Events of the week

Art on wheels

What: Focusing on a contemporary but less noticed facet of public life in Tamil Nadu, India International Centre presents, ‘Colours Unlimited: The Bus Art of Tamil Nadu’. An exhibition of photographs by Vijay Jodha, it features art that can be found on the sides of buses criss-crossing the state. The advent of digital printed billboards has spelt the death knell to the careers of Tamil Nadu’s famed hoarding painters. Thankfully their creativity has found a new avenue in the form of murals and public art that has brought life to many old, drab or poorly maintained buildings and in the world of public transport. Everything from classical dancers and architectural heritage to parrots and tigers find space on what are akin to art galleries on wheels. Not to be missed in such colourful and apolitical graphics is the occasional political statement such as the prominent appearance of Jallikattu bulls in the period when the Indian courts briefly banned this 2400 year-old Tamil tradition.

When: On view till November 14

Where: Website of India International Centre

Film fest

What: India Habitat Centre is back to showcase a selection of Europe’s finest cinema from over 20 countries in the European Union Film Festival. This features an exciting line-up of 60 films, in 37 languages across eight genres that explore unique stories, experiences, and histories with artistic storytelling from across member states and associate countries; celebrating the most recent cinematic triumphs at Cannes, Locarno, San Sebastian, Karlovy Vary, and Venice, amongst others. The festival will also pay homage to legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray on his 100th birth anniversary, with the projection of the seminal Pather Panchali. A special contemporary Indian section, curated by the Dharamshala International Film Festival is also a prominent feature.

When: November 1 -30

Where: Website of India Habitat Centre

New aesthetics

What: Nature Morte presents Works on Paper and Ceramic Sculptures by Mona Rai and Ray Meeker. Two artists, with over 50 years of experience creating, have been brought together to create an exhibition of complementary opposites. Both artists started their exhibition careers in the 1970s and have remained steadfastly committed to their respective mediums. In this show, Meeker’s work range from the small (hand-held, object-like) to the statuesque (stoic columns standing seven feet high). His process is unconventional: turning away from the standard methods of constructing forms on a potter’s wheel or by using coils and slabs. Rai’s present exhibition is entirely of works on paper that the artist has created during the past two years, a period of isolation, introspection, and concentration. All of the works, being the same scale, arise from the artist being present in front of her work table. 

When: October 31 – November 28

Where: Nature Morte, Dhan Mill