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| (From top): Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and wife Renu light the ceremonial lamp as director of Gallery Espace, Renu Modi and Dipali Bhattacharya (second from right) look on; Kiran Uttam Ghosh with models Sangeeta Raj and Latika Chauhan at the launch of her new collection at Ogaan; Pradeep Dasgupta with a couple of his prints at the Art Alive Gallery |
It was a visual treat for art lovers in Delhi courtesy the paintings and sculptures of the talented Dipali Bhattacharya. The well-known Calcutta-based artist who is also a reader at the Government College of Arts and Crafts in the city, presented her solo show titled Onlookers at Gallery Espace in Delhi’s New Friends Colony recently.
Displayed on the ground floor and at the basement of the gallery, Bhattacharya’s work weaves a relationship between the past and the present, where both seem to co-exist. Her paintings depict the women of old Calcutta clad in their traditional saris amidst old houses and buildings. She has also played with motifs like flowers, shells and digits which indicate time ? the years passing by and the years that have already passed by.
“The buildings and the houses in the background depict the grandeur of Calcutta, which is no more there, but is somewhere present in them,” said the artist.
One of the admirers of Bhattacharya’s work was Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee who came accompanied by wife Renu, to inaugurate the show.
Talking about her work Bhattacharya said that making sculptures required a lot of time and hard work, and that she’s taking time off in order to give her hands a rest.
Spotted admiring the paintings and sculptures on display was a clutch of senior artists including Bimal Dasgupta, Gopi Gajwani and Jatin Das. “Dipali has played beautifully with different dimensions in the sculptures as well as in her paintings. In fact, the way she has used the brush softly is quite remarkable,” observed Gajwani.
Look of freedom
Calcutta based designer Kiran Uttam Ghosh unveiled her summer 2006 collection in Delhi’s Ogaan recently. Interestingly enough, her collection draws inspiration from the much-talked about play, The Vagina Monologues, which according to the designer is not only a play but a movement for women.
“My collection is not just about the emancipation of women but also about their individualism,” said Ghosh.
The designer who has been participating in the India Fashion Week for the last six years has bowed out this time around and chosen to focus on earlier commitments and expansion plans. “It is important to deliver quality products on schedule and honour the many international, national and personal commitments that I have already made,” she said.
Models Latika Chauhan and Sangeeta Raj clad in saris and bustiers created by Ghosh posed for shutterbugs at the preview. They also flaunted skirts teamed with boleros, long jackets and tops with Dolman sleeves, Peter Pan collars, pleated sleeves and collar detailing. The designer looked quite pleased with the sales of the white cotton shirts that did brisk business on the very first day.
But the real show stealers were the multiple-wrapped crochet belts and the Japanese Obe belts. “The waist line has moved upwards this time,” explained the designer as she displayed how the belts were tied a little high around the waist.
Adding a unique touch to the collection is Ghosh’s chosen colour palette. The shades vary from pinks, pistachios, lavenders and aquamarines to browns. In some ensembles, there is even a merry blend of all these shades on fabrics like chiffon, georgette and knits with crochet and jacquard accents.
Shooting star
It was a dismissive gesture towards carefully composed photographs at the solo exhibition of shutterbug Pradeep Dasgupta. Showcased at the Art Alive Gallery in Delhi, black and white photographs formed the crux of the exhibit. It was titled New York ? Below the Belt and the theme was exactly that. Photographs of the bustling city of New York with most of the photographs shot from the hip.
So viewers find themselves staring at a profile of two legs walking down the street, the polka-dotted skirt of a woman standing in a busy place, men lounging in a caf?, with wallpaper of Kafka and Neruda in the background... “There is nothing unusual happening, yet one cannot escape the feeling of something about to happen. These are pictures pure and simple of an exciting city. Some of these photographs have been combined to create diptychs and triptychs that heighten the edge,” said Dasgupta.
At the core of the exhibition is the photographer’s fascination with New York. “The streets, the shops, the subway, the unimaginable meld of people in constant motion, rush rush rush, expressions, colours, opulence, style, grunge and garbage, glass and steel, old brownstones...” ? is how he expresses his love for the city. “New York ? Below the Belt just happened, as my collection of New York photographs increased with every visit,” says the photographer.
Painter Jatin Das echoed the thought besides calling Dasgupta’s work subtle and unpretentious. Adds photographer Bharat Sikka, “New York is very well photographed. So Pradeep had to do something different and hence this work of his which is well-crafted.”
Photographs by Rupinder Sharma, Jagan Negi and Ramakant Kaushwaha