Tara books: Love notes to tribal art

Source Forbes India by Angad Singh Thakur
Bhajju Shyam was only 30 when he lost his “guru”—his uncle Jangarh Shyam—to crippling depression in 2001. Then India’s leading tribal artist, Jangarh committed suicide while in Japan on work. He was just 39. This was no ordinary loss. Bhajju had lost the man who had mentored him since he had arrived in Bhopal as a 16-year-old boy in search of work. It was his uncle who had recognised the spark in him which, today, has become a flame. And its glow is palpable from the minute you enter Book Building, which is home to independent publishing house Tara Books in South Chennai.
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Zain Masud appointed director of India Art Fair 2016

Source Art Agenda
The fair is pleased to announce the appointment of Zain Masud as International Director. Masud brings to her role with India Art Fair experience and contacts across the art scenes of the Middle East, South Asia, Russia, China and Africa, as well as extensive networks within the Western art world. Born in Saudi Arabia, Masud holds art history degrees from the University of Oxford, SOAS and University College London. From 2009–14 Masud served as Assistant Fair Director to Art Dubai, working across its exhibitor and VIP relations departments to develop the fair’s international presence and build relationships across the globe. Prior to this, she worked in contemporary art in Paris.
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India Art Fair announces dates for 2016 edition

Source DNA
The eighth edition of the India Art Fair, one of South Asia's biggest platform for modern and contemporary art, is scheduled to take place here from January 28, organisers announced on Thursday. First launched in 2008, the Fair's upcoming four-day edition would see Zain Masud as its international director. Masud, who served as Assistant Fair Director to Art Dubai for five years brings experience within the art scenes of the Middle East, South Asia, Russia, China and Africa, alongside her extensive networks within the Western art world," organisers said.
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The Importance of Hugo Weihe

Source Blouin Art Info by Archana Khare-Ghose
Most importantly, the man who must take credit for vigorously whipping up robust interest in the Indian market is Hugo Weihe, the then International Director of Asian Art at Christie’s. He was the one who had brought the gavel down on the $1.54 m sale of “Mahishasura,” with an overwhelmed Mehta present in the auction room. In the decade since then, Weihe has been at the helm of all the headlining acts that the Indian art market has achieved, including the December 2013 Christie’s auction of South Asian art in Mumbai. Unfortunately for the Indian art market, he quit Christie’s last year in July after the Indian art department that he had set up, was merged with the World Art department, that also includes Islamic Art, Antiquities and Tribal Art.
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Kolkata art buffs get a taste of Black Comedy

Source Financial Chronicle by Shona Adhikari
This week we focus on two galleries in Kolkata. The Sanskriti Gallery, which is celebrating its silver anniversary this year, has just downed shutters on a very special exhibition of the works of painter Ashoke Mullick and sculptor Nantu Behari Das. The other, Experimenter, a gallery that has achieved international acclaim for promoting contemporary art, is gearing up for its annual event, the Experimenter Curator's Hub 2015.
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K-Jo, tribal arts & khadi: Welcome to desi cool

Source Forbes India by Abhilasha Khaitan
A similar regard for tradition is visible in the hand-made books brought out by the niche Chennai-based publishing house, Tara Books. The stories are narrated and illustrated by India’s leading tribal artists from Bengal, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Each delicately crafted image is worth a thousand words: Only a Gond artist would portray the Big Ben as a rooster that wakes up London every morning. With collaborators from around the world, the books have a contemporary aesthetic while staying faithful to the art, writes Angad Singh Thakur.
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Frame of mind: How art can alter the fabric of society

Source Hindustan Times by Ruchika Kher
I hope more artistic platforms develop in the future. They will allow for greater convergence of various disciplines as the boundaries between various creative practices begin to blur. An instrumental change can happen at the level of primary education, where art and creative thinking can bring in a holistic approach to learning. Art can also be a vital tool to stimulate advanced thought and insight, and challenge existing perceptions. It is the ground from where one can hope for an overall renewal in the fabric of civil society.
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This is a great opportunity to build the Indian art market from the ground up: Hugo Weihe

Source Business Standard Manavi Kapur interview with Hugo Weihe
Which aspect of the Indian art market holds the most promise in your opinion? The online space has interesting consequences for the art market here. A lot of poster, tribal and contemporary art is finding buyers online, especially since most of these pieces are priced affordably. For example, Saffronart's online brand, StoryLtd, has broken new ground in promoting popular art and taking it to buyers of all kinds. Sometimes, a lot of the tribal art comes without the artist's name and yet finds takers because of its aesthetic. The next big step would be to open up private collections and display those beautiful Indian antiquities. This is a huge task that requires persistent sourcing and cataloguing. But once Indian antiquities find the right catalyst here, the Indian art market has great potential to compete on an international stage.
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Sudarshan Shetty appointed curator of Kochi Biennale

Source E-flux
Kochi Biennale Foundation proudly announces Sudarshan Shetty as the artistic director and curator of the third edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Sudarshan Shetty, best known for his enigmatic sculptural installations, has long been recognized as one of his generation’s most innovative artists in India. Shetty was unanimously chosen by an Artistic Advisory Committee, appointed by the Kochi Biennale Foundation for the third edition. The Committee included artists Amar Kanwar, Atul Dodiya, Bharti Kher and Jyothi Basu, art critic and curator Ranjit Hoskote, patron Kiran Nadar, and gallerist Shireen Gandhy, along with Kochi Biennale Foundation trustees Sunil V, Riyas Komu and Bose Krishnamachari. The committee stated that the role of Sudarshan Shetty will be vital in furthering the social commitment, through arts, of the Biennale and the Foundation.
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It’s Time to Know Indian Tribal Art’s Finest Signatures

Source Blouin Art Info by Archana Khare-Ghose
The best thing about the upcoming folk and tribal art auction at Story LTD is that it is not just about the rich ethnic art forms of India. It is as much about the signatures behind those exquisite works of art. It is about artists who should be known by their names and not just by the art forms of their communities.
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Noted artist Raza conferred highest French civilian honour

Source The Hindu
Mr. Raza said, “France gave me for six decades an evocative ambiance inspiring confidence and creativity and imagination, openness of ideas and innovation. More than anything else France made me realise my Indian inheritance in colour and concept that came alive now at the age of 93 plus. I owe a lot to France and an honour from the French govt reconfirms this commitment. This acknowledgment from France is spiritually and artistically most reassuring and rejuvenating for me and in all humility and as a token of my gratitude I am offering a painting of mine to the French embassy,” he said.
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