Hemant Sonawane's Art Blog

Shaping the Niraakaar

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 13:51:00 +0000

Today is Anant Chaturdashi, the last day of Ganeshotsav. All mammoth Ganpati idols in the city will be immersed in Arabian Sea by tonight. The string of ten day festivities will come to sudden conclusion, and like every year, devotees will ask Ganpati Bappa to arrive a bit more earlier next year... Pudhchya varshi lawkar yaa...!!

There's something endearing about a God whose primary identity is that of a son. And that's how the cherubic, pot bellied personality of Ganesha with baby fat all over has got affixed permanently into public psyche. It's a deity that comfortably melds into animation as Bal Ganesha and children enjoy his role in folk tales as much as elders enjoy his various avataars at Ganeshotsav pandals every year.

It may be surprising for some to learn that the most famous Ganpati of Mumbai, Lalbaugcha Raja, has assumed several disguises since His debut. The Lord has been presented in the form of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and also Gandhiji at one point of time. These avataars resembled the muses much more than traditional Ganesha Himself. It's all the more worthy of appreciation that Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, organizers of Lalbaugcha Raja, were progressive enough in their vision to have allowed such representations to be installed during the first fifty years since the mandal's inception way back in conservative 1930s.

However, as the years went by and this idol began gaining popularity, particularly as a faith center for votive, it may have become imperative to freeze a definite form for Lalbaugcha Raja that devotees could meditate upon. Perhaps as a result, since the late 80's, the mandal shed its flexibility and settled for a permanent design of this idol as we see it today. In 2011, they went a step further by securing global copyright over the use of its name. The sculptor family that has traditionally been commissioned to create Lalbaugcha Raja, too applied for a patent over its most popular form in the very same year.

We won't get into challenging the propriety of such patents from devotional perspective. It's more a matter of business, politics, branding and intellectual property than of faith, that 'God' needs to be given form and that a particular form requires to be frozen as the only appropriate one to be worshiped.

Else we look at the humongous pyramids of Egypt and feel humbled by them. We look at entire epics written on a single grain of rice and marvel at the ingenuity of its creator. Whenever human effort has surpassed and excelled beyond a certain common denominator, we feel the same sentiment towards it as we feel towards the concept called 'God'. Then the size and shape of the form ceases to matter. We see God in Perfection, wherever it is. It could be a huge pyramid or a tiny little grain... and, it could as well be a figure some ancient artist conceptualized in the name of God several millennia back. We know God when we see one.

Blogger Bikramjit of Me and My Random Thoughts responded to the previous blog post by Aamrapali. "I have a question... how do we know this is how Gods looked like... the impressions are of that person who first drew and then everyone took the idea from that", he commented. This was my humble attempt to answer the same.... Bikram, Many thanks for writing! Do keep in touch.

A Godlike God

noreply@blogger.com (Aamrapali Bhogle) — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 09:29:00 +0000

Today is Ganesh Chaturthi. I woke up at five and did what most millions of Indians must have diligently done first thing this early morning... changed my profile picture on whatsapp to an image of Lord Ganesha. An old painting by Hemant that's now placed in the home of an overseas collector. That's the only one I put up year after year. Somehow all other Ganeshas done by various artists including Hemant, that pass off as modern works of Art, fail to engage me at all.

It may be clever to carve a tusk and trunk on a mound of clay, and the observer would guess it is Ganpati. Ardent followers of the deity have discovered him in the most unlikeliest of places. Tomatoes, jackfruit, papaya, capsicum, various tubers... and even in random rocks by the street. Nature itself has variations aplenty to prove omnipresence of the form. It doesn't require an artist to relay mere form to a devotee. When an artist creates, in figurative or abstract, enigmatic or explicit, regardless of its superficial treatment, one would expect something more to be added to the subject than merely its physical features and body language. In ancient India, they described this 'something more' as Rasa.

In English, there is no single word that would appropriately define the meaning constituted by Rasa... 'essence' comes the closest. Any painting or sculpture to be regarded as a work of Art must possess essence of the subject in a way that goes much farther and deeper than just its physical attributes. It is that element which emulates and appropriately expresses the dharma and karma of the subject. That is called Rasa.

Ganesha form observed in natural fruits and tubers

To make it simpler, if a figure of Ganesha is to be created for the masses, the artist must not lose touch of a fact that his muse is, above everything else, a deity for the observer... a figure meant to be worshiped. It must incorporate that spirit which makes the God, a God. In recent times, paintings of Lord Ganpati by contemporary water-colour artist Samir Mondal carry that Rasa despite all their modernism and semi-abstract rendering.

watercolour paintings by Samir Mondal

Artists, like any other professionals or businessmen, price their creations based on their investment in an artwork. Lesser the artist has put of himself in the piece... that much more affordable a painting or sculpture becomes in terms of sale. In a vicious symbiosis of sorts, it is this affordability factor that single-handedly determines why routine, anaemic Art sells the most.

I have been asking Hemant since years.... to create at least one series of assorted deity paintings where Gods would look like.... GODS.

Love,
Aamrapali

A Second Lease of Life...

