Marg Magazine

27/09/2024

Join us tomorrow for an exciting discussion on From the Depth of the Mould: Meera Mukherjee (1923-1998), A Centenary Tribute. Tapati Guha-Thakurta and Adip Dutta will be in conversation with Abhay Sardesai at 6 PM, at Pundole’s in Mumbai. Register via the link in bio!

One of Meera Mukherjee’s seminal works was her last one - the figure of the giant Buddha. Initially conceived as a commissioned art piece, the project transformed into something more monumental than it was meant to be. Meera envisioned this sculpture as an icon as vibrant as it was divine. Her technique of enlargement of form and multi-part modelling and casting created a 14-feet seated Buddha in his bhumi-sparsha posture, with an extended arm touching Mother Earth and conch-like ears seemingly absorbing the sounds of the universe as his eyes gazed into infinity.

Compressed into a few months with the aid of fifteen additional workers, the creation of the sculpture was carried out at Elachi with unprecedented fervour. While the work gained momentum, the casting process remained emotionally charged – as always. With anxiety and fear as permanent fixtures in the process, for Meera, it would culminate in either elation or heartbreak. She wrote about the tenuous process and how she would internally writhe with the same pain as the crucible tossed in the fire, her mind and body becoming one with the furnace. Meera would experience the emotional upheaval that came with casting one last time as the head of the Buddha emerged from the furnace. A few nights later, on January 27th, 1988, she succumbed to a heart attack. With around fourteen parts left to be cast and welded; the completed work still grappled with the future, and the fruition of the project momentarily stood on shaky ground.

The conclusion of the work warrants a deeper dive, and perhaps a post dedicated to it. For now, we end with the completed Buddha sculpture in all its glory, sitting atop a hill at the Badamtam tea estate. The Buddha, we might say, has undergone a radical makeover of his own–moving away from the art world to a distant hill-top, going from a contemporary art work to a devotional icon amidst the tea plantation workers.

19/09/2024

One of the most prolific sculptors of late 20th century India, Meera Mukherjee chose a mode of metal sculpting and a lifestyle that set her apart from most other artists of her time. The momentous turn in her career came with her decision to undertake a country-wide study of traditional metal crafting communities and techniques. This propelled the radical shift in her choice of sculpting methods and more broadly in her notion of art as labour and collective practice. Her artisanal self-image went hand in hand with her choice of a labour-intensive technique of sculpture-making in the reinvented indigenous lost-wax method of metal casting that she developed over time into her signature art form.

The book, From the Depth of the Mould: Meera Mukherjee(1923-1998), A Centenary Tribute is an in-depth exploration of the artist's life and work, her anthropological investigation into the indigenous metal-casting traditions of the country, her radical reshaping of her artistic self and practice, and her building of a community art practice. Like her moulds, the artist’s persona and productions emerge in these pages through layers of different kinds of writing and visual imagery. This is both an art and archival book, presenting hitherto unpublished photographs and personal papers as well as a rich spread of articles, diaries, memoirs and images.

Join us to hear the book's editors, Tapati Guha-Thakurta and Adip Dutta, in conversation with Abhay Sardesai on the 28th of September, at Pundole’s in Mumbai. Find the link to register in our bio!

19/09/2024

One of the most prolific sculptors of late 20th century India, Meera Mukherjee chose a mode of metal sculpting and a lifestyle that set her apart from most other artists of her time. The momentous turn in her career came with her decision to undertake a country-wide study of traditional metal crafting communities and techniques. This propelled the radical shift in her choice of sculpting methods and more broadly in her notion of art as labour and collective practice. Her artisanal self-image went hand in hand with her choice of a labour-intensive technique of sculpture-making in the reinvented indigenous lost-wax method of metal casting that she developed over time into her signature art form.

