India Perspectives | Free Webzine on Indian Contemporary Arts

India Perspectives is a very rich and informative magazine published in 17 languages by the Ministry of External Affairs combining the best of culture and tradition of India. We devote this special issue of India Perspectives to an exploration of India’s contemporary art landscape. It has come about through a wonderful collaboration that we established with Delhi’s famed National Gallery of Modern Art

Open publication - Free publishing

Unbox Festival | Feb 24-27, 2011, Delhi

Conference + Fellowship +Public Events + Partner Festivals
UnBox creates a space for practitioners to learn from one another and spark new forms of social and cultural innovation. The festival blends work and play across contexts and mediums, bringing attendees together for lectures, panels, workshops, debates, brainstorms, and travel. The festival experience is designed to be completed and inspired by access to four parallel cultural festivals in the evenings and nights from 24-27 February 2011.

Prior to the festival, selected UnBox Fellows will participate in an immersive, intense, and multi-disciplinary field trip. We seek fellows for sessions on design thinking and entrepreneurship in India, organic food in India, Old Delhi through new media, and livelihoods in Kumaon.

More info on - http://unboxfestival.com/home/

DUM MARO DUM | First Look

Geeta Kapur & Vivan Sundaram | India's First Art Archive

AAA Symposium-

The Subject of Archives

10am – 6pm, Saturday 26 February 2011
School of Arts and Aesthetics Auditorium, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

Asia Art Archive presents 'The Subject of Archives', a one-day symposium hosted by the School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on 26 February 2011 at the School of Arts and Aesthetics Auditorium, JNU, New Delhi. This symposium is occasioned by the launch of 'Another Life: The Digitised Personal Archive of Geeta Kapur and Vivan Sundaram', the newly digitised personal archive of art critic and curator Geeta Kapur and contemporary art practitioner Vivan Sundaram.
When:	Saturday 26 February 2011, 10am – 6pm
Where:	School of Arts and Aesthetics Auditorium, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
Language:	English
The first art archive in India to be digitised by AAA, the project brings to the public the broad range of material collected by Kapur and Sundaram since the 1950s. Originally established as a personal archive, the collection not only documents the artwork and writings produced and published thus far during Kapur and Sundaram’s prolific careers, but also documents events in India’s art community over the last 50 years, and includes exhibition catalogues, newspaper clippings, and artists' slides, some of which are entering the public domain for the first time. The symposium will reflect on a growing interest in the subject of archives around the world, coupled with an escalating anxiety about the custodianship of memory. Through presentations by internationally and regionally respected scholars and opportunities for open dialogue, The Subject of Archives will create a platform for the ongoing discussions that surround issues of archiving today, particularly with regard to India. The symposium will begin with introductory remarks by Claire Hsu, AAA Executive Director, followed by presentations from the following guest speakers: Sven Spieker, Professor, Comparative Literature Program, University of California, Santa Barbara; Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Senior Fellow, Centre for the Study of Culture and Society, Bangalore; Parvez Kabir, Lecturer, Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, India among others. In addition, Vivan Sundaram will discuss his preoccupation with archives as an artist, and Sabih Ahmad, AAA Researcher for India, will discuss the digitisation process and share selected material from the project. Programme Schedule 10:30am Welcome + AAA Introduction Welcome address by School of Arts and Aesthetics Auditorium, Jawaharlal Nehru University Introduction to Asia Art Archive by Claire Hsu, Executive Director, Asia Art Archive 11:00am Session I Speakers: Professor Sven Spieker, Professor, Comparative Literature Program, University of California, Santa Barbara Ashok Sukumaran, Artist, CAMP and Pad.ma Discussant: Jeebesh Bagchi, Artist, Raqs Media Collective 01:30pm Session II Speakers: Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Senior Fellow, Centre for the Study of Culture and Society, Bangalore Parvez Kabir, Lecturer, Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan Discussant: Geeta Kapur, Art Critic/Curator 03:30pm Session III Speakers: Vivan Sundaram, Artist Sabih Ahmad, Researcher for India, Asia Art Archive Special thanks to the School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Anupam Poddar and Lekha Poddar, Devi Art Foundation.

Gandu | Indie Film

//Viewers Discretion Advised//

To Conquer Her Land | by Poulomi Basu

In September 2009, India’s first women soldiers were deployed at the India-Pakistan border in Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir. Poulomi Basu followed these women, from different parts of the country, castes, and backgrounds, during their last days at home to the barracks, through training camp to active duty.

Stationed on a critical border, they try to come to terms with their new responsibilities while patrolling barren lands. This transformation is intense; it is impossible to recreate or restore what they’ve left behind. Theirs is a country so vast that all lines seem to disappear, yet contains a deathly silence so white, haunting, and exact that it can create peace even in a land on the brink of war.

More women in India are in the army than ever before. Yet most of them are painfully alone, as they make up less than 1 percent of the country’s 1.2 million-strong armed forces.

Military culture, which can be intimidating, has not been particularly tailor-made for women. The Indian woman in the army is not only battling against the enemy, but also against a largely patriarchal society. Most of the women Basu photographed joined the forces to fight their present state of affairs as well as to find an escape from their dire rural livelihood.

In “To Conquer Her Land,” Basu tried to humanize these complex yet intricate issues of poverty, conflict, psychological warfare, caste, youth, gender, love, peace, the concept of home, an undefined idea of patriotism, strength of mind, and a level of stress previously unknown to them. She says, "I have barely started my journey documenting the human impact of what an uncertain political, economic, and social situation can evoke."