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 18:55:00 +0000

Typewriters... the mother of our modern day keyboards, keypads and the grandmom of touchpads! The root of why 'hand writing' has almost gone extinct from the face of earth... drowning along with itself, another sublime science, the Art of Graphology.

Those were the days when the HR of any recruiter would smartly bypass verbatim talks of a candidate, looking for deeper truths ingrained in the curves of his pen-strokes. Today, rules of the game have changed. Just as unfair as it is to judge imperfections in the art of a pre-schooler.... predicting a person's character, intent and mood from bits of scribbled lines doesn't make sense if he does not use the medium regularly for self-expression. The very premise of Raj Kumar Hirani's recent movie, PK is an irony that the protagonist lovers cannot recognize each other's handwritings. Admittedly, I too cannot remember the last time I must have written a page by hand. Such is the influence typing has had on the last few generations of humans... that we've literally forgotten a trait we took millennia to develop. We learnt to type. We forgot to write.

sculptors Hemant Sonawane and Jeremy Mayer

While speaking of typewriters, let me mention it was nice meeting Jeremy Mayer and his art yesterday. This self-taught artist assembles typewriter components into interesting figurative elements. Beautiful, intelligent, interesting sculptures. Here, he is in India at the invitation of Godrej and Boyce Manufacturing Co. Ltd. As a part of their Archives Outreach initiative, he has transformed 60 units from the last production of their typewriters of year 2009 into a kinetic floral shaped sculpture titled 'Lotus'. It now stands installed at Godrej Hubble at Vikhroli, Mumbai. Hubble is a space Godrej has designed to host exchange of ideas, network and to conduct community building exercises. Lotus is perhaps the first kinetic sculpture corporate India has had until now. No use of adhesives, welding, soldering techniques or paint. The rawness of machine components offers a riveting canvas to the delicate subject of a lotus flower.

The first Indian company to manufacture typrewriters 50 years back, has indeed invented a graceful way to bid adieu to a very successful chapter of their corporate journey. This also signals welcome to a new era where the fourth generation of Godrej family would take over reins of management hereon. Welcome, Navroze!

Another point to ponder is a profound social statement Godrej has inadvertently made. It's been quite some time since computers have put the good old typewriter to extinction. With Jeremy's art, they get an additional lease of life. The same components that once lived as typewriters will now go on to live a life of another kind. The humble machines will live on in museums of another kind... the artistic ones!

My special note to Ms.Pheroza Godrej..... you should have hosted your event today instead.

Today, August 13th is World Organ Donation Day.

About the Leftovers....

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 12:46:00 +0000

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

I've been flaunting this name on my portfolio for over a decade now. Who wouldn't? After all, I was that one lucky artist chosen by the Indian Naval Defense to paint a picture for the great man, ten years back. The frames of INS Vikrant I painted were gifted to Dr. Kalam and Dr. Manmohan Singh respectively, during an event hosted by the Indian Navy around 2005-2006.

I secretly hoped that that my artwork would be hanging on one of the walls of his place. That was my inchful of destiny to get close to the legend. No other Indian President has been as much a people's man as Dr. Kalam. Despite his tryst with the highest realms of space research and nuclear research programmes, he seemed so uncomplicated that even a street-side common man could fall in love with him. From children to youth to senior citizens... it was as though he was born to be loved by all.

A sea of masses descended to offer Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam a final goodbye on 27th July, 2015.

Every Indian felt the pain of his departure. On the same unfortunate day of his death, several civilians were shot down in an unexpected terror attack in Punjab. It therefore seemed only natural and appropriate that India's leading newspaper, The Times of India, should carry a Black & White cover-page the subsequent morning. Two highly depressing news side-by-side had left the entire nation mourning. Felt instant respect for the thoughtfulness exhibited by this daily.

And therefore... for this very reason... it felt all the more absurd, cheated and mocked upon, when one spotted a hint of yellow at the top of the folded newspaper! Hello, was it April Fools' Day? The Black & White print was, it seems, not a token of condolence or reverence... but an advertising gimmick by Epson Colour Printers, supported and saved by The Times of India for an opportune day like this!

A pathetic and sorry state of Indian media.... While terrorists attacked Mumbai's Taj Hotel on 26/11 several years back, television channels had to be "requested" not to disclose army positions live. These otherwise smart people lacked the sensitivity then that terror masterminds in Pakistan would be using their platform as a window to guide their henchmen inside the hotel. In a repeat of the same episode... the day before in Punjab, Indian media was again regaling in showing off where exactly our army-men were positioned. It's an act equivalent to treason.

Here, we're ruing as much for who's gone.... as for who's unfortunately left behind.

Dark & Lovely

noreply@blogger.com (Aamrapali Bhogle) — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 09:06:00 +0000

The Kareena Kapoor sculpture commercial is viral by now. Over a million views across Lakme's social networking platforms. Before it was made, we agreed on the look of the output. It would be gray monotone - the colour of raw clay - with only the red lipstick standing out for display. Somehow it never occurred to us that the background could be maintained brown or black. The gray colour of clay, with which the bust was originally carved, seemed like a more authentic and natural choice than the brown tone of soil. It was more about the chemistry of artistic vision and marketing requirements.

