In collaboration with Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong

July 15, 2013 | 11.00 am to 5.00 pm
StudioX, Mumbai

The closed-door event will be the second in a sequence of such workshops that will inform Asia Art Archive’s research towards a series of anthology publications dedicated to the history of writing on 20^th century visual art in India. The first of these workshops was held in February this year in Kochi, in partnership with Kochi-Muziris Biennale. It was inaugurated with a public conference titled ‘Fields of Legibility: disciplines and practices of art writing in India’ to set off the initiative by discussing how writing over the last decades has attempted to make legible the changing field of art, its regional specificities, and in what possible ways we may read those texts today and position them for the future.

The second workshop in July, in partnership with the Mohile Parikh Center, hopes to serve as a platform for testing further the structures and parameters for the planned anthology with a different set of scholars. Perspectives over regional language discourses vis-à-vis the nation, and how artistic, curatorial and pedagogic practices inflect art history will be a key concern that the workshop will highlight.

From the discussions in Kochi, this workshop will carry forward some compelling questions that were addressed pertaining to historiography in South Asia:

• About identifiable approaches, intellectual trends, and critical positions that have taken shape over the last century in the region.
• The ways in which the tropes of regional and vernacular have been addressed vis-à-vis nation and modernity. What forms of dialogue are available to us across the vernacular and English language discourses in art writing?
• In what different ways were ideas of “art” and “history” received and articulated in various languages?
• What has been the relation between art criticism and pedagogy? Did art criticism have specific pedagogic intents? And how might we be able to locate shifts (if at all) in addressing readership/publics over the decades?
• How have recent developments shaped art history and art pedagogy within the broader frames of the humanities/liberal arts, cultural studies, area/regional/interdisciplinary studies, and so on.

The daylong workshop will be lead via a presentation by Sabih Ahmed and Sneha Raghavan, and discussions moderated by AAA’s Chair of the Board of Directors, Jane Debevoise with 14 art writers/critics/art historians/art magazine editors/visual arts faculty from India.

In collaboration with Sedet Laboratory, Paris Diderot University

April 20, 2013 | 2.00 pm to 6.30 pm
Studio X, Kitab Mahal

While Mumbai is emerging as a global city, how are art and culture envisioned in the current city development agenda? What is the role of art spaces in shaping Mumbai’s future and the contribution of artists, art entrepreneurs and the creative sector in its economic growth? Gathering specialists of art, culture and development in Mumbai – from planners to museum directors, creative entrepreneurs, artists and cultural activists, Artworld Powwow: Art & the Mumbai Development Agenda 2014-2054 aims to discuss, analyse and rethink the place of art in Mumbai’s urban, economic and social development.
This workshop is taking place in the particular context of the new development plan starting next year for Mumbai. Indeed, according to the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act of 1966, the planning of all urban areas in Maharashtra is to be done in 20 years circles. As the Development Plan for Greater Mumbai 2014-2034 has been published by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM), the place given to art and culture raises numerous questions and important issues.

The workshop will introduce 50 years of art policies for Indian cities and present recent reports to be discussed during the afternoon. Among them, The Development Plan for Greater Mumbai 2014-2034 (published by MCGM) and The Concept Plan for Mumbai Metropolitan Region (published by Mumbai First) where projects of a New Culture Hub and Recreational District is being proposed will be studied.

This workshop will be the occasion to share experiences and ideas – the ones that worked but also others that failed- and raise important questions for a long-term art agenda in Mumbai. A table with recent reports and publications on topics related to the workshop will be set up for the day and participants will be invited to bring their own reports/publications for display.

Session I: Art & Urban Development

This session will look at the planning of art spaces beyond the South Mumbai art district. It will involve discussions on the current territorialisation of art spaces, the emergence of new art hubs (Bandra, Wadi Bunder) and further North networks (Goregaon, Borivali, Thane). Questions on their links with heritage and building reconversions will be raised.

