Tokyo gharana style of Kathak - A talk by Atsuko Maeda

Atsuko Maeda

Life of Japanese Artists who follow Indian Culture

including Indian Classical Dance and Music forms 

Atsuko in Ahmedabad

on December 22 nd 2016 at Tvak Studios

Kagad - an art initiative to support and encourage learning

An Art centre in Ahmedabad 

tribal, traditional and contemporary arts 

by Shaam Pahapalkar 

we begin with a workshop in Molela Terracotta 

in collaboration with Tvak at it's existing sculpture studio, Vaishnodevi Ahmedabad. 

Painting Workshop - weekend

Add caption

Shad Lityani - Art Talk at Tvak.

 The most delightful vagueness that I have ever felt is just before starting any of my new works. The first stroke of colour almost always proceeds to unfold a story, which tells itself. That is the reason; I start my works with an empty mind. My instincts lead me through the process of creating my work. Many inexplicable emotions find their way on the canvas, from the sharp edge of my painting knife, dipped in colour.

Hence, the question of ‘what to do’ is frequently impertinent to me. It’s just sincere, soulful play when I put paint on my canvas and try to tell the story of my emotions. And my visual storytelling often uses different mediums to paint on; Paper, Canvas, Colour, Water…

Personally, I feel, my work lets me look into my inner self. The world as I see it, the emotion that well up inside me.. When the overwhelming feeling takes over, I simply put up the canvas and start working on it.

I have noticed that working relentlessly on the basis of one’s instincts, provides an ample scope of evolution in one’s work and one’s life. The same has happened to me. I have always believed that all life is interconnected and inter dependent. But the threads of connections between them are so subtle that more than often we miss to notice their existence. Unlike many, my work has evolved from being full of vivid colours to just various shades of black and white. Because, to me, these shades resemble the subtle connections and interdependencies that I find in human life. Every large stroke needs supports of many smaller, finer lines, to bring meaning to the former’s existence. It wouldn’t be incorrect if I say that my work is mostly based on relationships between people, as I perceive it.

I believe my work is for the enjoyment of the viewer, rather than their analysis. There is a language in it for those who want to read it, there is a sound in it for those who want to hear it. All I can say is that I find happiness and satisfaction out of my work as all my works give me an opportunity to learn more about the world within and the world without.

Dilshad Lityani.

Jinal Patel - Art TAlk 12 sept

Jinal Patel 

Art Talk 

Open Studio

Jinal engrossed in her work at the studio terrace .
She hand makes her Paper and the process is quite an interesting one. 

Shad Lityani

Shad -  abstract artist...

Her achievements- 2009 : S. H. Raza Award, Gwalior

2009 : Junior Fellowship, Ministry of Culture,

New Delhi 

2012 : Kokuyo Camlin Best Entry

(Western India)

2012 : Selected for Euro Tour by Kokuyo

Camlin

2013 : best female artist painting Art society of India.

2014 : State award in painting.

after a hard days work : Shad takes a break just outside her studio. 

Shad Will be sharing her work and giving a talk at the studios. 

Dipen Ujjeniya . Gopal Parmar. Hiral Patel. young contemporary talent.

Dipen. Gopal. Hiral. 

Young contemporary Artists.

An Exhibition of Paintings. 

presented by 

Tvak Studios. 

I first met Gopal 2 years or so ago, he came to see a residency artist's work at the studios at greenwoods.  He was with other students. He stood out.  He came again for the next artist's show that was incidentally at the fine arts college and he brought friends & gave them a walk through and explained the work to those that had questions.his keen observation and particular viewpoint told me that this was one to watch out for.

I liked the dedication Dipen displays. We crossed paths at an Artist camp. where the organizers hoped that the older artists would meet the younger art students and the resulting interaction will be a fruitful one. each has something to teach the other. over time we have stayed in touch and i knew when the time was right, I would be showing his work. 

Hiral just smiles and that's what I remember. There is little recollection of where I met her and how. but the smile haunts me.  Then I saw her work. She's Talented.  So much Hope, So much Potential.. 