But this project apart, it occurs to me that Hemant has indeed never had a human female represented in Black, be it in his paintings or sculptural art. Maybe because black is equated with evil in fairy tales that we do not want a cast of it in an ideal life.

Light is bright, shadows are dark.

Hope is bright, despair is dark.

Happiness is bright, gloom is dark.

Matter is bright, vacuum is dark.

India has seen a tradition where a person's face is blackened in public as a show of humiliation. Black paint, black powder... anything works. Would this practice have the same effect if the person's face was smeared with white instead? What is it about Black that makes it seem obnoxious? Our parents still crib if we wear black for an auspicious family function. Christians wear black for funerals, signifying it as a colour of death and condolence. Black cats feature as a representation of supernatural evil in movies.

photography by Naeem Akram ; courtesy webneel.com

We find fair faces more attractive. Darker complexioned people need to have really good facial and bodily features to find social appeal. Across the globe, in developed nations, this colour consciousness takes the form of racial discrimination and hatred. Back in India, Fair & Lovely cream has managed to turn our whiteness obsession into an industry of sorts, such is the magnitude of it.

We speak of silver lining to a dark cloud. And of light at the end of a dark tunnel.

Why does fairness have such impact on our psyche? Perhaps because Fair skin implies a protected life ; deeply tanned skin shows its struggle under the sun... either current or inherited... Is it this struggle we try to shrug away from by associating ourselves with more fair toned people?

Is it because dark is mysterious and manages to hide things? Is it because we look for certainty and assurance and would prefer some vision into the future in an already insecure life? Does light offer us a temporary delusion of being in control of things? We wait for sunrise... Because nights are dark... They stand for all activity coming to a standstill. The night stops all distractions that engage our fluttering minds throughout the day. It calls for reflection, introspection. Maybe we do not want to look within...

It seems as though light helps us run away from ourselves, from reality, from Truth. If indeed it is so, this is most certainly a brain bug. An emotional preference that should have rested within confines of hope and assurance. We have allowed it to encompass areas unrelated to its original scope.

Remember the womb we all have spent our first nine months in.. that was the darkest, cosiest, most secure environment there could ever be.

Bye for now,
Aamrapali

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Making of Kareena Kapoor sculpture for Lakme

noreply@blogger.com (Aamrapali Bhogle) — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 09:40:00 +0000

One fine evening last monsoon, me and Hemant were munching bhujiyaas at our Goregaon pad, watching drizzles romanticize the already scenic panorama seen from our 21st floor apartment.

Yashraj Films had contacted us with a never-before marketing idea. They wanted

Hemant Sonawane's Studio to create hyper-realistic sculptures of Shah Rukh Khan for promotion of an upcoming venture. Similar to the wax statues at Madame Tussauds. These lifesize sculptures would be used for promotional activities all across India and abroad. Hemant pointed how even a sculpture of Shah Rukh Khan was enough to carry a mega-budget film's marketing solely on its shoulders. And I remarked that this would leave Shah Rukh free to endorse goodies other than just his films. Just then Indian Cricket captain MS Dhoni peeped out of dad's television set and said, "Me too!" , advertising ceiling fans in the cool of monsoon.

Movie actors sell cement, biscuits, detergent... Cricketers sell soaps, jam and insurance. As a rule, whoever entertains, can sell. We were left wondering if ever a visual fine artist would be engaged to endorse a product. However rich, however elite... this professional stream that backs practically all media content, remains much snooty even today. For all the beauty that paintings or sculptures can encompass, they essentially remain self-engrossed and self-centered... They may provoke an observer to react but will not actively engage in entertainment.

It was therefore a rare feat that Team Lakme managed to turn "Sculpture" into a performance art form for mainstream viewing. Have a look....

Artist Hemant Sonawane creates Kareena Kapoor sculpture for Lakme Absolute Sculpt.

Hemant created a larger-than-life bust of actor Kareena Kapoor at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi... in a live demonstration that lasted through one full month. And now, they have released a video advertisement that covers the whole process through time lapse. This promotional strategy has worked wonders. Not only did it raise curiosity during brand activation phase, the video has garnered interest of over 2.5 lacs consumers in a span of only 3 days since its release across Lakme's various social networking platforms. Absolute Sculpt Lipstick looks all the more ravishing due to its newfound unusual canvas.

Yashraj eventually changed their marketing strategy for the event.

Instead, Hindustan Unilever's Lakme broke the glass ceiling, a year hence.

Hemant now appears in this Lakme commercial endorsing lipstick!

I swear I won't tease Dhoni again.

Love,

Aamrapali

Lakme sculpts Kareena.. Absolutely!

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 11:01:00 +0000

Blogging after a hiatus. And so much has passed by in this span.

But first things first. My loveliest creation ever was born during this period, on 7th May 2014, just a day after my own birthday. And good days just breeze past. My son Agasthya completed one year last month. I missed his first milestone just by a whisker.