Poulomi Basu is a freelance photographer born in India. She completed her Masters in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the London College of Communication in 2009 with a Distinction. Her work can be seen in The Sunday Times Magazine, Elle, andInternational Herald Tribune, among other publications. She was a selected Magenta Flash Forward Emerging Photographers 2010 winner. She currently lives and works between London and Mumbai.

Source: http://www.guernicamag.com/

BHARAT SIKKA | Matter

OPENS 24th FEB, 2011

Nature Morte, Delhi

TEDx returns to Bombay | Event Details

TED is an annual event where some of the world’s leading thinkers and doers are invited to share what they are most passionate about. “TED” stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design — three broad subject areas that are, collectively, shaping our future. And in fact, the event is broader still, showcasing ideas that matter in any discipline across all mediums. Attendees have called it “the ultimate brain spa” and “a four-day journey into the future.” The diverse audience — CEOs, scientists, creatives, philanthropists — is almost as extraordinary as the speakers, who have included Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Gooall, Frank Gehry, Paul Simon, Sir Richard Branson, Philippe Starck, Bono, Nandan Nelikani, Shekhar Kapur, Srivatsa Krishna, Harsha Bhogale, C.K.Prahalad, and Shashi Tharoor.

“Youth@Young Leaders of Tomorrow” which no surprise, will celebrate young people and feature a lot of old people talking about what young people ought to do, or as the organisers put it “create a platform for current day leaders from diverse fields to engage with the next generation to collaborate and promote an exchange of ideas”. The speaker list includes such middle-aged folk as chef Rahul Akerkar, media maven Suhel Seth, UTV head Ronnie Screwvala, Times Now editor Arnab Goswami and US Consul General Paul Folmsbee with just one or two token under 30s, like writer Fatima Bhutto, who along with WPP head Martin Sorrell, will speak via pre-recorded video clips. And like the first TEDx in our city, there will be an application process for the audience, who have to fill in this form and describe their career goals in under 100 words if they want to nab one of 200 spots.

BAWA BROADCASTING | Parsi Ad Agency

Back in the 90's MTV was way cooler than it is now. MASI's brings back some of that nostalgia... check out the selection of some teasers that were produced by MTV India promotion created by Cyrus Oshidar from Bawa Broadcasting.















MAHESH G's 'How to become cool' classes -

http://www.bawabroadcasting.co.in/videos/others01.html

BOMBAY ELECTRONIC HOLI PARTY | MASI Invites You

Bombay's first Glowing Colours (neon uv glow paint) and After Dark Holi Party with killer electronic & techno/house music!

MASI's PRIVATE BEACH HOUSE PARTY

RSVP on facebook to get into the guest list
Contact us:
via
BB - pin:228e9759
via
email -
shiva.projekt@gmail.com

Cost - To Be Announced

****In association with SHIVA PROJEKT****

$ $ Lead Sponsorship by MASI - Media Awakening & Special Interests $ $

www.abhinitk.blogspot.com

~ Official anthem will be out out soon - produced by Moodyman aka Yohann ~

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival | Bombay (5th-13th Feb)

Highlights:

Papiertheatre on Rampart Row... opening weekend only... supported by Max Meuller Bhavan and created by German artists, it is an interactive installation.

The old world photo studio, by well known photographer, Shiresh Karrale. A photo studio where the public can get their photos taken with the help of props, replicated from the Raja Deen Dayal era.

Katherine Rose , UK art author in conversation with art historian Nancy Adajania and famous artist Jitish Kallat .... 9th feb evening 6.30pm -CSMVS Museum garden in association with British Council.

Ajay De will demonstrate his art skills at Artists Centre on Tuesday 8th Feb at 6pm.

In the general absence of parks and open spaces, the street is the nucleus of communal life in Mumbai. It’s where meals are sold and eaten, where groceries are purchased on the commute home and where neighbors gather every evening for a chat. But until recent years, art and culture remained off the city’s streets, strictly confined to galleries and theaters frequented by the elite. The debut of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (KGAF) in 1999 changed that. This year’s version will take place Feb. 5 to 13, spread over several streets in Mumbai’s tiny but beautiful colonial-era art district.

The KGAF is the city’s most important annual cultural event; it’s also perhaps the only urban Indian arts festival that is accessed by — and is accessible to — the rich and poor alike. “The focus for us has always been taking art to the public,” said Brinda Miller, the event curator. “Almost all our workshops and events are free.”

The festival will feature 350 events, and organizers expect as many as 30,000 visitors. The program spans the entire cultural gamut, encompassing fine art, sculpture, dance, music, cinema, literature and theater.

This year, after a local resident complained about the noise generated by the event, the festival will be forced to be “soundless” — installations will focus instead on light, and some music and dance events will take place without microphones. Highlights include guided walks through the city’s biggest open-air laundromat and the enormous gothic-style Chhatrapati Shivaji train station, performances by the tabla master Ustad Fazal Qureshi and Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam, a textile installation by the popular designer Krsna Mehta, and screenings of alternative and mainstream films, both Indian and international - NYT.com

Madhya Pradesh | Incredible India Ad

The video comprises and showcases the art called Hand-Shadowgraphy, which is supposed to have generated during the age of Ramayana. The video displays various characters created by the use of hands, which were a part of the recent MP Tourism commercial.

Baajaa Gaajaa Fest | Indie Folk Music Fest of India

What: The annual music festival held by Indian classical musicians, singer Shubha Mudgal and tabla player Aneesh Pradhan & absolutely free to enter.

Where: Pune, Ishanya Mall, Yerawada.

When: Friday, February 4 to Sunday, February 6.

More info - http://baajaagaajaa.com/