Art, Architecture, and Design.
What exactly is form, and what does it mean for form to retain or persist? Can we reflect on form without referencing a specific form, within the boundaries of form, or beyond them? In considering the question of what form is, how should viewers interpret the artworks in ‘What Form Retains’ by Baroda-based sculptor Mayur […]
Mayur Gupta’s ‘What Form Retains’: Between Material, Memory, and Meaning Read More »
War continues to play a significant part in political, historical, artistic, and cultural narratives in a world where conflict frequently changes civilisation. Unexpected attacks and conflicts in the Middle East are examples of ongoing geopolitical issues that serve as a reminder that war is not merely a distant historical event but rather a permanent reality
Art, Memory, and War: Samar Hussaini on Art and Palestinian Identity Read More »
What is history? Is it a story that says ‘once upon a time’, or is it a continuous process? Is history only what has crumbled and fallen, abandoned and on the edge of destruction, or only the ‘preserved monuments’? The group show at GallerySke reminds us that history is many things. Everyone who goes through
Glyphs at GallerySke: Three Artists Reimagine Histories in Fragments Read More »
What is the relationship between democracy and art? For clarity, ‘democracy’ here refers to a system of government in which power lies with the people, and ‘art’ denotes creative expression across various media. The notion that art often stands with the people and opposes authority is both ancient and trendy. However, that does not mean
Brushstrokes of Power: Art and Democracy in Contemporary India Read More »
Do you know that an Italian artist, Salvatore Garau, had an invisible sculpture auctioned for $18,000, drawing a variety of reactions online. For example, someone commented, ‘That’s not fair! I have the exact same sculpture in my bedroom.’ Another added, ‘I have some farts as well.’ Some individuals expressed uncertainty about how an invisible sculpture
Invisible Art and Value: The Controversy of Salvatore Garau’s ‘I Am’ Read More »
Melvin Edwards (1937–2026), who died last week at 88, was a Houston-born sculptor and activist who was raised during segregation and portrayed Afro-American lives in abstract terms. He first studied painting at the University of Southern California before turning to welding in 1959. Building on this distinctive artistic foundation, Edwards crafted intricate, abstract assemblages from
Melvin Edwards: New Political Vocabulary of ‘Lynch Fragments’ Read More »
We are now witnessing many wars. War on terror, war for oil, for power and so on. War creates a historical milieu; it divides history, memory and life into two: before and after the war. In the ongoing context of war, this article, as part of a series on war and art, examines the artworks
Sadegh Tirafkan: Reimagined War Memory of an Iranian Artist Read More »
Artist Manjot Kaur’s paintings, the lush, liminal world interprets the Indian miniature tradition and seeks novel ways to present it, producing a new lexicon and visual delight. As we know, painting is the art of seeing, and it enlarges and broadens the viewer’s world when engaged with. This is achieved in Kaur’s painting through translating
Manjot Kaur: Interspecies Agency and the Rewriting of Myth Read More »
The paintings from Smita M. Babu’s series ‘Paakkalam’, exhibited at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, traverse the geographical peculiarities of the Ashtamudi Lake shore in Kollam, a region with numerous unique characteristics. Smita’s works, which hint at various aspects related to the coir industry, including occupations, history, and traditions, stand as a testament to how an artist
Smita M. Babu on Paakkalam: Weaving Memory, Labour, and Landscape Read More »
Indonesian artist Jompet Kuswidananto presents ‘Ghost Ballad,’ a site-specific installation at Pepper House, as a part of the 6th Kochi-Muziris Biennale (2025–26), marking the journey from dictatorship to democracy and bringing together once-thriving, banned music and performances. The work uses his signature objects of ‘bodiless’ figures to gather the fractured chronology of Indonesia, acting as
Jompet Kuswidananto on Ghost Ballad: Singing Histories of Resistance Read More »