On 27th April, barely ten days before his first birthday, my studio team flew to Delhi for a live event for Hindustan Unilever (HUL). For a month since then, I have been at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj giving live demonstration of actress Kareena Kapoor's sculpture. She is brand ambassador for HUL's Lakme Absolute range of cosmetics.

Lakme Kareena Kapoor Sculpture in process

The event garnered good attention of curious visitors. Some of them employed at nearby companies, would flock every day during lunch hour to check on the progress. This has been a one-of-its-kind event. I don't know of any other brand getting its ambassador sculpted like this before in a full public demonstration. People clicked selfies. But we missed to tell them to tag @ILoveLakme and @HemantSonawane while sharing the pics on social networking platforms. Any of the visitors, if you're reading this... please do re-tweet with tags included.

Now the bust is ready. And so is the brand. Ready to be launched across all India. Women are going to lap it up. The matte colours of Absolute Sculpt lipstick are ravishing ; I can vouch for that as an artist. It is designed to define contours of lips beautifully... like I carve structured features out of raw clay in my sculptures.

Here's wishing Team Lakme all the very best !!

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Marrying an Artist... and Giving Birth

noreply@blogger.com (Aamrapali Bhogle) — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 12:39:00 +0000

This is Hemant's wife, Aamrapali on the type-pad.

Like me, if you marry an artist hoping that he would intuitively know what shades of make-up to buy for you, I bet you'd be learning better with passing time.

When an artist turns lifemate, he certainly gets more emotionally 'involved' in little domestic matters like no other husband would. Literally. Now it's for me to figure out if having an involved husband makes any upbeat difference to life at all, like we women always imagine it would. My husband knows (and is deeply interested in) every little bit of household shopping I've ever made.

For instance, when the butter knife vanishes all of a sudden from our kitchen, I instinctively sniff that by now it would be in use at our Art studio. Neither have I ever argued why my brand new pumpkin-fiber loofah went missing from the bathroom. Sooner or later, the texture of some sculpture would explain it enough. When we used crushed Siporex as medium for Hemant's Teen Peher Collection in 2011, I had packed off my kitchen grinding-stone to a remote corner of the loft. And why not! Hemant takes 'inspiration' from my hair-clips.... and doesn't think twice before bending my face-pack applicator back and forth to check if it can double up as a paint-brush too!

So when I learnt that I've got pregnant, the first thing I did was to make a list of items better kept at a mile's distance away from Hemant.... so that my motherhood remains as cheerful as the news of my pregnancy. Somewhere along my journey with this genius of a man, I remembered having heard that diaper fillings can also be used as frost-props for Art Installations. Don't take my word for it... Check this video... Making of the recent Bollywood classic 'Lootera'....

And so..... Speaking of pregnancy, these days I also surf the internet for information. Never having witnessed a pregnancy first-hand, I could do with all inputs to get me and our baby through, safely. After nine marathon months, comes the most beautiful prospect of all... the experience of being face-to-face with my little munchkin! All the pain, the perseverance, the patience.... culminates in a divine climax called Birth. The process of delivering a baby's soft head out of the vaginal passage is medically termed as 'crowning'.

This is my first baby. Yet somehow that moment of crowning feels familiar. Like a territory already visited. A deja vu.

Cut back to the summer of 2010. I was at Jehangir Art Gallery (Mumbai), discussing philosophical depths of evolution with a crowd of eager Art enthusiasts. At least a thousand people visited the exhibit. And each observer had his own unique take on the esotericism behind Hemant's award-winning sculpture.

An elderly couple set aside their walking aids to offer obeisances to that piece. They could see the 'Shiva linga' of Hindu faith embedded in the black rock. Some people saw it as a delicate seedling sprouting out of hard ground. There were myriad interpretations to the same work of beauty. All this while, Hemant stood silently aside, neither arguing, explaining nor defending his rather straight-forward choice of title for the artwork - BIRTH.

Nearly four years since then, now when I see my darling husband eyeing my hot designer spatula, I realize I shouldn't be chasing him with it. There's something he sees in there that the rest of us mere mortals cannot visualize until we've personally been through that emotional experience in real life. For it is only since I've been carrying our baby that I've begun realizing what intricacies of a birthing experience Hemant emoted visually through his abstract sculpture.... so many years before he could become a father.

It is THIS quality to live the unknown that goes to make an artist..

Perhaps after delivering our baby next year, I would feel enough to appreciate the beauty of a soft, delicate core tearing through its surrounding hard shell.... to begin its quest for life. Perhaps, at least by then, a wife would understand her husband's 'Birth'.

Blast from our Ancient Past

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 07:35:00 +0000

Awards, felicitations, honorary doctorates, public recognitions... and a steady followership of idol worshippers. If you have contributed exceptionally well to any sphere of life that causes good to a large section of society, adulation becomes an obvious slice of life. One is never thankless, yet after a time it starts seeming preposterous, ironic. Your hordes of 'followers' who are ready to worship you year after year... even long after you are gone... People who would find every little excuse to build profitable businesses, institutions, monumental statues in public squares and memorials in your name.... are all ready to do anything in your honour... EXCEPT take your mission forward.