Session II: Art & the Creative City

This session will focus on Mumbai becoming a creative city. There will be debates on artist dividends and contribution of the arts sector to the urban economy, including the PPP financing model. Based on reports on creative and cultural industries in India and comparisons with economic models implemented in other global cities in Asia, this session will look at the role of social and cultural entrepreneurship in the context of Mumbai.

Session III: Art & Social Development

This session will be concerned with the strategies developed by different alternative spaces, artists, cultural activists toward a more integrative art territory. The question of mediation and education will be central in this session.

October 20, 2012 | 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
StudioX, Mumbai

Contemporary art practice and criticism  in the last fifty years has undergone decisive changes which has  threatened to overturn some of  the very basics of art practice, interpretation and theory. Simultaneously the proliferation of critical stances has made possible to look at art from a variety of disciplinary locations and multiple subject positions. One such ground-breaking position has been that of gender and its critical interface with class, caste, race, locations and nationality. This project – Gender, Art, City – in the form of study-groups, roundtable conversations, public events and a publication is conceived through a multi-disciplinary lens that will explore gender positions in contemporary art, using the disciplinary locations of art history, social sciences and literature.

From the 1960’s onwards the art world has been radicalized by the presence of a number of women artists both in India and abroad. Making their presence felt in art galleries, art markets, critical journals as well as professional spaces, women artists   have broken away from the conventional roles assigned to them as objects of representations or at best inspiring muse in the art world to play a more dynamic and innovative  part  as individuals in charge of their creative destinies. It is necessary to inquire if such a situation has helped in making art a more gender plural space .The key question here is how this impacts the lives, identities and practice of women artists. In what manner has it, if at all, influenced and changed aesthetic theories and art criticism .The consultation is also inspired by the need to look at how gender identity appears in or shapes the works of men artists. One could look to see how they reproduce patriarchal notions of masculinity or how they resist them and if there is resistance, what form or shape does it take and is this resistance available for a feminist interpretation.

March 11 to 13, 2010 | 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
Audio Visual Room, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai

“One is not born but becomes a woman”- Simone de Beauvoir

“We can now ask such questions as: What is a man? How do men maintain power? Is there a crisis of masculinity?” – Jeff Hearn

This workshop on Gender Studies aims at introducing the key issues raised by gender studies in some of the academic disciplines. The explicit entry of women in the disciplines of sociology, history, philosophy, politics and aesthetics is not just geared to make women visible. Rather it endeavours to change the very assumptions of these disciplines by demonstrating the constitutive role of women and the heterogeneous aspect of gender studies. Women’s advent in academic and activist circles as a category also led to their awareness that they are not pre-defined essences. Since the eighties, feminist academicians and activists have focused on the differences amongst women that emerge from class, caste, race and nation among other factors. Further, they have also inspired men to think of themselves in gender-specific ways. Thus, feminism has not confined itself to exclusively addressing women. The rise of an explicit masculine identity reveals that though there have been pre-feminist accounts of masculinity, men have emerged as gendered beings in response to decades of feminism. Women and men are divided and allied simultaneously in debates on gender. This raises the issue of the relation between feminine and masculine identity both in the academic and activist contexts. It
also provokes a debate on the very notion of identity.

In the framework of the above outline, this workshop will provide preliminary acquaintance with feminist philosophy, sociology, history and aesthetics. It will also open up debates pertaining to masculine studies.

