Srinagar, Apr 28: Winner of several State, National and International Awards Maqbool Jan, an artist from Srinagar’s Lal Bazar area continues to take papier-mâché technique and water colours to new heights and demands its introduction as subject education institutions.
Though there is no such school where the youth of Kashmir Valley are taught the art of papier-mâché, Jan has trained dozens of students so far who too are masters of this art now.
Mohammad Maqbool Jan (58) from Mughal Mohalla in Lal Bazar area of Srinagar while talking to news—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that he has been associated with this art since childhood as he had to learn this art very early due to the untimely death of his father.
“Our whole family is associated with this art and have been earning our livelihood very well besides that I have taught dozens of persons who too are taking art pieces on their own level,” he said.
Hardwork always pays and we have been always working to promote this art, Maqbool said while adding that he has participated in various exhibitions and has consistently received excellent responses for his craft.
Maqbool said that his innovative and creative skills were rapidly recognized and he won several state awards.
He was awarded the prestigious UNESCO Seal of Excellence for handicrafts in 2007-2008 while he has won state award in 2013 and four National Awards.
“I want to see that our new generation should see their culture through art and we have to work to bring innovations in this art so that it gets more and more recognition at international stages,” he said.
“As music has been introduced as a subject in educational institutions but the government is yet to introduce paper mache as a subject in educational institutions so that we can have local trainers but in absence of such things, we have to bring trainers from outside J&K,” Jan said.
There is no such school where the youth of Kashmir Valley are taught this season, he said,while demanding that a curriculum be prepared by institutions in the Kashmir Valley to promote this art form, he said.
“We need to respect these arts as sufi saints introduced in Kashmir and have been passed on orally from one generation to the next and still there are dozens of artists who have been associated with this art,” he said. “I want the papier-mâché art to reach our future generations, but given the paltry income an artist is able to generate it is difficult that youth will find interest in it.”
He said that government must take steps to help artists so that art can be taught to next generations that will help them to earn livelihood and boost tourism sector as well—(KNO)
Hyderabad: Arhaan Sai Gourishetty, an 18 months old artist from Hyderabad has received four international awards, two national awards and many other awards at a tender age.
The kid who is not even two years in age has used 43 techniques to create 50 contemporary fluid art paintings.
The accolades of the artist include the World Book of Records, Asia Book of Records, India Book of Records and Telugu Book of Records Arhaan’s mother Snehitha said that they had introduced Ahaan to painting at a very young age as a sensory activity, and then it was found that he has more interest in painting.
“We introduced painting to our son as a sensory activity. Apart from Arhaan, there are three other kids in my family and thus every weekend would be an art session in our house. Since he was very young, we introduced him to many different activities. Then we saw that Ahaan’s interest is more towards art rather than puzzles,” she said.
She also said that since Ahaan was not able to handle brush at this age, he was introduced to other art forms like fluid arts.
“Ahaan used 43 techniques in his artwork and at the age of 17 months, he was able to do 50 contemporary paintings. As parents, even we were left wondering looking at his work. We as parents do not involve in his artwork-making, don’t even guide him. We just give him the colours and let him explore and play with the colours. We are not worried about how the output would be. However, to our wonder all the paintings come out very well,” she further said.
Ahaan’s mother said that they also submitted their son’s works to the World Book of Records and immediately got approval from them. His works were also submitted to some art galleries and curators.
“At the same time, he was able to get four international and two national records also. We don’t have any plans for him as he is just 18 months. If he is interested in arts in the future, he would continue. We have very good family support for any field he chooses to pursue,” she added.
Arhaan’s father, Gourishetty Arun Sai told ANI that their son has been recognised by the Cultural department of central government as well as many more art-cultural societies.
“When he was very young, we introduced him to many sensory activities like painting, texture, playing with different materials and others. But, we found that he was more interested in painting and we thought we will pursue this even more so that he could improve further. When he was around 14 months, we let him play with colours. It was more like home learning,” he said.
He added, “Usually, the children of these age groups spill around colours, but instead, Ahaan was more focused on drawing and art. He never used to spill paint outside the canvas board. He is not attending any professional courses now as he is too young to be trained. Whatever he does, it is what comes to him naturally.”