Try recalling the greats of various eras... the most popular ones... Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Dadasaheb Phalke, saints and yogis like Dnyaneshwar, Tukaram, Namdev, Muktabai, Chokha Mela, Gora Kumbhar..... and these are just a few... solely from Maharashtra.

Amidst an ocean of followers who claim to be 'grateful' and 'indebted' to these icons forever, barely a numbered minority today is working towards taking the baton of their work forward.... and even much lesser out of them, striving to be the person that these revolutionaries were.

I was thereby pleasantly surprised to learn about the agenda for 'celebrations' being planned for the birth anniversary Dr. Hasmukh Dhirajlal Sankalia, renowned Indian archaeologist and researcher. His birthday - 10th December - is hailed as Archaeology Day in India.

Archaeology is a mysterious subject, drawing enthusiasts from all spheres of life. Even commoners with little or no background of the subject are always curious to learn about secrets uncovered from deep under the land and sea. Secrets of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa, Dinosaurs and their fossils, ancient languages, life and lifestyle of our ancestors, their pottery, toys, languages, business and currency of that ancient era..... all of this makes up for intriguing stuff. It gets all the more worthwhile if you can actually participate in mock excavations and get a hands-on feel of the thrills and adventure surrounding the world of Archaeologists.

So here's your chance.... University of Mumbai - Center for Extra-Mural Studies (CEMS) has announced a two-day extravaganza to bring all of these wonders to you on the occasion of Archaeology Day. A similar event organized by CEMS received astounding public response last year. It was in this context that the celebrations were scaled up for 2013.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT : This year, you will get to participate in a mock excavation trench, learn archaeological methods and techniques. There will be sale of books and archaeological merchandise, Quiz competitions, Brahmi and Kharoshti script workshops, a stone tools workshop, fossil preservation workshop, Ancient Pottery workshop in which students will be able to participate. There are presentations on Warli and Dokra Cire-perdu metal art. Display stalls will have coins, stone tools, swords, idols and images, Harappan seals and images, books and many other artifacts and antiquities.

Also scheduled are career guidance lectures on Archaeology and allied disciplines by experts from the Deccan College and the University of Mumbai. Career specialists will counsel students in careers in Archaeology, Indology, Numismatics, Tourism and ancient Indian culture and Buddhist studies.

WHEN : December 10th & 11th, 2013 (10:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.)

WHERE :

Center for Extra Mural Studies
Health Centre Bldg. Grounds,

Vidyanagari Campus, Kalina, Santacruz (East),

Mumbai.

ENTRY FEES : Entry Free !!!

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Ship of Theseus

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Sun, 28 Jul 2013 07:57:00 +0000

I've always been an absentee at my own exhibitions. I don't know if this resonates with a majority of artists out there.... When I'm done creating my Art, there's a certain sense of disconnect that arises within. Making Art is akin to making a silent prayer. It's deeply personal. Once your interaction with God is done, you do not wait to glance about if anyone else in the temple liked your words or not.

One such exhibit was 'Figment of Truth' that marked my debut in sculptures.

Main Auditorium... Jehangir Art Gallery... May 17-23, 2010.

An evening that week, I returned from nowhere to pick up my wife from Jehangir. We had got wedded just a day before this exhibit began... and my wife used to compensate for my absence by entertaining visitors at the exhibit all by herself every day. But that day I faced her wrath. It seems some art-lover had left after waiting a long time just to speak to me. She signaled towards the visitors' diary and warned me to add him on Facebook.... IMMEDIATELY... to re-kindle the missed conversation. His name read : Paresh Gosar. He had left behind a kind note for me - a compliment for my debut sculptures.

Paresh Gosar

Paresh accepted my request promptly on Facebook... but we never really got around to talk to each other. Over the three years that have passed since that episode - we've been mutually out of sight and out of mind.

____________________________________________

Cut back to July 2013.

It was a lazy weekend I was spending with director Anurag Kashyap's creative team at their Versova pad. Nights full of filmy discussions, late mornings and continuous movie outings the day thereafter... this has grown to be AKFPL team's regular schedule. I joined them for the afternoon show of a new release that week - Ship of Theseus - at Infiniti Mall, Andheri.

That film has a deep philosophical premise. It is a metaphorical drama that contests whether the inner identity of a person indeed remains the same even after integral components of his self are removed or changed. End-credits of the film were greeted with a standing ovation by the audience. Rarely have I seen this happen in commerce-dominated suburban Mumbai theaters... Commanding such ovation for an Art Film where audiences are reluctant to stand up even to honour the national anthem... An achievement indeed!

At home, my wife sat with anticipation to hear my feedback on the movie. I told her that a part of its story moves around a blind girl who photographs with perfection. Aamrapali's eyes lit up at that. "And does that girl paint too?" she asked. Before I could answer, she rushed indoors and brought along with her the visitors' book of our 2010 exhibition. She was flipping through the pages fast and placed her finger on a familiar name. "Here he is - Paresh Gosar - 21 May, 2010" she pointed out. Elephantine memory.