Feminism and the Knowledge Question – Gita Chadha (SNDT University, Mumbai)
Masculine Studies – T.V. Madhu (University of Calicut, Kerala)
Feminist Interventions in Politics – Veena Poonacha (SNDT University, Mumbai)
Feminists on History of Philosophy (Western) – Abey Koshy (Sree Shankaracharya University, Kerala)
Feminist Aesthetics: An Artist’s Take – Vidya Kamat (Artist, Mumbai)
Gendering of the Disciplines: The Case of Sociology and Social Anthropology – Kamala Ganesh (University of Mumbai)
Masculine Studies and Women’s Studies: Continuities and Discontinuities – Mangesh Kulkarni (University of Pune)
Gender, Feminism & Visual Arts: A Theoretical Take – Gayatri Sinha (Art Critic, New Delhi)
Feminist Aesthetics: An Artist’s Take – Sheba Chhachhi (Artist, New Delhi)

November 25 to 30, 2007 | 10.30 am – 6.30 pm
Kashid Beach Resort, Alibaug

The topic of ecology in recognition of increasing concern about the fragility of our environment, from global warming, climate change and biodiversity loss, to concerns for animal rights or the intrinsic value of nature, is increasingly put forward by environmentalists and organizations and it is clear that the present human generation is faced with a series of unique environmental dilemmas, largely unprecedented in human history. The present human generation is the first one, for example, to have the capacity to destroy the planet many times over, while at the same time, it is also the first generation for which the natural environment cannot be taken for granted. The recent natural calamities that have destroyed populations across the globe is only but an indicator of how industrialization has depleted natural resources without a thought to our manifold ecosystems. Isn’t it time for us to review our roles vis-à-vis the environment?

A study of ecology defines relationships between an individual and their cultural, social, political, economic and natural environments and an essential link exists between observable processes in natural systems and creative processes in human beings. The arts can play a central role in providing creative insights into the challenges facing contemporary society and address environmental concerns, thereby raising awareness in and through the arts.

An art workshop/camp of one-week is proposed consisting of artists who will create paintings based on the theme of ‘Art & Ecology’ in the natural environs of the Kashid Beach Resort. An environmentalist/activist from Green Peace will be invited to discuss pertinent environmental issues with the artists, to create a network of minds expressing similar concerns. Films from the archives of Green Peace will also be shown in the camp. The art workshop/camp will be followed by a panel discussion at the Little Theatre, NCPA, consisting of artists, environmentalists and sociologists on December 21, 2007. The works completed in the camp will be shown as a slide presentation before the discussion.

Each artist will create one painting in the duration of the art camp which will be given to the MPCVA after completion. An exhibition of the artworks will also be arranged in collaboration with a city gallery.

August 20 to 25, 2007 | 11.30 am to 4.30 pm
Audio Visual Room, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai

What is the idea of a University? What is the ideal site for a University? Are there walls implied in the University’s ideal of openness? Is the University an abstraction? The University has been traditionally described as an arena of universal learning, to create an intellectual culture and ways of original thinking, an enjoyment of divergent knowledge systems, the development of a philosophical orientation, a space of free debate, joint enquiry, oppositional forums and ideological divides, in a liberal environment. But with the changing scenario of globalization, commoditization of education and the nebulous realms of information technology, the ‘philosophy of utility’ has replaced earlier visions of education and the role of learned societies, of scholars, of academic leaders and ‘liberal’ practitioners is increasingly put to question. The role of the political economy, aggressively capitalist, cannot be undermined in today’s context and as a norm for all higher education, the idea of a University also contains within itself a tension of defining and interpreting the ethical components of a ‘site’, especially in the context of the 21st century academy and the conservatism of the State’s directives. In this context, the ideas of ‘freedom’ and ‘original thinking’ become politically neutral, in an erosion of autonomy and sinking standards in ‘the dominion of the dons.’

While there is a community within the University, of faculties, students and administrative staff, there is also a community outside the University. How do these two communities interact with each other? What are the meeting zones and the corrosive sites? The University is seen as a sanctified space, a key community asset, a provider of higher education, culture and values, but is also viewed with suspicion, and this raises the question of life beyond the campus. How much of an external-internal complementarity exists between the two, or the encroachments that trigger frictions between these two communities. What is the role of the University in their socio-cultural and regional contexts? Is the University a self-regarding space, cut out from the outside world, and are liberal forms of thinking exclusive to its borders?

