KALA SMRITI - INDIAN ART APPRECIATION

Kala, n: A Fine Art, an Art form
Smriti, n: "That which is remembered"

The Pomegranate Workshop proudly launches the 4TH edition of Kala Smriti - a basic, comprehensive course in Indian Art Appreciation, with diverse faculty who are established practitioners in the areas of visual art and cultural history.

With five leading experts drawn from the areas of visual art education, contemporary art practices and cultural and art history of India, this course encompasses the philosophical and mythological arenas of the Indian sub continent which are crucial to the understanding of this vast country’s visual art traditions and its current day practices.

Kala Smriti consists of 10 weekly sessions, and will be conducted by a pantheon of established and reputed professionals, teachers and practitioners of art such as Santosh Kshirsagar, Dr Radha Kumar, Manjiri Thakoor, Anupam Singh, and Geetu Hinduja. The sessions will consist of extensive slide shows and interactive discussions with the resource persons.

The course will cover ancient and medieval art (murals, temple sculptures, miniature painting) and then move into the realm of the modern with the Bengal School artists, before exploring the Bombay Progressive Artists Group and progress into contemporary and non representational art practices of well known 20th and 21st century Indian artists.

About Santosh Kshirsagar: With a Bachelor’s degree in applied art specializing in typography and calligraphy, and a master’s degree in Teaching Methodology from the J. J. Institute of Applied Art, Santosh has been teaching art at the undergraduate level for nearly two decades, first at the Sophia Polytechnic, and later, at the J.J. Institute of Applied Art. He is also a visiting faculty member at the Industrial Design Centre, IIT Bombay and the National Institute of Fashion Design. Santosh’s own work has been shown in several countries, including Australia, Belgium, Germany and Japan. His collected calligraphic art has been displayed at the Berlin Museum. He has also lectured at the British Museum and the Manheim Design School in Germany.

About Manjiri Thakoor: Manjiri combines two unique disciplines - Art and Ancient History. A Bachelor of Fine Art from the JJ School of Art, she has also pursued a Masters program in ancient Indian culture from the Mumbai University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Buddhist Art. She was former head of department of the Academy of Fine Art at Rachana Sansad, has taught heritage architecture at NM College and is currently working with the Prince of Wales museum on curatorial projects. She is also a consultant on various international heritage conservation projects.

About Dr Radha Kumar: Prof Kumar has been teaching Ancient Indian history, Culture and archeology at St Xaviers College, Mumbai for the last 16 years. She is an accomplished Bharat Natyam dancer and Sitar player with a Masters degree in both subjects. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Early Buddhism and is a free lance writer for various publications. She has the unique ability of being able to integrate the performing arts in the area of teaching and in her classes all lines between various disciplines disappear to present participants with a unique seamless experience.

About Anupam Singh: Anupam Singh is a visual artist, with several creative interests. He received his art education from Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata (Bachelors in Visual Arts, 1997) and M.S. University, Baroda (Masters in Fine Arts, 1999) respectively. He has received fellowships which included an Artists Exchange Program to Amsterdam (Netherlands) and an Artists Residency at the Kanoria Centre for Arts, Ahmedabad. He has participated in several exhibitions, artists workshops and public art projects. He currently lives and works in Navi Mumbai.

About Geetu Hinduja: A gallerist and art consultant, Geetu Hinduja has been running The Fine Art Company, an art consultancy firm for the last 12 years. She will deal with the current market scenario and various media in use in the art world today.

Workshop Details:

Dates: 8th Dec – 23rd Feb (TUESDAYS ONLY)
Timings: 7 – 9pm
Venue: P L Deshpande Kala Academy, Prabhadevi
Course Fee: Rs. 5000/-
Contact: Priya – 9892201539
Akshat – 9833012484

Note: All Cheques to be made out to Pomegranate Eduworkshop Pvt. Ltd. Payments can be couriered to the office. In case of cash payments, the timings are 11 am – 4 pm, Monday – Saturday. Our address:

The Pomegranate Workshop,
14, Shantaram Nivas,
Gokhale Rd (North)
Dadar (West)
Mumbai – 400 028
Tel: 32159952
(Just above the WHP Jewelers showroom near Portuguese Church)