"This man had visited our Figment of Truth exhibition. He had told me they were a group of film-makers with inter-changeable roles. They wrote, acted in, directed and produced their movies themselves. He said, they made short films and documentaries. He was on a long trip to Art Galleries in the city that year, hoping to find inspiration for one of his characters. I remember, they were writing a story about a blind girl who could paint! He said your insightful sculptures brought inspiration to him... I felt so good! You know, he sat at the Jehangir reception discussing his life and work with me... He waited for so long... but you never came on time. He had to leave without meeting you...."

..............Aamrapali's natter now began changing tracks.

But weeks later, I signed into my Facebook account especially to visit Paresh Gosar's profile. He was indeed the Production Manager of Ship of Theseus. This time, it was me who left a congratulatory note for him - It was my turn. But there was no response from the other end.

Just like I do not wait to hear the applause after my works, Paresh too seemed to have vanished from his exhibit. I may never know if he ever read the note I left for him - that Ship of Theseus is one marvel of a work!

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POST NOTES :

on the sets of his theatrical : 'Between the Lines'

Paresh with Nandita Das, Subodh Maskara celebrating 'Between the Lines'

Creative Yearnings

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 09:06:00 +0000

The other day we went for an evening show of Raanjhnaa - the latest Bollywood blockbuster in town. It's a beautifully made film. Logical, story-based, sensitive, precise. Midway through the screening, my wife got restless in her seat as if this small error in filming/editing had scarred the otherwise flawless beauty of the film..... The growth of the lead hero's beard keeps changing so many times in the same scene. And Aamrapali took it like a personal offense.

It was a silly oversight in a movie otherwise greatly made. But the likes of Anurag Kashyap, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Farhan Akhtar and Prakash Jha have pampered us audiences so much that we've come to expect technical perfection in Hindi commercial movies nowadays. We forget to forget our brains at home. Each of their creations is a tutorial in film-making.

These days we end up critiquing motion pictures as though we were movie-making legends ourselves. I am an established visual artist and my wife too is a known name in the field of Interior Design. Yet we fool ourselves sometimes pretending to be budding film-makers. We shoot home videos of our own and publish them on YouTube. If you saw Aamrapali's work in portrait photography, you would mistake her to be a mainstream photographer. We create poetry together and write stories. We design logos and brand identities. We remix songs. We make ad films for charities. We do it all.... and EARN from it.

It is very difficult for someone creatively inclined to restrict their talent to a single domain. Amongst the more celebrated names, Boman Irani was into advertising and photography before turning actor. Prasoon Joshi is a Bollywood lyricist today, he's been an ad-film maker before. We have Nitin Desai who helms Art direction, produces movies and acts in them too! There are fashion designers like Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla who design not just clothes, but interiors and weddings as well.

As creative people, we like to keep our avenues open. So I hate it when parents request me to advise their teenage kids on "fixing" a career stream. I would, in all probability, guide them to take up something broad, even if it's only for a paper certificate to hold them in good stead during struggling times!

In the seventeen years of my career, I have successfully attempted Painting, Sculpture, Murals, Brand Identity Design, Interior Design, Facade Design, Art Direction, Gold Leafing, Prosthetics and what not! Why would someone like me direct another person to live in a pigeon-hole? The Std.X results of various Boards were declared last month. Since then, I've had so many phone calls from parents anguished with their pupil choosing to go creative instead of opting for a promising Engineering or Medicine degree. They seem to demand an assurance that creative fields can hold a financially rewarding career.

Is Animation "good", they want me to answer. And I tell them any profession is good as long as you hone and upgrade your creative skills constantly AND learn to manage the business aspect of your work! If you can conduct yourself thus, there is no limit to professional possibilities.

An ode to Shiva of Rishikesh

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:36:00 +0000

This year monsoon is ascending fast. It has already drenched North India a month prior to its usual date. And the lashing has been cruel. News channels yesterday were replaying photographs of entire buildings and other structures collapsing like a pack of cards. Floods, storms and torrential rain enveloped North India like never before yesterday. A sculpture of Lord Shiva that attracts major crowds in Rishikesh, a well-known destination in Uttarakhand, was photographed submerged in the floods.

I remember Rishikesh from my last two trips to the city two years back. That place has a tremendous population of yogis and spiritual institutions. There's some mythological significance to every nook and corner of Rishikesh. Yet in today's times it should not be blasphemy to call it a "hotspot" of spiritual tourism... at the risk of downplaying its historic legacy.

Coming back to the Shiva sculpture, I had the opportunity to see it and soak in its spiritual ambiance during my short professional visit to Rishikesh, two monsoons back. An overwhelming number of devotees and tourists flocks the site daily where Shiva sits tall. From its original location right amidst waves of the ever-flowing holy river Ganga, the statue was later elevated to an ugly cement pedestal. As daily bhajans progress with echoing chants of "Jai Bholenath", the unassuming waterfront of Ganga transforms into an astonishingly charged-up environment.