With the above observations in mind, a discussion cum workshop will focus on the dimensions of Fine Arts faculties’ vis-à-vis the role of Art. The studio spaces of students in these faculties are akin to a laboratory where experimentation of form, content and material are encouraged. Is the practice of art private? Art is full of paradoxes and functions as praxis, open to multiple interpretations. In the domains of culture, art practice is considered to be ‘free’, ‘radical’ and ‘liberal’, circumventing and collapsing existing ideologies, creating ruptures and fissures. Such possibilities of collapse often engender reactionary agencies, violent in their implications, with issues of censorship and moral policing coming to the fore. Art practice and intellectual freedom are marginalized and become minority oriented, in friction with the larger community outside the campus, with the play of regional politics, especially in the context of Indian universities. What is the definition of art or the position of the artist in society? Can the artist be an agent of social change, or does art exist for its own sake? What are the dialectical relationships between art, art education and society? Is art secular? How do artists relate in an increasingly intolerant public sphere?

Questions of liberty, responsibility, censorship, creative freedom versus national morality, liberal cosmopolitanism of an institutional space, fundamentalism and urban violence, the debates over merits and differences of works of art and how art institutions have always engaged with such debates will be addressed in this workshop, ideated as a studio-space, is proposed for thirty bachelors’ and masters’ course art students from the final and penultimate years of various art schools. Interested public are also welcome to join after registration at the Center.

Guest speakers have been invited to speak on the above issues and an open forum of collaboration and cohesion is encouraged among the participants. The Studio will conclude with documentary film screenings.

April 5 to 8, 2006 | 10.00 am to 5.00 pm
Sea View Room, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai

This workshop will introduce to participants the materials, methods and techniques of enameling on a copper plate. Each participant will be given a material kit, including readymade colors and tools, and will be guided by the course coordinator to a set of exercises, which will involve design of the plate and the actual enameling process, culminating with a ready designed plate for each participant.

Meghan R. Salgaonkar is a faculty member, Metal Work Department, J.J. School of Art, Mumbai, and a professional enamelist. He has actively participated in national and international enameling workshops, biennales, exhibitions and symposiums in Russia, Australia, Hungary, Japan and Mumbai. He is a member of the Enamelist Society of India, and his collections are at the Rostov Kremlin Museum- Russia, The “Khors” Enamel Art Gallery, Russia, and The Hungarian Enamel Center, among others.

Participating Schools: Diamond Jubilee High School for Girls, AKESI, Diamond Jubilee High School for Boys, AKESI, Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Akanksha Foundation, Mumbai, Vasai Vikasini College of Visual Arts, and Karandikar Kala Academy
Facilitators/Teachers (Mumbai): Asha Saraswat, Himanshu Shetty, Purnima Sampat, Shital Mehta, and Rekhesh Jain

January 16 to 21, 2006 | 10.00 am to 5.00 pm
Audio Visual Room, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai

A collaborative project, initiated in India, by the India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), Bangalore, in association with the Mohile Parikh Center, Shilpa Gupta (artist), Shilpa Phadke (sociologist), and the cultural collective, Zuni Icosahedron, Hong Kong.

As an aspect of visual arts education, the Black Box Exercise, a workshop generated, installation arts education program, was founded in 1995 by the independent cultural collective, Zuni Icosahedron in Hong Kong. The Black Box is meant to provide a platform for inducing curiosity, association, imagination and self-motivated explorative spirit. The model employs installation art creatively to enable young people who are artistically and creatively under-served in the existing education curricula and environment to acquire the tools and concepts of learning, creative expression and communication. At the same time, other generic skills such as decision-making, problem-solving and independent critical thinking will be acquired. Participants are given opportunities to experience being an artist, curator and critic. The model awakens young people’s awareness of the self as well as the relationship between the physical, social and intellectual world.