These artists have a lot of ground to cover and as they finish their final year at the C.N college of fine arts to begin their artistic journey, we wish them luck and a bright career. 

Gopal Parmar 

Dipen Ujjenia

Hiral Patel

For more details about the studio or the artists and to connect with them send us an e mail at info.tvak@gmail.com

A workshop at Tvak Studio Ahmedabad

Discovering your inner Artist.

12 week programme by : Manjushree Abhinav 

open to Artists and non artists in Ahmedabad

Antardhun

This program was held at Tvak Studios



For future workshops enquiry contact info.tvak@gmail.com

Lecture on Graphic Design at the C.N College of Fine Arts - Tvak Studios

Riddhi Manna 

Sheth C.N College of Fine Arts 

Lecture on 

an introduction to Communication through Graphic design.

"How we see words and what we show" 

presented by the Tvak studios. 

Ratilal Sir Addressing the students and welcoming them to a new session at the fine arts college. 

Deviba Wala introducing Riddhi Manna

Riddhi Manna held the students attention. 

An insight on how graphic deaigners work, on how subtle everyday things around us can be used to convey a message if put in the right manner using colours, typography and pictures.

It became a really interesting episode with the students exposed to such information in a way that they instantly connected to the topic.  Riddhi shared her experience of the field over the years and the lecture was infused with wit and humour. The professors of the fine arts college also attended the lecture. 

Special thanks to the Principal Mr. Ratilal Kansodaria and Ms Trupti Rawal for always being so supportive. 

Thank you Riddhi for taking the time off to come and speak to the students. 

Serendipity in Imagination .. concept Mural in Metal

Phoenix Tail 

The Gulmohar Tree...

Metal mural concept by Deviba Wala inspired by a dream 

The Summer heat dosent have too many things to look forward to but one thing that gives me joy is the Flame trees that flower during this season .. from the Kesuda to the Gulmoharjust adding a big splash of colour to the landscape ..
The gulmohar is known for it's Flamboyant display of flowers. As a child I collected its flower petals and made numerous handmade cards and stuck them on to sheets of paper and made bookmarks or just let them dry in the pages of books and  would smile when unsuspectingly they fell out of book at random times.
This Last week was no different .. the tree still fascinates me.
I woke up this morning having dreamt of a flaming phoenix with gulmohar petals as its tail and at the cost of sounding insane to the non artistic lot I confess the bird flew and transformed into a metal mural.
on the facade of the studio. 

 guess this is proof I am a dreamer and a sculptor !!!

There is Serendipity in Imagination 

The Gulmohar in Vietnam is called the Phoenix's Tale 

Misha Mintz-Roth. Talk on A component of commerce and transportation in colonial Nairobi : The rickshaw

Misha Mintz-Roth 

The Johns Hopkins University, Department of History, ABD

Saturday Art talk at Tvak Studios. Ahmedabad.

A third-year doctoral student in African history, with a focus on urban cross-cultural exchange in twentieth-century Kenya. I look across Gujarati-, Swahili-, and English-language sources–letters, newspapers, travel diaries, and governmental archives--to write about how Indian, African, and European populations shared city spaces and simultaneously contested each other’s claims to urban resources and belonging. Prior to my academic research, I worked in finance in the United States and Kenya and as a legislative aide with the United States Senate Banking Committee in Washington D.C. I have published as a journalist with The Economist online and The American Interest, and have worked as a research attaché with the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA), a Nairobi-based NGO.  

Misha Demonstrating the importance in  Kenya's urban economic and political development prior to World War II, and the way that something as simple as a rickshaw changed East Africa’s twentieth century in such complex ways.

Misha shared with us a presentation Titled " rickshaw trouble"

: Merchants, Migrants and Nairobi's transportation economy. 

Misha and the residency Artist Jeet Pandya ! 

This was an interesting talk and a true reminder that the talks are held at the studios so that knowledge can be shared and like minded people can meet in an informal setting. 