I can still feel the vibrations, the oneness, the collective epiphany of the moment. Indeed, it all seems like just yesterday. And yet today is a different story. The Shiva sculpture is no more visible in its place, the raging Ganga making a blanket cover over it. These rains are creating yet another bookmark in the history of Rishikesh. Yet it seems just like yesterday that I was bathing my feet in the same holy waters.....

Time flies..... and how!

...........like today, as I sign in to write on my beloved Shiva sculpture, I note that I haven't blogged for a good 6 months in 2013! That's half a year gone.... and the remaining isn't heeding either! Long before we realize, these floods will be gone, life shall return to normalcy. Monsoon will be over..... and artists like me shall gear up to welcome a fresh season of festivities, celebrations, devotion and decorations. Life will move on.....

Soon we will be at the heels of yet another new year.... as if 2013 never was.....

GOLD LEAFING :: by Hemant Sonawane's Studio

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 10:57:00 +0000

Hemant Sonawane's Studio launches exquisite Gold Leafing services.

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Horse Portrait by Hemant Sonawane

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 07:41:00 +0000

If you remember, I've painted a few horse murals before...
Check out THIS LINK :

http://hemantsonawane.blogspot.in/2009/08/we-all-guess-this-looks-like-printout.html

But most of my work in this field has been hyper-realistic. Collectors who see my previous works insist on Art along similar lines... So this time for a change, we altered the medium and used oil paint instead.

Given Mumbai's high humidity, the painting took forever to dry up. It would be infested with fungus if the studio moisture wasn't controlled - and it's not an easy task to do. Plus we had the notorious Mumbai monsoons to add to the plight. I had 2 dedicated assistants just heat-blowing the canvas all day long. In addition, 3 halogen floodlights focused on the painting all the while, making it an impossible environment to work in. The studio was like a living furnace. And all doors and windows had to be left open forever for the moisture to dissipate... Made it so impractical for me to leave the place during its making.

Yet once this was completed, I wondered why I haven't been painting more of these until now. No surprise then that most artists who've got into painting Horses have stuck to doing that for the rest of their lives. The subject has a lot of scope. Apart from the fact that I've painted hyper-realistic work, would love to do some abstract Fine Art on the topic too!

Here's the work for those who missed it on my Facebook Page -

The painting is 5 feet tall and commissioned by a private collector....
.....Finished it this summer.... half a year back.

.

Once Upon a ShareKhan........

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 05:40:00 +0000

The company was undergoing a re-vamp last year. Graphic Designers worked up a new avataar of their old mascot - Sheru. They simplified the old form and gave it a more polished look. And ShareKhan Ltd. found itself a new marketing identity even as they shifted base to a more centralized location - Dadar's plush Ruby Towers. This place gives you a panoramic bird's eye view of the entire Mumbai city from its pedestal on the 18th floor office.

It is indeed commendable how a company trading in stocks and shares related itself to wildlife and "guiding people to the financial jungle" through the mere rhyme of a word - 'Share' which when pronounced in Hindi (Babbar Sher), means a Tiger.

Hemant Sonawane's Studio was commissioned to convert this simplified logo of Sheru into a large-scale 3D sculpture for the new office. All I had for reference was a high-resolution poster carrying the renovated mascot. The new design did not leave much room for conversion into 3D. It was not clear how their marketing team had visualized the blank spaces in between the lines. And they were not sure how the yellow portions in the mascot would be translated in a sculpture. But they were unanimous on "full-relief" nevertheless... no further clues beyond that.

Normally clients are not able to ascertain their requirements through mental visualization alone. The only way to confirm is by showing them actual options. We went on to create three models of Sheru.

The first one had a cherubic face with the blanks in between given relief curves. It carried an antique metal finish as desired by the design team. Outlines of the mascot were clearly carved out and its bottom lines were used as an in-built pedestal for the sculpture.

However, his did not agree with their interior design theme which required the mascot to portray a denser appearance. A slim figure would not match with the amount of space that was allotted to it on the office premises. They realized this on observing the first model.

So it was decided to have the mascot appear as though it has been carved on a huge rock. This time, the rock effect satisfied their Architects.... but the Marketing Team had a problem with the figure. They all wanted a full-relief logo but what they saw in fiber somehow seemed not to look exactly like it does on paper. This is a common issue while translating a two-dimensional figure into 3D. Can any one of us forgive the way Hollywood studios messed up while portraying the popular cartoon character 'Garfield' on celluloid? It looked nothing like it does in the legendary illustrations. Same was the issue with Sheru.

The Marketing Team now wished the sculpture could be a replica of the drawing, for purpose of branding. As an Applied Art graduate, I knew this all along... but more often it takes a longer route for the client to "see" and be convinced of your initial suggestions. What matters, is that the end-product should be satisfactory to all. And that's what happened.

So we carved a final third model with intermediate spaces flattened, while retaining the rock structure. Everyone was happy. The team traded its fascination for "antique metal" finish and we finally readied the full-scale model for a smooth egg-white surface, as they now wanted it to be.

This is what the final sculpture looks like at site... Seems like it took some real brainstorming between the Designers and Marketers on how they wished to present ShareKhan Ltd.'s new identity. It took them over half a year to prepare the "jungle" ambiance since we delivered the sculpture to them last October.