Prosecutors contend that Michel — who became famous in the 1990s as a member of the Fugees trio — engaged in the international intrigue behind the charges after running short on cash from his music. They say he received $88 million between 2012 and 2017 from Jho Low, a Malaysian businessperson suspected of looting that country’s 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.
Michel’s defense team has argued that he wasn’t acting as an agent for Low or China in his effort to arrange the swap, but acting for humanitarian reasons to aid American citizens and residents who were in distress.
Under questioning by Michel’s attorney David Kenner, Sessions told jurors about a pair of high-level meetings where officials discussed the potential deportation of Guo, who eventually became a close associate of Trump adviser Steve Bannon.
“I remember there was a meeting at the State Department. I believe Homeland Security and the Department of Justice were there – in their conference room,” the former attorney general said.
Sessions also detailed efforts by a Chinese vice minister for public security, Sun Lijun, to arrange a meeting with him to discuss the possibility of deporting Guo. Prosecutors have alleged that Sun was Michel’s contact in the Chinese government and the person urging Michel to try to broker a deal.
“I’m aware that we had a request from the [Chinese] ambassador to meet … that I join and meet with Mr. Sun,” Sessions said.
However, Sessions said he ultimately declined to meet with the Chinese security official. He also said the proposal to deport Guo never proceeded on his watch. Guo was not deported, but he was indicted and arrested last month on charges he perpetrated a billion-dollar fraud scheme. He has pleaded not guilty.
The 76-year-old former attorney general and senator, who spent more than 12 years as U.S. attorney in Alabama and was an unsuccessful nominee for the federal bench during the Reagan administration, was not able to shed much light on Michel’s activities.
“I don’t recall ever having met him,” Sessions said after Michel stood and removed his face mask.
Prosecutors have argued that Michel used various intermediaries, including a DOJ lawyer named George Higginbotham and Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy, to try to advance the swap and to try to shut down the Justice Department’s investigation into Low’s role in 1MDB.
The key point Kenner appeared to gain during Sessions’ brief tour on the stand Tuesday was the former attorney general’s observation that there was nothing obviously improper about approaching the attorney general’s office or the Justice Department to seek deportation of someone wanted in a foreign country.
“I think that’s an appropriate action, although the State Department would have an important role to play in that and others, perhaps Homeland Security, since this figure was important to China,” Sessions said.
Sessions also testified that he was aware of efforts to get some U.S. citizens out of China, including a pregnant woman who was being denied an exit visa. “We felt she was being improperly detained,” he said.
Prosecutors passed up their chance to cross-examine their former boss. “No questions,” prosecutor Sean Mulryne said.
The trial of Michel, 50, is in its fourth week. The defense kicked off its case on Monday with an opening statement deferred from the outset of the trial. Kenner told jurors in detail about Michel’s history as a successful performer, emphasized that any lobbying his client did was legal and insisted he had no knowledge that he might be required to register as a foreign agent, NBC News reported.
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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
Hyderabad: City based independent music creator Sidharth Bendi has released a new number 26 that’s gaining traction in the indie music circles. The 24 year-old singer/songwriter, music producer and acoustic pop performer has released 2 Elongated Plays (EPs) and 4 singles already and is working in 15 more projects.
Talking about his new single that was released on March 26, Sidharth said, “2006 was written about missing my childhood self and talks about how I’m giving up on my current state. The idea came about when I bumped into an old video from my 7th birthday in 2006 and felt so many different emotions from watching it and reflecting on my life right now”.
“It was also peak pandemic when I wrote this song so I’m sure that had an influence on how I felt as well. It was a generally slower time in the world,” he added.
Sidarth Bendi’s music journey started in 2017 with the self-written EP ‘One in a Million’. He has done over 1000 shows after his school and is the alumni of the prestigious Berklee College of Music. He has opened for many artists like Tejas Menon, Vir Das, Pratheek Kuhad, AWKS, Dhruv Viswanath, Divine, Ritviz and more.