The book, From the Depth of the Mould: Meera Mukherjee(1923-1998), A Centenary Tribute is an in-depth exploration of the artist's life and work, her anthropological investigation into the indigenous metal-casting traditions of the country, her radical reshaping of her artistic self and practice, and her building of a community art practice. Like her moulds, the artist’s persona and productions emerge in these pages through layers of different kinds of writing and visual imagery. This is both an art and archival book, presenting hitherto unpublished photographs and personal papers as well as a rich spread of articles, diaries, memoirs and images.

Join us to hear the book's editors, Tapati Guha-Thakurta and Adip Dutta, in conversation with Abhay Sardesai on the 28th of September, at Pundole’s in Mumbai. Find the link to register in our bio!

16/09/2024

We have exciting news for you, dear readers!
The Grand Annual Marg Sale is starting soon, with offers you can’t - and shouldn’t - resist! From up to 25% off on magazines to up to 40% on books, there is much for you to explore. Starting this Friday, the 20th of September, the sale will remain live until midnight on September 25th, Wednesday. Plenty of time for you to fill up your carts and add items to your reading lists!

The sale is only valid on our print publications.

16/08/2024

We’re excited to invite you to a conversation on Marg’s volume ‘The Risha’, this time in Delhi! A conversation between Aratrik Dev Varman, Jisha Unnikrishnan and Dr. Joy L K Pachuau brings this work and its makers to your city, where the textile and its histories will be discussed at length.
If you’re in Delhi on the 21st of August, come be a part of ‘The Risha’ at Bikaner House. Make sure to register through the link in our bio.

12/08/2024

The Palden lhamo or Shri Devi is a wrathful goddess and a wisdom protector in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. In this Bhutanese thangka from the Rubins Art Museum, she rides an ass with a white nose, occupying the centre of the painting.

The figure at the top-centre is identified as Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the Tibetan monk who is celebrated as the unifier of Bhutan.

He is flanked on either side by the Indian mahasiddhas, Tilopa and Naropa.

Below the Zhabdrung is another wrathful deity Sahaja Chakrasamvara and his consort Vajravahi.

Finally, the bottom of the painting shows two figures engaged in a country chase, one rides a bull and the other a horse. They are understood to be local protectors associated with the Punakha area in Bhutan, Damchen Gomo and Tsenchen Jagpa Melen.

Depictions of Palden Lhamo are not uncommon in the Himalayan region, however, this particular thangka seems to enjoy a specifically Bhutanese context. In trying to understand the nature of Bhutanese art, Christian Luczantis and Dorji Namgyel explore a collection of thangkas from the Rubin Museum of Art in New York. Read more in Marg's magazine Vol. 66, No. 4.

IMAGE:
Glorious Goddess PaldenLhamo. Bhutan, late 18th century. Pigments on cloth(silk?); 68.58 x 58.42 cm.Rubin Museum of Art,F1998.1.2 (HAR 602).

07/08/2024

Following Ahmedabad, Marg’s seminar ‘Creating a New Curriculum of the Arts’ is coming to Delhi!
The five readers (Readings on the Temple, Textiles, Dance, Modernism and Painting), beyond being an introspective exercise on The Marg Foundation’s contributions and historical trajectory, have also created an opportunity to reassess the shifts in the field and the kinds of questions and research it has produced.
These volumes are situated in a time when there is a need to think about how these subjects will be written into social sciences, beyond art history into wider histories, sociology, political studies, economic history and culture-studies. They raise questions linked to larger conversations on preserving culture and its revivalism, which are meaningful for the larger curriculum for culture industries.
IIC and Marg invite you to a seminar that rethinks arts education in India. Please RSVP via the form in the link in bio, or send us an email on [email protected].

06/08/2024

The wait for Marg’s newest volume ‘Tents: Cities on the move’ is over!
Guest edited by Rahul Mehrotra, this volume presents India’s rich history of tents, situating it within a global context. The historically relevant tradition of tented dwelling is explored and read with regard to its application to urbanism and contemporary contexts.The characteristics of tents—their lightness, agility, adjustability, reversibility and ephemerality—can inspire designers, academics, planners and policy makers in crafting an urban future which is more adaptable to negotiate the immense flux we face on the planet.

