Art Bengaluru
August was a month of discoveries. Installations, video performance and old photographs were the order of the month. It was different and questioned many of the viewers, at the end of the day, 
this is what art does best - questioning.
1 Shanti Road showed the work of Baptist Coelho, Your Dream Home, an installation of red bricks, wood, steel and glass. Baptist lives and works in Mumbai. He came to Bangalore for one month. He saw the Kempe Gowda's watch towers and too many construction sites around the city. He heard the hammer of the labourers destroying and building new houses to accommodate migrants and Bangaloreans. He saw the contrast between the old and the new city, the colonial bungalows and the sky scrapers. And above all, he questioned people in the streets about their dream homes. How does it look like? Where should it be? All put together made a wonderful piece of art. I spent time reading the transcripts of the interviewees and was touched by the common answers: everybody wants space and light. And Baptist managed very well to represent their dreams in a very personal way mixing the red of the bricks, the light of the spot lights and the paper notes. 
He cleverly positioned an old window collected from the street on top of the pile reminding the viewers there is always hope maybe.
Tasveer in cooperation with Bernard J Shapiro Rare Books (London) and Ganjam (Bangalore) brought to us One Hundred Vintage Views of India. In its attempt to defend photography as an art, Tasveer showed us early 19th century photos of India. As always, they caught our attention with quality and novelty. The viewers were taken from Rajasthan to Madras in a black & white tour. Bourne, Burke, Sache, Murray and Nicholas, to quote a few names, took us 150 years back to a beautiful history that we may have forgotten.
Time & Space show cased Vishal Joshi's Illuminations. Vishal brought to life spirals. He explains that they are not only part of him but also part of us. Some of us will remember the Sufi movements, some the DNA, some the quantum theory. Spirals are everywhere and Vishal intends to make them illuminate your life.
Sumukha organized a live performance, Organic Ginger / Natti Sunti by Smitha Cariappa. Smitha was touched by the story of the Lost Princess of Coorg who left her country with her dad, the exiled Raja of Coorg. They turned out to be the first Indian royalties to go to and live in England. The young Princess became 
Queen Victoria's goddaughter and renamed 'Victoria'. Smitha's video works told us the story of being displaced and gobbled up in a very slow pace narrative. Don't miss the Gallery's new show in the first half of September. Re-Vision will present paintings by Birandra Pani where the artist supports Gotipua traditional dance.
Other Shows: Right Lines took the nice initiative to arrange an art introduction workshop with MG Doddamani. It is on till the end of September. Kynkiny organized an art camp in their premises. Mahua distributed the HK Kejriwal Young Artist Award for 2010. The Goethe Institut launched the film festival, two nations - one screen. Swasti, a unique art initiative by the HCG hospital, put together a show to raise funds for their foundation. Bid & Hammer invited the city to an auction of rare books, maps, photos and prints (and I have to say buyers were very eager that evening).