Bendi is also the founder of city based non-profit ‘The Beautiful World Movement’, which raises funds through cultural events towards sustainability awareness, animal welfare, nurturing of underprivileged children and so on.
Sidarth Bendi’s new single ‘2006’ is available on Spotify, YouTube Music and Apple music.
“If government gives me assistance, it will increase my confidence to do more”: Suhail Khan
Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Mar 6 (GNS): Stress, mental imbalance and fear, a tale of a specially-abled person, who has seen all this but never stopped. Located approximately 13 kilometres from the main city, Hani-Pora Pulwama is home to a 29-year-old artist, Mohammad Suhail Khan, who is deaf and mute but exceptionally versatile. Despite deficiency he keeps going on and proves that, if you have talent you can conquer the world.
Suhail Khan is a 29-year-old artist who has faced numerous challenges in his life due to his deafness and inability to speak. Despite these challenges, Suhail has proven to be a talented and versatile artist with a range of skills and interests.
Suhail’s journey as an artist began at a young age, when he discovered his passion for drawing and painting. Despite the difficulties he faced in communicating with others and expressing himself, Suhail’s talent has been shining through his art. As he grew older, Suhail began to explore other mediums and techniques, including sculpture and printmaking.
Despite his talent, Suhail has faced numerous challenges in his career as an artist. One major obstacle has been the lack of support and recognition from the art world and the general public alike. Despite his struggles, Suhail has never given up on his dreams and continues to create beautiful art.
Suhail who is doing his BA in fine arts at University of Kashmir, while talking to the Global News Service (GNS), said that, he has a finesse in painting, sketching, clay modeling, sculpture, food, art, cake decorating, henna design, ring making, wall painting, photography, videography and art works as well.
Despite all these skills, Suhail while talking about the dark side of his talent says till now he hasn’t seen any significant response from the government or any other institution. “No doubt my art is God gifted, but people don’t see me as an artist, they still see me as a disabled man”, he says adding “In Kashmir, people fail to see a person’s talent; they only see his/her weakness.”
One of the most remarkable things about Suhail is his ability to overcome the barriers that have come every now and then. His deafness and inability to speak have not held him back from pursuing his passions and achieving success. Instead, Suhail has used these challenges as motivation to work harder and improve his skills.
Suhail’s talent and determination have earned him the respect and admiration of his peers and the art community. Many people have recognized the unique perspective that Suhail brings to his art, and he has received numerous accolades for his work – albeit none from any institution or government.
Suhail’s journey as an artist is a testament to the fact that anyone can achieve his/her dreams with hard work and determination. His story serves as an inspiration to others who may be facing similar challenges and serves as a reminder that everyone has the potential to achieve greatness.
“If the government gives me assistance, it will increase my confidence to do more. Everyone here is out of his home to earn money for himself, and at the end of the day, I see myself on the same platform, with any help from the government or any institution. Even though I have this rare talent, unfortunately, I have never been recognized by the government, despite the fact that I have showcased a talent out of the world for many years,” says Suhail.
“If anybody has been here for me, it has only been my family. They helped me on every step of the way. If I hadn’t received their help, I wouldn’t have come up with anything,” says Suhail while requesting the Government for support.
Irfan Lone, a very close friend of Suhail and his current roommate at University of Kashmir hostel, says that Suhail is a very gentle and humble person. He has a very frank nature and he is a man of golden heart, and it is very cool to be a roommate of such a super talented person.
“The only thing I wish is that Suhail’s art must get a good platform. He is a superb artist, but he has never been appreciated. My request to the Government is to give him a good platform to showcase his talent,” says Irfan.
Suhail says he wishes to earn by his talent and wants people to know him by his talent, not by his disability, and for that purpose he wants some sort of help from the administration. (GNS)
Srinagar, Mar 6: Stress, mental imbalance and fear, a tale of a specially-abled person, who has seen all this but never stopped. Located approximately 13 kilometres from the main city, Hani-Pora Pulwama is home to a 29-year-old artist, Mohammad Suhail Khan, who is deaf and mute but exceptionally versatile. Despite deficiency he keeps going on and proves that, if you have talent you can conquer the world.