Within this volume, fascinating documentation of the Kumbh Mela, the largest human habitational space erected every 12 years, is provided alongside grand qanats and shamianas of the Mughals, Deccani sultans and Rajputs. The close examination of this mobile architecture makes the multiplicity of its meanings apparent and asks how tents may inspire urban design in its answer to questions of urban dwelling.

Head to the link in our bio to get your hands on this issue fresh off the press.

02/08/2024

India's transition from a colony to an independent state required quite the shift in perspective. As a new sovereign democratic republic entering the arena of modern geopolitics, it was important for India to be heard. To find its spot at the global table, India had to speak with the rest of the world in a language they could all understand. The State recognised the potential of India's cultural traditions and leveraged its rich heritage to establish international diplomatic relations. This was done by sponsoring and funding a wide variety of cultural organizations and events. One such endeavour that attracted generous funding from the government was Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's brainchild, the Festivals of India programme started in the 1980s. These programmes were large productions, sometimes lasting for over a year. Performing artists from India were sent to partnering countries to showcase their cultural traditions and vice versa. Gandhi had cultural specialists like Rajiv Sethi, Pupul Jayakar and Lalit Mansingh, among others, research and execute cultural events like the Festivals of India. The programme is still alive albeit with a fraction of the interest, funding and importance compared to the 1980s.

Learn more about the role of state sponsors in bringing Indian performance practices to a global stage in Marg’s Readings on Dance: From 75 Years of Marg.

IMAGES
1. Folk Dancers from Madhya Pradesh performing near Eiffel Tower at the Festival of India in France. Courtesy: Purnima Shah

2. Peter Brook's Mahabharata featuring Mallika Sarabhai as Draupadi, being staged in the quarry near Avignon during the festival of India in France. Courtesy: Purnima Shah

3. Aroha Ascent, choreographed by Kumudini Lakhia with Uzbek and Indian Kathak dancers, being staged at the Festival of India in Tashkent. Courtesy: Purnima Shah

30/07/2024

At a pivotal moment in Lorik and Chanda’s story, the warrior finds himself standing below Chanda’s chambers on a stormy night. With Biraspati’s encouragement to go to the palace, Lorik sets out to seek his love on the sixth day of the lunar month. Biraspati's warning is not enough to discourage him - “Either you will reach Heaven, or a noose will be put around your neck.” The first throw of his rope is fruitless, with Chanda removing the anchor and throwing the rope back. She mulls over her action and hopes that Lorik throws the rope back up again, promising that if what she demanded at the temple is answered, she will surely take hold of it. Lorik climbs up to Chanda’s chamber, while she reclines on her bed in a pretense of sleep. Reaching his chamber, Lorik is taken up by the opulence of it all, with a canto describing the wall paintings and another describing the flowers and perfumes scattered about. The Canto and the image here tell of Lorik’s attempt to reach his “moon”, so that his woes are allayed.

The Chandayan's translation and linguistic analysis are a treasure trove for readers, with the illustrations throwing light on painting traditions pre-dating the Mughals. Head to the link in our bio to get the book. 

22/07/2024

The earliest British documentation of the Cheetah in India goes back to their arrival at the Mughal court.
The imperial court’s first tryst with the Cheetah is well documented, albeit with an anti-climactic turn. The Governor of Madras presented one to the Duke of Cumberland, for the royal menagerie at Windsor. The attempt to course with it at Windsor Great Park was a letdown, with the animal refusing to move amidst the crowd that came to witness the creature. The event was, however, preserved in a painting by George Stubbs and remains at the Manchester City Art Gallery.
Thus began the Cheetah’s liaison with the British Raj, producing a number of paintings depicting the spotted cat and a prolific repository of writings on shikar. The British were unrestrained when it came to spearing or shooting cheetahs they came across in the wild and made them targets for sport and collecting trophies. Indian emperors and princes, on the other hand, earlier only used them as hunting aids. Eventually, they too would begin to mimic their colonial masters. By 1939, as R. I. Pocock would record, the Cheetah was quickly disappearing.
To read more from The Story of India’s Cheetah by Divyabhanusinh, visit the link in our bio.

