Bharti Kher (b. 1969, London, UK) connects New Delhi and New York with this nearly 18 foot tall bronze Universal Mother figure, entitled Ancestor (2022) which is her most ambitious artwork today. Its source is a miniature statue from the artist’s “intermediaries“ series, assembled by recomposing broken clay figurines. Kher finds these small objects in secondhand markets in India, where she moved in 1992 after being raised and educated in the United Kingdom. Continue reading Bharti Kher’s Ancestor in Doris C. Freedman Plaza→
19th century Bengali craftspeople found an export market in Britain for decorative chess sets carved from ivory.
The two sides were sometimes carved to represent opposing armies of local soldiers and Europeans. The example seen here, with relatively simple carving is unusual as signs of wear and repair suggest it was used for playing games rather than as a showpiece for display. Hand-carving has produced variation even between pawns of the same side.
Photographed in the British Galleries at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.
While Covid Life keeps us physically apart, The Museum of Art and Photography (MAP) in India is working to bring us together — digitally. MAP Founder Abhishek Poddar requests your participation in a collaborative digital art project to create the world’s largest digital flower Bouquet of Hope.
Here’s a bit of backstory on the inspiration for this engaging project. In honor of his parents 25th Wedding Anniversary back in 1989, Abhishek surprised them with an art installation made up of 25 flowers. Well-known artists from India created a single flower, one for each year of his parents married life together, in the artist’s own unique style; each image reminding them of a fond moment. “At times like these, we hold on to precious memories – of family times, of challenges we managed to overcome, of personal journeys we ventured on” said Abhishek. Flowers are a celebration of hope, love, and courage – something the world needs now more than ever!
Right now, anyone and everyone is invited to join MAP in creating this Bouquet of Hope. Paint, draw or sketch a flower, snap a picture from your garden or balcony, or even create a flower motif from objects or textiles in your home (food, toilet paper, shoes, pillows). The possibilities are endless.
Images can be submitted to, and viewed at www.bouquetofhope.in. I’ve already contributed a few images of Orchids that I took while visiting the NYBG Orchid Show in February. Remember to use #BouquetofHope and tag @MAPBangalore when posting on social media channels. Enjoy!
This Photo Image Source, All Other Photos By Gail, Unless Noted.
Do you like Butter? I sure do. You know what I don’t like, though? Cold, hard butter that sometimes arrives at your table along with the bread at even the fanciest restaurants. What is up with that? Butter should be soft and spreadable, and hard butter destroys the bread! There is no need for butter to be hard unless you need to transport it through the desert on a refrigerated truck. Otherwise, no need!
Hawa Mahal Palace built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawaj Pratap Singh (Image Source)
I have a friend at my day job named Darshan, who is from Mumbai, India. Darshan is a very fun and cool person who enjoys learning new American words and talking with me about delicious foods. Darshan rocks. Anyway, just yesterday, Darshan, who is only too happy to talk to me of life in India, told me that the city of Jaipur, which I have actually heard of before, is also called “The Pink City” because many of the city’s buildings are a shade of pink. This talk of a Pink City got my attention right away, of course, and I decided to make the Pink City of Jaipur India my Pink Thing of The Day! Yay! Find out more about Jaipur and why it is called the Pink City at This Link!