Suhail Khan is a 29-year-old artist who has faced numerous challenges in his life due to his deafness and inability to speak. Despite these challenges, Suhail has proven to be a talented and versatile artist with a range of skills and interests.
Suhail’s journey as an artist began at a young age, when he discovered his passion for drawing and painting. Despite the difficulties he faced in communicating with others and expressing himself, Suhail’s talent has been shining through his art. As he grew older, Suhail began to explore other mediums and techniques, including sculpture and printmaking.
Despite his talent, Suhail has faced numerous challenges in his career as an artist. One major obstacle has been the lack of support and recognition from the art world and the general public alike. Despite his struggles, Suhail has never given up on his dreams and continues to create beautiful art.
Suhail who is doing his BA in fine arts at University of Kashmir, while talking to the Global News Service (GNS), said that, he has a finesse in painting, sketching, clay modeling, sculpture, food, art, cake decorating, henna design, ring making, wall painting, photography, videography and art works as well.
Despite all these skills, Suhail while talking about the dark side of his talent says till now he hasn’t seen any significant response from the government or any other institution. “No doubt my art is God gifted, but people don’t see me as an artist, they still see me as a disabled man”, he says adding “In Kashmir, people fail to see a person’s talent; they only see his/her weakness.”
One of the most remarkable things about Suhail is his ability to overcome the barriers that have come every now and then. His deafness and inability to speak have not held him back from pursuing his passions and achieving success. Instead, Suhail has used these challenges as motivation to work harder and improve his skills.
Suhail’s talent and determination have earned him the respect and admiration of his peers and the art community. Many people have recognized the unique perspective that Suhail brings to his art, and he has received numerous accolades for his work – albeit none from any institution or government.
Suhail’s journey as an artist is a testament to the fact that anyone can achieve his/her dreams with hard work and determination. His story serves as an inspiration to others who may be facing similar challenges and serves as a reminder that everyone has the potential to achieve greatness.
“If the government gives me assistance, it will increase my confidence to do more. Everyone here is out of his home to earn money for himself, and at the end of the day, I see myself on the same platform, with any help from the government or any institution. Even though I have this rare talent, unfortunately, I have never been recognized by the government, despite the fact that I have showcased a talent out of the world for many years,” says Suhail.
“If anybody has been here for me, it has only been my family. They helped me on every step of the way. If I hadn’t received their help, I wouldn’t have come up with anything,” says Suhail while requesting the Government for support.
Irfan Lone, a very close friend of Suhail and his current roommate at University of Kashmir hostel, says that Suhail is a very gentle and humble person. He has a very frank nature and he is a man of golden heart, and it is very cool to be a roommate of such a super talented person.
“The only thing I wish is that Suhail’s art must get a good platform. He is a superb artist, but he has never been appreciated. My request to the Government is to give him a good platform to showcase his talent,” says Irfan.
Suhail says he wishes to earn by his talent and wants people to know him by his talent, not by his disability, and for that purpose he wants some sort of help from the administration. (GNS)
The Ghanaian artist Tafa Fiadzigbe – known to the art world simply as Tafa – has come a long way. “I grew up in the slums of Ghana, and the slums in the third world are very different from slums here in America,” he said to the Guardian. “I knew people who ate from garbage dumps. When I was growing up, if someone told me I was going to be in the company of people like Bill Clinton and have them support my art, I’d have thought they were crazy.”
Now showing at Chelsea’s Pictor Gallery in New York until 25 February, Tafa’s art is at once visceral, transcendent, and abstract. The pieces at his show include a frenzied protest march against police violence, an ethereal image of a goddess making her ascent, and a homage to Sarah Baartman, a Khoikhoi woman who was exoticized by 19th-century Europeans for her bodily proportions.
Pursuing his vocation, Tafa studied art as a college student in Ghana before setting his sights on New York City. Upon arriving in 1993, he quickly realized he had some major misconceptions about his adopted home. “Originally I thought there were just a few hundred artists in New York. Eventually I realized there were thousands and thousands from all over the world.”
