AAW #194

The wintery chills have diminished after the much enthusiastic Uttarayana celebration, but that doesn’t mean that there is a reduction in the energy of the Amdavadi creators. Here is the 194th Ahmedabad Art Weekly with a list of original, inventive events happening in Ahmedabad.

The  Flower Show featuring hundreds of herbaceous species by 12 major nurseries of India is the major attraction of the week. Visitors can see innovative horticulture in the form of creative sculptures while visiting the Flower Show 2019 at Sabarmati Riverfront.

Visual art lovers should come to ‘Kadamb’ solo show of artist Nabibakhsh Mansoori to witness his signature surrealist landscapes full of eye-catchy hues and camouflaging forms. For the first time in Ahmedabad, to narrate a remarkable history of human habitat, Australian architectural photographer John Gollings’ picturesque photography works will be kept open for people to witness at the ‘History of the Built World’ exhibition. You don’t need to be a child to enjoy cartoons, so tickle your funny bone with witty illustrations, drawings and cartoons by artist NR Manvar at his solo exhibition. The featured artist is a reputed cartoonist contributing at popular daily, Gujarat Samachar since long time. Ahmedabad based artist Harshil Patel, who pursued his master’s in Fine Arts from the University College London opens his solo exhibition ‘Process Practice Play’ this weekend. Sponsored by Gujarat State Lalitkala Academy, the show will further travel to NIV Art Centre in Delhi for an extended display.

Shabnam Virmani who is famous for her 5-stringed tambura performances of folk songs of Kabir and other mystic poets is a filmmaker, singer and artist who is here in Ahmedabad to talk, sing and poetically narrate and question the traditional notions of gender identity in यह तो घर है प्रेम का recital. When it comes to performances, we can’t miss out watching the schedule of Natarani Amphitheatre. And this week the space is occupied with a musical rendition with a line-up of locally renowned as well as budding musicians. ‘Time Wise’ is a musical performance that will take its audience on a detour to jazz, blues and eventually Hindustani classical music this weekend. Musicians Meera Desai and Shankar Iyer will conduct the opening performances of the show. A treat for young readers as The British Library yet again organises the book reading of Italian mouse detective Geronimo Stilton. The animated children book series is one of the bestselling books ever written by author Elisabetta Dami.

The TMC Theatre Festival invites the audience to witness the award-winning Gujarati play of playwright and radio personality Naishadh Purani called ‘Taja Kala’. The drama, which will be accompanied with Purani’s newly written theatre ‘Dardapora’, is assumed to be ‘An exploration of love and the way it mirrors the lover’. The creation has won 6 awards and numerous applauds for its brilliance so far. Shanti Business School is starting a series of leadership talks called “Vichardhaara” and the first guest speaker of the evening who will deliver a discourse on “Living the Unconventional Dream” will be Stay Hungry Stay Foolish famed writer Rashmi Bansal.

We dedicate the 194th AAW to artist Mahendra Kadia who left for heavenly abode at the early hours of January 17, 2019. Kadia, a veteran in the field of painting, was a warm hearted, soft spoken gentleman who was loved for his fatherly demeanor as much as for his unique art. Kadia’s oeuvre is a visual representation of the Birds, which over the span of decades has passed through varying artistic styles. An alumni of Sheth CN College of Fine Arts, he has also served as a professor at the institute. He is also popular as the face of L & P Hutheesing Visual Art Centre, where his association dates back to 1983. Since 2008 he is serving as the  Honorary Director of the center.  A recipient of National Award by Lalit Kala Akademi, Kadia’s persistence in artistic pursuits is an inspiring tale. Within his own family his influence has created 11 artists across generations. In January 2018, Kadia showcased his retrospective in Ahmedabad, and it was extremely well received. His artworks can be found in the collections of luminous personalities including Jaya Bachchan, Sangeeta Jindal and Urmila Kanoria, and also on display at the reputed National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi. The visual art proponent’s abstract birds will forever flutter to enrich our aesthetic sensibilities!