Latest news with #VidaHeydariContemporary
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
New definitions of mothering in powerful new Pune exhibition
The latest exhibition at Vida Heydari Contemporary art gallery in Koregaon Park is 'Mothering' – but there is none of the quintessential mother-and-child works on display. Instead, among the first images one sees are Shivangi Ladha's 'Rise' and 'Care'. These are expressions of an Indian artist who is, now, based in London. Her distance from the familiarity of her home and motherland emerges as a 'tension between isolation and collective strength'. This is, especially, true for 'Care', where women figures stand upright, hands stretched overhead, like so many trees in a community forest. 'Her practice also draws from her own experiences as an immigrant—finding sustenance and protection within circles of fellow artists, who stand in as guardians to one another,' says the official statement from the gallery. 'Mothering', which will be on view till September 5, comprises, besides Ladha, the works of Aravani Art Project, a Bengaluru-based collective space for people from the transgender community, Chathuri Nissansala, a multidisciplinary artist based in Sri Lanka, Liactuallee, a queer visual artist from Mumbai who creates powerful soft sculptures using, as the exhibition shows, material such as acrylic yarn and polyfill, and Roghayeh Najdi, whose works deep dive into the realities of women in her homeland, Iran. The captivating work, 'Other Ways to Hold' by Aravani Art Project depicts four figures who appear to be arranged for a comfortable family photo. Another shows a transgender with a kitten. Both images redefine the concepts of family and expand the embrace of mothering. Liactuallee's series of sculptures capture an urge to break straitjackets and expand the self in every which way. For Nissansala, who has documented a performance that they carried out in Sri Lanka, 'mothering is an act of quiet, transformative reclamation. They/She performs with discarded and found objects transforming them into embroidered deities—an act of queer ancestral resurrection through nurturing and ritual. This tender gaze repairs grief through gentle reclamation, honoring the lives of queer Sri Lankans while resisting erasure'. Najdi presents the women in her works like undeveloped negatives from the days before digital photography. Men, who are hostile figures, make up the background. Works like 'Hear Your Voice In The Silence' that was created this year, shows women supporting and holding up one another. The defiant flowers in the paintings come across as resistance, hope and self-care, like individual blooms put together as a powerful whole. Dipanita Nath is interested in the climate crisis and sustainability. She has written extensively on social trends, heritage, theatre and startups. She has worked with major news organizations such as Hindustan Times, The Times of India and Mint. ... Read More
Indian Express
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Anxiety and fear are overwhelming': Iranian artist Farbod Elkaei talks about living in a place where beauty and tension coexist
Breathtaking images of nature make up Farbod Elkaei's art. The Iranian artist appears to extract the essence of mountains and seas, clouds and skies and represent these in abstract geometric compositions. Colourful papers are cut and superimposed upon amorphously painted landscapes, turning the gallery space of Koregaon Park's Vida Heydari Contemporary (VHC) into a vibrant, intimate and spiritual space. Elkaei is having his first Indian solo show, 'Waypoint', in Pune. Since the exhibition began on June 7, his homeland has become a war zone with a real possibility of a nuclear disaster that could affect the world amid strikes and counter-strikes with Israel. In an email interaction with The Indian Express from Iran, Elkaei elaborated on his art, which offers a respite and quiet solace in these gloomy times. 'Nature was always a part of my life, but in recent years, it has become a true companion. It reflects everything I seek in my art: transformation, presence, fragility, and strength,' says Elkaei. 'I find in trees, light, and stones the metaphors I cannot fully express in words. That said, my work also explores themes of personal liberation, intimacy, and the quiet revolution of simply being. Nature is often the lens—but what it reveals are inner stories: of memory, identity, and the invisible threads between people and places,' he adds. Born in 1992 in Tehran, Elkaei has a graphic diploma from the School of Fine Arts in Tehran and an MA in painting from Sooreh Art University, Tehran. He has been part of several group exhibitions and collaborative art projects in Sweden, the UAE, Portugal, and Iran. 'My journey as an artist has always been deeply personal. It is rooted in observation, emotion and a search for inner truth. I was born and raised in Iran, and the layers of complexity in everyday life in the country have inevitably shaped how I see and express the world. Living in a place where beauty and tension often coexist has made me sensitive to subtleties—how light finds its way through darkness, how stillness speaks louder than chaos,' says the artist. 'The political situation has influenced me—not always directly, but like a quiet current under the surface. It has taught me to find ways to speak softly, yet honestly. My work isn't overtly political, but it carries the weight of resilience, of longing, and of quiet resistance,' he adds. Iran's artistic heritage is profoundly woven into his soul. From Persian miniatures and classical poetry to the intricate geometry of architecture, Iran's cultural expression contains a 'deep rhythm' that has influenced countless generations of artists. 'I grew up surrounded by this beauty—it felt both distant and intimate. I'm particularly drawn to the balance and symbolism in traditional Persian aesthetics. The use of space, silence, and repetition in our art has influenced my compositions, even if they appear contemporary. I don't copy the forms—but I carry their spirit. That sense of timelessness, of something sacred hidden in the everyday, is always present in my work,' he says. 'Waypoint' came together largely because Elkaei has known Vida Heydari, the founder and curator of VHC, since he was still a student. Over the years, they stayed in touch and collaborated on a few projects. 'For quite some time, we had been in conversation about the possibility of me having a solo exhibition at VHC, but the pandemic—and later, other circumstances—caused several delays,' he says. When Waypoint finally came to life and the opportunity aligned, it felt both unexpected and deeply meaningful. Elkaei says that the exhibition found its own way, without being pushed or forced—it happened naturally, in its own time. 'I hope Waypoint continues to move forward with the same quiet momentum, finding its path to other places in the world,' he says. The exhibition will be held till July 26. 'Waypoint' marks a period of inner transition in Elkaei's life, a moment where he needed to pause and reflect on where he had come from and where he might be heading. 'It's not just a series of paintings; it's a kind of mapping of my inner landscapes. I chose the title Waypoint because it speaks of movement, of journeys, but also of moments where you allow yourself to stop and acknowledge your path. It's more introspective and distilled than my previous works, and in a way, it feels like a turning point—a space where things settle, and a new direction begins to emerge,' he says. Where is his art directed amid the Iran crisis? 'Right now, I'm away from my studio and home. I came to the north of Iran, and under these circumstances, I honestly can't do anything. My entire routine has been disrupted, and I'm not in a mental or emotional space to focus on creating. It's still early days, and I'm in a state of shock. Anxiety and fear are very present and overwhelming. I can't bring myself to think about making art at the moment. I believe many other artists feel the same—creativity becomes secondary when survival and emotional grounding are not yet in place,' he says. Dipanita Nath is interested in the climate crisis and sustainability. She has written extensively on social trends, heritage, theatre and startups. She has worked with major news organizations such as Hindustan Times, The Times of India and Mint. ... Read More
