Shades of Asia is a newly curated show of some noted artists from India and Vietnam which opened last week. The Art show is one of the more rare shows in the city which aims at amalgamating the best of Indian art with a wonderful ensemble of Vietnamese art. Artists whose works are being showcased are names like MF Husain, Amit Bhar, Sangeeta Babani, Thota Laxmanan, Bhaskar Rao Botcha, Nikki Anand, Manoj Das alongside striking works from Vietnam.
Vietnamese artists showcased include Van The, Nguyen Minh Cuong, Tran Ket, Vu Co Tien. The show features some stellar works by M F Husain and some of the more breathtaking works come in the form of hyper realistic portraits from Amit Bhar— the artist who is fast gaining a reputation as one of the finest. Rajat Mitra, the founder of Asian Art House wants to promote affordable artworks and aims to open doors for Viatnamese artists in the city. Aptly supported by Reuben Kataria, the artworks on display are definitely eye catching and have been sensibly priced to promote affordable art.
Set up in 2006, The Asian Art House offers art lovers to view and purchase contemporary art from India and South East Asia. Asian Art House identifies and handpicks upcoming and established Asian artists, with a thorough curatorial process, giving them a platform to showcase and market their works in India and to a global audience. The shows runs till the mid of March at L1, JW Marriott Bengaluru.
Vivek Mathew, the ace young city based photographer is back with another Solo show of his at Venkatappa Art Gallery. Titled Bygone Vignettes, the idea of the exhibition or the motive, according to Vivek is to strike a chord with the die-hard Bangalorean in us. Over years of living in Bengaluru, Vivek has witnessed several heritage buildings, markets and old parts of the city constructed by the British, biting the dust. In his endeavor to lend these disappearing vignettes… doors, stairways, push-carts, shutters, monkey tops et al an eternal platform to be seen and experienced by generations to come, Vivek has, since the year 2013, turned his lens on the innate character of wood, stone and the backbone of an era when ‘Bangalore’ was a much-loved British cantonment, for posterity.
Vivek has always had an eye for perfection. His handling of light in the medium of photography is second to none. Through his work he has tried to explore the quaint and busy places of Old Bengaluru. Places like City Market, Russel Market, madiwala market and MG Road. Vivek's show is definitely a fresh breath of air and an ideal way to rediscover the Bangalorean in us. Show is from February 10 to February 18 at Venkatta Art Gallery.
— The writer is Harish Kumar Sejekan an art expert and curator.