We wish Misha all the best as he travels to Nairobi to pursue his research and hope he will be back in india soon so we can catch up again. He is truly a Kindled Mind !!

Jeet Pandya : Tvak Studio Scholarship - Solo Show

Coffee and Ink 

Works on paper and Canvas 

Solo Show at Tvak Residential art studios.  

30th and 31st May - 2015 . 

27 sunrise park, 6-8: pm 

Scholarship artist at TVAK studios.

Jeet Pandya 

Here are a few lines from a candid interview with the young artist. : 

Deviba Wala : Tell us about the medium of choice and why do you prefer it?

Jeet Pandya : I began with coffee since I was drawn to it’s colour. because it is easily accessible and aesthetically it mutates into various shades of brown.  It was sort of an experiment and it turned out to be good. Coffee gives the painting an overall sepia effect which is nostalgic to me . I began mixing coffee with ink and varying amounts of water to achieve different shades. I enjoy the challenging and stubborn unpredictability of this medium.

DW:   What jobs have you done other than being an artist?

JP: I used to study engineering before I finally gathered up some courage and decided to  embark on this artistic journey. There have been no other jobs. An Artist is all I am. 

DW:  Is the artistic life interesting? What do you do to keep it that way?

I certainly think it is interesting. if I can somehow make a log entry of all the things I do which isn’t possible because there isn’t much and there isn’t any timing to any of it which makes it better rather than following a perfect schedule.

 To keep it that way I often try not to fall prey to the nightly betrayal that sleep has to offer and just work at night.

DW: What do you dislike about the art world?

JP: There isn’t anything to dislike about the art world. I only wish the art education here be more flexible or rather open for anyone to seek education in fine arts and related fields.

DW: What research do you do?

JP: I often read about artists from the past, about their works and lives. There is a lot to learn from it, may it be in the form of documentaries or books or articles on the internet. It has all been quite helpful to me.

DW: What makes you angry?

JP: Noise that is  violent to the ears on a silent night. walls that just happen to carry on such sounds.

DW: Name something you love and why?

JP: I love how human it is for us to be and that there is so much to feel and express the same. I also love the sofa at the studio, how I can sit and work by it as it has been since months. It is always there even if the furniture around keeps getting moved. I worry about it when it rains and more about what would happen to it when I leave the studio.

DW: Name something you don’t love and why?

JP: I don’t think there is anything at all to not love. When you are like a little marker flag out in the huge arctic, would you not love the snowflakes brushing by? Or the heavy wind at times or the ice beneath which is always going to be there?

DW: What is your dream project?

JP: My dream project is to be in a huge white room full of artists and get to paint all the walls and go crazy with it. A grand collaboration of sorts.

DW: How do you know who will be the subject of your work?

JP: A simple glance or a voice or a story or even if I read something that makes me feel strongly may it be anything, just the realization of it makes me paint it and then there is the desire to observe figures and objects and to portray them, to give such forms shape, colour and value.

DW:Professionally, what’s your goal?

JP:I would like to generate enough income so I can buy more canvases and paper and ink and colours to go on and to sustain myself.

DW: What wouldn’t you do without?

JP : Tea mostly.

DW:  What’s integral to the work of an artist?
JP:To be able to harness joy from all the work that one does. To be able to constantly learn.

DW: What has been a seminal experience?
JP: The transition from coffee and ink to colours, from paper to canvas. It has had quite an effect on how I used to paint earlier. I was hesitant about using colours earlier but after I joined the studio a whole new world opened up for me in the sense of technique, different mediums as well as life experiences.

 DW: Favourite or most inspirational place?
JP :I still have the world to travel yet. I feel the place of work gives me everything I need, inspiration as well. I climb a series of steps to access my working area every day at the studio, and the stairs I refer it to as the stairway to colours.  I grew up near the sea, I always have this longing to be there listening to it just as the sun is about to set no matter how far I am from the sea.