IMAGES
1. A Cheetah and a stag with two Indian attendants”,George Stubbs, oil on canvas,1765 ce.The painting depicts the famous scene at Windsor where the cheetah refused to hunt.Manchester Art Gallery, UK© Manchester Art Gallery/Bridgeman Images.

2. “A cheetah ready for the hunt”,watercolour, made for Marquis Wellesley, 1800 ce.The animal wears a blindfold and cloak, with the wooden spoon beside it.© The British Library Board, NHD32/5.

3. The conclusion of a cheetah hunt at Cambay”, drawing by Lady Malet engraved by Charles Heath, c. 1813.The cheetah is about to be relieved of its prey by its keeper who is presenting it with a leg of the antelope. Author's collection.

17/07/2024

Though similar in proportion, this textile is not a risha but a rikari, also known as an alam or atam. Each tribe wove this textile as a sampler. It served as a repository of motifs which all the women in the village could use. It consisted of horizontal lines of distinct motifs used by the tribe, which gave it its identity, and was usually woven by the more experienced weavers in the village and kept in their custody. It was a collection of designs for quick consultation by anyone. It ensured the continuity of designs that distinguished one tribe from another and was a way to pass on the knowledge to the next generation of weavers. This particular alam belongs to the Chakma tribe and is made up of red and black horizontal bands of different designs, woven using continuous supplementary weft on an off-white ground of mill-spun cotton.

If you're in Chennai this Friday, come be a part of The Risha! The textile and its histories will be discussed at length by Aratrik Dev Varman and Jisha Unnikrishnan in conversation with Ranvir Shah.

Find the registration link and the volume at the link in bio.



IMAGE:
Detail of rikari or alam, from a Chakma village. 169 x 48 cm

05/07/2024

Originally published in Marg vol 32 no. 2, The Tradition of Wall Painting in Kerala, penned by Mulk Raj Anand sought to celebrate the heritage of states in post-colonial India and their art histories. The article called attention to the lack of evidence characterising the region’s painting histories and explored the possibilities of “how this specific tradition of creating the world of gods came to be inherited by Kerala”. Referring to the notable wall-paintings in the cave-temples of Tirunandikkara and Chitraval, the 18th-century Padmanabhapuram Palace and the 16th-century Shiva temples at Ettumanur and Vaikom, Mulk Raj makes an intriguing observation. First, he proposes Buddhist tableaus as a possible precursor—the depictions of human figures, from venerated monks and mendicants to elite and royal men and women as attendants and audiences—found in the Ajanta and Bagh caves in the southern peninsular region of the Deccan, above and abutting Kerala’s boundaries. Second, Anand sees the dramatic scenes with intimate figures wearing “elaborate costumes” and expressing “memorable gestures” as a hallmark of Kerala’s painting style.

A highlight of the article, republished in Readings on Paintings, was Anand’s detailed captions, which laid out details on color palette, brushwork styles and composition choices for the reader, lending an element of complexity to the writing accompanying the images reproduced in this post. 

To learn more about this volume, visit the link in our bio. 

IMAGES
Image 1: Padmanabhapuram Palace 
Image 2: Ettumanur Temple
Image 3: The outer wall of the Vaikom shrine

03/07/2024

From the Depth of the Mould, edited by Tapati Guha Thakurta is a centenary tribute to the sculptor Meera Mukherjee. Meera was set apart by her choice of sculpting methods and her notions of art as labor and collective practice that shaped her own life and works.
In her works, she used the lost-wax metal casting technique, which she learned from the Gharua community of Bastar. This reinvented lost-wax method of metal casting, over time, developed into her signature art form. Her figures were sculpted in three pre-casting phases. First, an inner core in the shape of the object was made out of clay. Next, wax made into thin coils would create surface lines and patterns that would be reproduced in metal and lastly, the intricate wax mould would be covered in an outer clay body layered with entel mati (sticky clay), sieved goat and cow dung, sand and bran - and then left to dry. She worked with the pure beeswax used by the Gharuas instead of a cheaper resin (garal dhuna) used by Bengal metal craftsmen at Gushkara or Deripur to make the torso. Her preferred method involved using beeswax mixed with mustard oil - obtaining wax wires of uniform diameter by squeezing the wax through a sieve. This gave the artist a greater window of time to work on the fine details over the clay core.

