[1]Picture perfect
Raghu rai, ace photographer
Chandan Ahuja’s simple photographs have the potential to attract the viewer towards its dynamic and interpretative portrayal of events and people. His pictures take you to a different reality — a reality that is a part of our city, and yet hidden from the public gaze. His honesty, perseverance and love for photography has bagged him the prestigious Charles Wallace India Trust Award for 2012-13.
Theatre calling
Lushin dubey, theatre veteran
I believe that theatre is a medium that brings out the real talent of an actor. One such emerging talent in the Delhi theatrical circuit is Suvrat Laxman Joshi. A veteran actor performs on the stage, but a talented actor ‘feels’ the sensitivity of the role that he is enacting. Suvrat is one such ‘real actor’ as he brings alive a character on stage. Even though this talented boy has not bagged several roles, yet whatever he has done so far has left an impression on the minds of the audience. I remember Suvrat playing a very challenging role of a gay theatre director in Dreams of Taleem. Currently, he is playing the role of goofy guy who is a bad singer and a die-hard fan of Kishore Kumar in a play called Jhumaroo at Kingdom of Dreams in the capital.
Mixed media
rohini devasher, multimedia artist
One emerging artist to watch out is audio and video installation artist, Aastha Chauhan. Her work makes me think about the medium very differently. She mostly works with socially engaging art projects. Aastha makes very interesting video installations around local remedies. One of her clips, together called Gharelu Nuskhe aur Muft ki Salah featuring community elders who practice medicine, Ayurvedic practitioners and female farmers who share the medicinal benefits of the local plants is something worth appreciating. Astha’s “Extension Khirkee”, a street art festival featuring works by Indian and international artists, peppering around the gullies and buildings of Khirkee Extension was also exciting.
Dreams & impressions
Nupur kundu, 3D artist and painter
If I were to suggest one name of an emerging Delhi-based artist whose work I admire, it has to be ceramist Rahul Kumar. He is a Fulbright scholar with several national awards and prestigious shows to his credit. He earned his masters from USA and recently had his works auctioned at the Sotheby’s, London. Rahul’s ceramic work is unique since he continues to keep his subject a basic one — a clay pot/vessel, but has given a whole new dimension with his expression, thereby making it a work of art. I believe he is talented, skilled, and creative. Clay provides this artist with a vocabulary that allows him to express himself in uninhibited manner.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/t13jpg-261