DW: What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
JP: I was told to paint and leave everything else aside. To stay alive and not burn myself completely. And I realized all I ever needed were that words.

DW: How has been your experience as an artist at Tvak?
JP: Like that of an infant learning to colour, talk and listen and meet new and interesting people, all at the same time.

Photography Workshop for the learners soul. - Riddhi Manna. Tvak Studios

Photography Workshop 

5th to 11th May

By 

Riddhi Manna 

Alumni Of the National Institute of Design, She has a rich experience of the industry and Education 

The Workshop Aims to teach the tricks and how to get an optimum result from the camera you own. 

Focus is on composition and skilfully manipulating light to the fullest.

I Asked her a few quick questions so we can get to know her a little better :)

Deviba : How did you develop an interest in photography ? 

Riddhi : The fact remains that I learnt to read and write because images and illustrations attracted me more than mundane alphabets. I believe everyone has a medium of expression of their innermost thoughts or feelings. I discovered that traveling is my way of unlocking my heart and mind. And the best way of telling those stories to others is through stories captured in a frame that lives on forever.

Deviba : What diff kinds of photography exists.. what do you love capturing ?

Riddhi :Photography is a vast subject, you name it and such photography style exists, be it product, portraiture, pet, landscape, fashion, art, astronomical, medical and the list can go on.

Deviba : Tell us more about your the process of how you select a frame. ?

Riddhi : Besides the obvious about being particular about the composition, the right lighting, element of stories etc, I select the images which evokes the feeling that lingers on over for a few more moments in the viewers mind. 

D : Did u always have a camera and how important do you think an instrument is  ? 

Riddhi : I started with a point and shoot toy camera and later learnt the basics of photography with a Nikon F 22 and later a Minolta 101 B SLR. To me more than the instrument what is more important is to develop the eyes and sense of composition. Then with practice train your senses to evaluate the right moments, and finally weave them together to narrate the story of light in that 1 still frame.

D : As an educationalist what influences you the most ?

Riddhi : The need and necessity to have clear and uninterrupted communication between the communicator and the target group is most important to me. The inquisitiveness and immense aptitude to learn is what influences me.

D : Name one artist you wish u had met and why ?

Riddhi : Van Gogh!! That man had a story board instead of a mind, that is why all his creation are a  master narration which can be decoded over and over again and yet leave you intrigued the next time you see them.

D: What separates your teaching style from others ? 

Riddhi : Hahahaha. My students and fellow learners should rather be answering this question. But if I have to answer, I guess I do not think I teach. I just share what ever I know, and I try do it from the level of understanding of each and every learner who is willing to give themselves a chance to learn.

Various Conversations ! Art talk on saturdays.

Print 

Photography

Creative Writing 

Music 

Theatre 

Murali Chinnasamy Talk on Printmaking at Tvak Studios

Tvak Residential Art Studios

Art Talk : Saturday

7 February  

By 

Murali Chinnasamy. 

Murali has done his graduation from the Madras University from Chennai in 2006 as well as masters in printmaking from M.S. University, Baroda in 2014. He currently lives and works in Baroda 

The talk consisted of three sections : 

Introduction to print media, Presentation &  Discussion

He is currently working mostly in Viscocity.

His large scale drawings in pen and Ink are beautiful and his prints intricate & painstakingly done with such minute detail and expertise that on closer look reveal 6 to 7 colors whereas at first glance you see only 2.

 He draws inspiration from nature,  the environment & textures that exist all around in everyday materials. He gives the viewer a zoomed in view of insects and pieces of bark until he can sense the soul or feel of the subject he is portraying. 

He spoke about how he openly experiments and is constantly pushing the boundaries of his work in terms of technique and style. 

It was interesting to see his  “multi-technique one plate” prints with parts of it treated differently. 

Tvak Studios thanks Murali for the visit and being so generous with his time and knowledge. We wish him Well. 

introducing Art Talks on Saturday at Tvak studios.

at : 27 Sunrise park. 2nd fl, Tvak Studios.