“The Black Box Exercise”, is derived from a Chinese proverb that literally means, “operating in the dark”. It is a catchy phrase commonly used by the populace in criticizing public institutions in Hong Kong, which are found making decisions “in a black box”, in an opaque system of bureaucracy or even conspiracy. When applied to describing an art project, it may become a self-critical reminder for the incestuous and provincial practice of the arts community. The black box is opaque and mysterious, but ironically rich in content. It needs redeployment.

Here the Black Box is a self-contained learning environment in the form of the miniature “gallery” measured 1x1x1foot (30x30x30cm), coupled with the workshop series that helps develop participants’ interest and motivation in learning. During the process, young people are provided with the chance to learn from and to exchange with artists in creative workshops for exploring their own interests, experimenting communicative expressions and acquiring skills. Having gone through the above process, young people will each create and curate an installation art exhibit inside the uniform wooden black box for public exhibition. A collection of the finished black box creations, under the commonly agreed theme, will be exhibited in a site-specific installation environment created by artists and participants together.

Black Box Creative Concepts in relation to Arts Education and Globalization Culture:
1. Creativity on a fair/common ground
2. Inclusions versus Exclusions
3. Freedom versus Limitations
4. Individuality versus Collective Creativity
5. A Bottom-up Approach to Developing a Civil Society
6. Art versus Institution/System
7. Form and Content of Representation and Communication
8. Cross-community/Cross-discipline/Cross-culture Collaboration
9. An International Arts Education Curriculum

In the Mumbai chapter of this international project, these concepts will be introduced and presented by collaborating artists and workshop facilitators, for participants’ discussion and exploration. These concepts have relevance to the specific theme of the city of Mumbai, and different levels of exploration such as personal, educational, societal and international. It focuses on the exploration of community arts, the systems of art galleries and museums, the creative process, and collaboration of artists & young people. With the experience in the workshop about role playing as curator and critic, it is believed that no matter how unsubstantiated it might sound, participants are “equipped” with certain and varied degree of awareness and senses in making judgments about the black box art exhibit individually, and collectively of the overall concept of Black Box Exercise model. The plan also stresses the concept of crossing, (cross generation, cross media, cross discipline, cross regions & cross cultures) as well as exchanges with arts & cultural organizations overseas.

Two guest artists, who are members of Zuni Icosahedron, Hong Kong, will also be present in the duration of the workshop, and will share their experiences of this international arts education project, in an exchange of ideas & collaborative initiatives. The exhibition of the finished boxes will coincide with the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, at the Art Entrance Gallery (Army & Navy Building Foyer) from February 4-12, 2006.

November 18, 19, 25, 26, 2005 | 10.00 am to 3.00 pm
Diamond Jubilee School, Mumbai

Purnima Sampat is a specialist in art education and has been teaching art for the last two decades at the J.B. Petit School, Mumbai. In 1996, she-co-founded athe organization, ‘Window To The World’ that promotes the concept of education through the arts. The organization has represented India for an invited seminar at the INSEA (International Society For Education Through Art) in New York and has conducted several workshops on world cultures and visual art appreciation in various educational and cultural institutions in India and abroad.

In this workshop, the facilitator will share her methods of classroom teaching, art education research, and framing curriculum in art history and aesthetics.

May 5, 6, 7, 2005 | 10.00 am to 12.30 pm
Sea View Room, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai

Shital Mehta and Purnima Sampat are specialists in art education and have been teaching art for the last two decades in reputed schools of Mumbai -New Era School and J.B. Petit School respectively. In 1996, they founded the organization, ‘Window To The World’ that promotes the concept of education through the arts. The organization has represented India for an invited seminar at the INSEA (International Society For Education Through Art) in New York and has conducted several workshops on world cultures and visual art appreciation in various educational and cultural institutions in India and abroad.

In this workshop, children will learn about the variety of textiles found in the continent of Africa ranging from woven, block printed, resist dyed textiles and body adornments. The participants will decorate their own fabric using the technique of the Adinkra Fabrics and the Mud Cloth. The fabric will be finally made into a poncho, which can be worn by the children.