REVIEW

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The Bodhi Art Award Show, 2008

Shubhalakshmi Shukla discusses the Bodhi Art Award Show’2008 and also she sheds light on the selection process. Nazima Rangwala’s etchings, Sandeep Pasilkar’s “Pushpak”, Shreyas Karle’s “Kala Ajooba, Boshundhara Mukherji’s large ‘hanging’ are the attractions of the show, says the author

In his book ‘S, M, L, XL’ Rem Koolhas gives specific significance to ‘Arbitrariness’ in the structuring of book. He mentions that this element was always looked at as a flaw within academics. But he wanted to see it as a characteristic of certain work processes, which remains neglected with the academic limits. One can read this book from any page that opens first. Each page is complete in itself, and yet there is a chronological arrangement of his small to large and extra large projects.

The Bodhi Award show on the contrary comes about as a well planned and organized event, completing its third year in 2008. However, the lines from Rem Khoolhas came to mind through the observation of meticulous and logical planning in the artist’s woks as well. Each work on display is conscious approach with strong intensity towards the space of exhibition. Both the attempts make the show a tightly framed and designed event.

Thinking about the year 2007, the drawings of Shefali Jain in pencil made a mark because of a casual and spontaneous depicting of emotionally complex subjects. One can think of Sajeev Visveswaran’s drawings in the ongoing show, in this light. These are the pen and ink drawings of his grandmother in his native village, a few days before she passed away.

Nazima Rangwala’s etchings have an emphasis on lines and building up of mass in her drawing quality. Her works are technically sound and she expresses a critical concerns in her titles, “ Which of them is post modern? Or are they still ambiguous of the world around”. She wins the third prize.

Sandeep Pasilkar’s “Pushpak” is a combination of vehicles working condition. This motorbike like form is a fusion of parts from an ambassador car, a bullock-cart and engines from three different motorbikes.  The work is enormous. The work is awarded second prize.

Shreyas Karle’s ‘Kala Ajooba’ (Living Legend) depicts an animated  figure of shadow cum ghost in many arbitrary gesture and angles. The figure plays in between a clown like shadow puppet, a scarecrow and a deity or demon. These are photographic prints on paper, with subtlety of paintbrush effect. The works is awarded first prize.

Amongst the displayed images of eleven artists Vandana Dhasmana paintings are composed of hand drawn road maps, boxes and further maps, with a passion for elements of painting.

Boshundhara Mukherji’s large ‘hanging’ is ambitious, rigorous and subtle. She confirms a symbolic connection to the folk methods of techniques as well as execution. Her weavings suggest creating of a map of once thoughts, and switching from painting to weaving and vice versa. The purpose could be intuitive bliss.   

What is interesting to observe about this event is that Mumbai brings about works of artists from the same age group and institutes in different art galleries. Last year, Project 88 showed the works of artists from similar schools at the same time, and this year brings an ongoing show at the Guild Art Gallery. 

Some of the works at the ongoing show at Guild brings about references and quotation from art history in a very articulate manner. Although this has been a familiar technique in representational idiom of contemporary Indian art, and have even exemplified significant phases in art history, the present works of Shrikant Puranik and Kedar Dhondu bring about new kind of linguistic frame works (with quotations from Mughal miniatures) .

However, works at The Bodhi Award Show make such reference tangentially in Boshundhara’s works. While the choice of technically driven works along with simple line- drawings make the exhibition versatile, the ‘representational’ identities of works remain within a traditional mode. To make it explicit, the traditional techniques of Printmaking or Sculpture (which has been already dismantled in contemporary Indian art), does not recreate or unfolds itself in terms of the unpredictable and arbitrary steps the process might involve.        

The Award Process:

Eleven artists (from the final year master’s batch) are selected form the overall hundred potential candidates for the Bodhi Award each year. The first prize position attends a ten-week residency program at the prestigious FUTUR Foundation, Switzerland, and the respective second and the thirds positions will be awarded the prize money.