Explore the life and works of Meera Mukherjee in the book, From the Depth of the Mould: Meera Mukherjee, co-published by Gallerie 88 and Jadavpur University Press and distributed by The Marg Foundation. Find the link in bio.

IMAGES
1. The making of the core. Photograph by Arun Ganguly, c. 1978. Courtesy: Arun Ganguly; Collection: KNMA.

2. The artist at work with wax coils. Photograph by Arun Ganguly, c. 1978. Courtesy: Arun Ganguly; Collection: KNMA.

3. The artist extracting scrap metal for casting. Photograph by Arun Ganguly, c. 1978-79. Courtesy: Arun Ganguly; Collection: KNMA.

4. The artist with a full face mask at the casting site, Elachi. Photograph by Arun Ganguly, c. 1978-79. Courtesy: Arun Ganguly; Collection: KNMA.

01/07/2024

We are inviting applications for the IFA-Marg Scholarly and Creative projects under IFA's Archives and Museums programme.

Deadline: August 7, 2024

Visit here for more details: https://indiaifa.org/programmes/archives-and-museums/request-for-proposals/ifa-marg.html

26/06/2024

Marg invites you to a conversation on our latest issue, The Risha: History in a Narrow Weave! Jisha Unnikrishnan and Aratrik Dev Varman will be joined by Ranvir Shah as they delve into the historical trajectory of the breast cloth - its place in the village and the court to more contemporary settings. From how it is woven to its ties with identity and its unique motifs, there is much to be discussed.

Join us for an invigorating conversation that highlights the lesser-known histories of the risha and the tribes of Tripura.

Venue: The Folly at Amethyst, Chennai
Date: Friday, 19th July 2024
Time: 6.30 PM

We have limited seats available, so make sure to register via the link in our bio. We’re excited to see you there!

Register here: https://forms.gle/dCYcZd71yWv6jEbdA

05/06/2024

Tong ghar is the name for stilt houses made of bamboo on a hillside in a Reang village. The members of the community grow bamboo, betel nut, banana, papaya, pumpkin and other vegetables around their homes. In this illustration, we see a woman warping yarn on the left; another weaving on the veranda of her house; cotton opened and ready for bowing to be made into slivers in the second house; and a mother and son on their way back from the river.

To delve deeper into the Risha and its place within village and community life, head to the link in our bio!

IMAGE
Illustration by Jisha Unnikrishnan, 2024

23/05/2024

Coming soon:

From the Depth of the Mould: Meera Mukherjee (1923-1998), A Centenary Tribute
Edited by Tapati Guha-Thakurta; Assistant editors: Adip Dutta and Sujaan Mukherjee
Design and layout: Sukanya Ghosh

Published by Galerie 88 and Jadavpur University Press, and distributed by The Marg Foundation
Language: English
Hardcover, 372 pages
ISBN: 978-93-83660-78-0
Price: ₹3999

One of the most prolific sculptors of late 20th century India, Meera Mukherjee chose a mode of metal sculpting and a lifestyle that set her apart from other artists of her time. The momentous turn in her career came with her decision to undertake a country-wide study of traditional metal crafting communities and techniques. This, in turn, propelled a radical shift in her choice of sculpting methods and more intrinsically, in her notion of art as labour and collective practice.