Looking back, Tafa now believes that his lack of knowledge was actually an asset. “Maybe 95% of artists in NYC don’t make a living from their art. I didn’t know how hard it was to make your living from art. If I knew what I knew 10 years later, I probably wouldn’t have done it. I was lucky.”
Tafa – The Canonization of Sarah Baartman, from 2022. Photograph: Courtesy of the artist
A lauded innovator with the palette knife, Tafa turns countless lumps of color into paintings that cause intense feelings of motion and exuberance. Although his subjects vary widely, frequent themes are the Black struggle for equal rights, the majesty of contemporary sports, and the rhythms and movement of music. Whatever he is composing, for Tafa, dynamism is key.
“When I paint I like movement, and for the paint to be very dynamic. I use layer and layers, I scratch the paint, all to create the balance of movement and a rippling effect. I don’t want it to be static, I want you to feel the movement and power and energy. I want you to hear the sound and voices of the people, the anger and frustration and all that.”
A breakthrough moment happened for Tafa early on in this time in New York when David Dinkins, who was then in office as the city’s first Black mayor, came to one of Tafa’s shows and bought a piece. Besides being a prominent politician, Dinkins was also a known art collector and a fierce advocate for culture, and so was in a position to get Tafa noticed. “Because of Dinkins, a lot of people started coming to me and saying ‘I saw your art.’”
Pictor Gallery’s director Denise Adler happened to meet Tafa by chance when each of their daughters attended the same high school together. She quickly knew that Tafa was an artist she wanted to pay attention to. “When I met him, I realized he was the real deal. I noticed that he was very quiet and subdued, but his work is so colorful and loud. I love his color choices, his use of paint. I’m fascinated with artists who do texture like he does. It has almost a mixed media quality to it.”
Adler added that she was compelled by Tafa’s ability to combine sensual beauty with substance and depth. “The pieces are beautiful to look at, but they speak volumes to serious topics that are interesting. You look at it once and you see one thing, you look at it again and you see another thing. You see more and more as you look more closely. I love that.”
Tafa – Pelé The King Photograph: Courtesy of the artist
Professional sports has long been a favored subject of Tafa’s, and he shared that his fascination began when he was a young boy mesmerized by the soccer great Pelé. “Being a child in Ghana, everybody played soccer and knew about him,” he said. Looking back, Tafa laughed at how he had naively assumed Pelé was a compatriot: “I didn’t know he was from Brazil. I thought he was from Ghana.”
For Tafa, part of the attraction of sports is the grandeur of competition and the outsized personalities of elite athletes. This can be seen in a work like Pelé the King, which captures the precision and electricity of the soccer legend’s iconic bicycle kick. Melting into a background of bright red with one leg outstretched toward a soccer ball, Pelé looks less like a mortal than a deity.
“When I look at sport, there’s this religious aspect to it,” said Tafa. “To me, as religion becomes less and less important to parts of the world, now it seems like sports is the new religion. We have the gods and the deities and the saints at the sports bar. These are the myths and the gods of our times.”
In his artistic practice Tafa thrives on intuition, losing himself while the painting reveals itself to him. One such experience occurred live in front of a fervent audience at Madison Square Garden, when the artist composed a painting of the game while it played out before him. To Tafa, the pressure of combining performance, athletics, and his artistic vocation made the experience unforgettable. “It was so intense how everybody was looking at me. It was magical and beautiful.”
Frenzied and exhilarating, yet also calculating and controlled, Tafa’s paintings very much look like the product of a man at one with his canvas. His very diverse output is unified by a singular artistic style that speaks to Tafa’s intense connection to his work. “The painting has its own life, the painting is greater than the artist. So the painting takes you to a different direction from where you want to go. The painting sends me messages. It speaks to me – more than I try to control it, it liberates itself.”
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( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
The Guardian speaks to three St Petersburg residents: a soldier, a street artist and an actor, all with very different views on Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine which is nearing its first anniversary.
Maxim, who has just come back from the frontline, thinks a Putin victory is in clear sight. ‘MV Picture’ shows her doubt towards the war through her art while Andrey, an actor, isn’t quite sure where his loyalties should lie
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( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )
