Mumbai launch of Varta

Pictures from the Jaipur Launch

photos from VARTA launch - Delhi

Photos from the Kolkata Launch of VARTA

Contents of Issue 1

OVERVIEW

The Institution of Art Exhibition in Global Perspective

Pranabranjan Ray

Artists’ Groups of Bengal

Mrinal Ghosh

 

MODERN MASTERS

Paritosh Sen

Mrinal Ghosh

Sanat Kar: Learning Evolving and Teaching

Soumik Nandy Majumdar

Inescapable Jogen Choudhury:

Soumik Nandy Majumdar

Suhas Roy: World of Unalloyed Harmony

Swapan Mullick

GLOBAL CONNECT

Shuvaprasanna’s German Encounter

Nitasha Guha

 

IN CONVERSATION

Jayashree Chakravarty: Remembrance of Things Past

Anirudh Chari

 

IN FOCUS

Ganesh Haloi: Metascapes

Manasij Majumder

 

INSTALLATION ART

Chhatrapati Dutta: Confrontations and Conversations

Ruma Dasgupta

Aditya Basak: Conjuring Spirits

Anirudh Chari

Paula Sengupta: Vacuity of the Zenanas

Nanak Ganguly

 

LEGENDARY TEACHERS OF BENGAL

Somnath Hore and K.G. Subramanyan:

Shaping Minds and Leaving Marks

Sanjoy Mallik

 

BOOK REVIEWS

In Splendid Isolation Manasij Majumder’s 

Imprint Off A Sensitive Soul

Swapan Mullick

Ardhakathanaka – half a tale

Dorian Gray

MARKET REVIEW

The Boom in Retrospect

R. Siva Kumar

 

CONSERVING ART

Swelling Collections and Shrinking Wall Spaces

Sukanta Basu

Launch Poster

Launch in Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, and Jaipur

Kolkata

6:00 pm, Friday

17th Jan. 2009

Oxford Bookstore

17 Park St.

Kolkata - 700016

A panel discussion on 'Art Writing: Challenges, Potentials, Directions’ moderated by Tapati Guha Thakurta followed by the launch. 

Chief guest ~ Smt. Nabaneeta Deb Sen (Renowned Poet & Academic)

Guest of honour ~Sri. Ganesh Haloi 

New Delhi

4:00 pm, Monday

19th Jan. 2009

Oxford Bookstore

Statesman House ; Connaught Place
148 Barakhamba Road
New Delhi - 110001 

Chief guest ~ Sri. Ashok Vajpayee (Chairman Lalit Kala Academy) 

Guest of honour ~ Sri. S.H Raza 

Mumbai

6:30 pm, Friday

13th Feb. 2009

Apeejay House ; 3, Dinshaw Vachha Road
Mumbai - 400020

Chief guest ~ Sangeet Martand, Padmavibhushan Sri. Pandit Jasraj 

Guest of honour ~ Sri. Akbar Padamsee 

Jaipur

4:00 pm, Saturday

24th Jan. 2009

Laxman Path, Vivek Vihar
Off New Sanganer Road
Jaipur - 302019

Chief guest ~ Sri. S. Ahmed (Principal Secretary to State of Rajasthan, Dept. of Art, Literature & Culture)

Guest of Honour ~ Ritu Kumar, celebrated fashion designer

Launching VARTA

VARTA – Concept note

The launch of this new initiative of an art journal provides an occasion for critical reflection on today's need for a larger intellectual climate of art criticism and debates around art. 

As we look back on more than two decades of a booming culture of art galleries, curated exhibitions and catalogue productions in India, VARTA’s vision is –

To provide a new productive dialogue 'in words' between art practitioners, curators,  critics and viewers.

To communicate meanings and create larger worlds of artistic literacy.

To bring together two separate strands of art history and art criticism to mutually reinforce 

knowledges about art practices of the past and present.

To work out new public platforms for art discussions.

To create a fruitful exchange of ideas and opinions between intellectuals, artists, critics, curators, viewers and galleries.

To create an informed and discerning art market through art writing and art journals.