Even as her work travelled widely and was exhibited in several solo shows, she doggedly kept to her life of austerity and hard work--living out of a small rented apartment at Bhowanipur in south Calcutta. She would work at a studio cm casting space at Elachi, on the outskirts of Kolkata, where she seasonally carried out the collective work of casting. In both places, she drew around her a group of artisans and their families, who became her support and alternative community of care and nurture. Her artisanal self-image went hand in hand with her choice of a labour-intensive technique of sculpture-making in the reinvented indigenous lost-wax method of metal casting that she developed over time into her signature art form.

Using a translated title from one of the artist’s own writings, From the Depth of the Mould, the book uses the metaphor of her mould-making and casting process to look closely at the themes of labour and work, material and technique, struggle and resilience in her life story. Like her moulds, the artist’s persona and productions emerge in these pages through layers of writing and visual imagery. This is both an art and archival book, presenting hitherto unpublished photographs, personal papers as well as a rich spread of articles, memoirs and images.

Watch this space for updates!

23/05/2024

We're looking for an administrative assistant. Write to us at [email protected].

17/05/2024

Join Naman P. Ahuja at Aligarh Muslim University for a conversation on Marg's latest book, The Chandayan. He will speak on language, poetry, translation, art and the historical context of the epic.

18th May, 2024
11.30 AM
Conference Room, Faculty of Social Sciences, AMU

See you there!

09/05/2024

Tripura is a densely forested state, with around 60 per cent of its land covered by evergreen and moist deciduous forests. The forests, which provide sustenance to many tribal communities, are intrinsic to their way of life. Food is both foraged and cultivated, using jhum (slash and burn) agriculture, with tribal settlements moving from hill to hill, building dwellings on stilts, known as tong ghar, entirely out of bamboo and thatch. Besides being the primary material employed in vernacular architecture (including fencing and mats), bamboo, which grows densely in the wild is also cultivated for its use in local cottage industries such as furniture, basketry and handicrafts. As one descends from the hills to the plains, traditional bamboo houses are replaced by rammed earth and timber constructions and by brick and cement buildings closer to the urban areas.

Find out more in the latest Marg issue, Risha: History in a Narrow Weave. Link in bio!

IMAGES:
1. The interior of a bamboo stilt house. The walls and the floor are made of flattened bamboo culms, which are supported by bamboo beams and columns. The kitchen usually consists of a hearth, built on a raised platform
made out of mud, stone and bamboo. The bamboo culms seen around the kitchen in the image are used for steaming rice and fish.
Tamara Para village, Tripura.
Photograph: Vivek Dev Burman, 2019

2. A gairing or stilt house, made of bamboo; the thatched roof is put together with dried local grass or dried palm leaves.
Tamara Para village, Tripura.
Photograph: Vivek Dev Burman, 2019.

3. Sheds for growing edible creepers such as pumpkins and bitter gourds are often made with woven bamboo strips.
Tamara Para village, Tripura.
Photograph: Vivek Dev Burman, 2019

06/05/2024

We are delighted to announce to our readers that Marg has reintroduced its supplement of news and reviews with the latest issue. Risha: History in a Narrow Weave revives Marg’s practice of publishing reviews of books and exhibitions, news of developments in art and culture, and articles that are more topical in nature, starting with an eight-page insert within this issue.

Buy the magazine here: https://marg-art.org/product/UHJvZHVjdDo1NDc0

Reviews included in this volume are:
1. Chandramolle Modgil's review of To What God Shall We Render Homage in the Temple at Modhera? And Other Writings by Kirit Mankodi
2. Priyani Roy Choudhury's review of The Planetary King: Humayun Padshah, Inventor and Visionary on the Mughal Throne by Ebba Koch
3. Anjali Duhan Gulia's review of Faces of God: Images of Devotion in Indo-Muslim Painting, 1500–1800 by Murad Khan Mumtaz
4. Gulammohammed Sheikh's review of Kasauli Art Centre, 1976–1991 by Belinder Dhanoa
5. Rob Linrothe's review of Tree and Serpent by John Guy

06/05/2024