Bbye Ganesha....

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 12:13:00 +0000

I began 2012 with designing this 10 feet tall Ganesha for an NRI household. It is September now and the elephant-headed God is ready to move to his abode abroad. While Ganeshotsav Mandals get ready to welcome this deity into elaborate pandals, I will be bidding my Ganesha off to his new address. While all other idols in the city are immersed in Indian shores this festive season, this one Ganpati will sail the monsoon seas to reach his destination. It's been nine months of hard labour.

Yet another year of service to Ganesha passes by............ better pics coming soon.

The Man who lit my Inaugural Lamps

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 05:08:00 +0000

I've been traveling so incessantly of late that I've practically lost touch of all that goes on in the world around. Family often calls to update me on the latest news... or I catch up with dailies on the Indian Railway or airport lobbies.

Today is another such day.

I've picked up Lokmat on my way to Jaipur. Despite all other headlines that decorate the front page, my attention keeps shifting to an inconspicuous little note at the corner. It says, veteran Bollywood cinematographer Ashok Mehta succumbed to his battle with lung cancer on Wednesday afternoon, August 15, 2012. He was 65. Ashok Mehta is most known for his prolific work in Shekhar Kapur's Bandit Queen and also in Subhash Ghai's blockbuster movies. Yesterday, news of his death almost got drowned in the continued media coverage of politico Vilasrao Deshmukh's cremation and the celebrations of India's 65th Independence Day. But I ought to remember this grand man Ashok Mehta for memories much deeper...

6 years back in the summer of 2006, three artists scurried around to somehow piece their debut exhibition in Fine Art together. Short of practically every factor necessary for a successful launch, these young men struggled to finance their Paintings, invitations, publicity and hosting for the exhibit. What they did not anticipate earlier though, is that most recognized faces in the city would charge money to even light the inaugural lamps at an event. This is the juncture where Ashok Mehta - a legend - agreed to do the honours unconditionally. And he attended the inauguration as promised even as Mumbai reeled under unprecedented traffic and political chaos - BJP leader Pramod Mahajan who had been shot by his own brother a few days back was edging closer to death in the ICU of Hinduja Hospital, located in close proximity of our exhibition venue - The Nehru Center Art Gallery at Worli..

I was one of the three fortunate artists who had the privilege of Ashokji's blessings since the very onset of our careers.

Today, his rightful place in heaven is secured. But like I said in an earlier blog post... we mourn not for what's gone but for what's left. From hereon we're left with an irreplaceable loss and some heart-wrenching memories of his goodness.

Why Football Never Hurt....

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 10:24:00 +0000

In year 2011, I had been to Mahabalipuram village in Tamil Nadu - 80kms from Chennai - for my first international sculpture symposium. We would be provided with blocks of Black Granite - a specialty stone of the region - to carve and sculpt.

While carving the hard granite, sharp specs of stone would splinter from the main rock and hit the skin hard. I had carried along reasonable protection gear : thick cargo pants, hard shoes, gloves, eye-mask, ear-mask and another one covering the nose and face. On the other hand there were European sculptors - totally uncovered from head to toe barring a set of ear-plugs, a cigarette and a pair of shorts. And then there were the local village carvers who served us as assistants - clad in simple sattai and veshti folded up for comfort.

I'd begun feeling like a lesser man amongst these brave-hearts until Stephen Pepin, a Swiss sculptor, bled injuries on Day-2 of the symposium. All subsequent days saw the entire team turn up in full gear, not once complaining of the hot Indian sun. Then once towards the end of the event, I too hurt myself a bit trying to finish my work in a hurry. My assistant, Kalain - yet dressed in his sattai-veshti uniform - rushed to the spot and pressed a handful of stone-dust into the wound. For a moment, my reflexes were snubbed as Kalain was attempting to cure me with the very dust I would have otherwise attempted to wash off in the name of sanitizing. The cut was healed until the next morning as though it never existed.

Reminded me of childhood days..... How we happily survived bruised knees and bleeding elbows in the rain-showers of muddy monsoon grounds. In Football, only the game seemed infectious... although most of us have never been momma's good boys... never sanitizing ourselves clean with 60-seconds of handwash before every family meal.

At the Corner of a Wall

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 07:11:00 +0000

One sunny day sometime last year, as we were re-arranging stuff in our over-crowded studio, I was quite irked as my wife stood in the way clicking pictures of a blank wall even as the rest of us were sweating on random jobs. Our studio is painted in an all-white texture. Through the years it has endured a handsome splattering of clay, paint, plaster as much as frequent mouse-digs, flooding and damp mosses in every monsoon. Yet the roughness of walls embraces all imperfections with beauty.

Whenever we need a grunge background to photograph our sculptures, these very walls lend themselves to the shoot. But Aamrapali was focusing on a corner - one from where sculptures had just been moved out and heaps of clay were now being placed. The lens of her Nikon P100 kept zooming in and out for a while, aiming at the same spot near the shutters. Suspecting that she must have discovered something of value (perhaps a theme we could use for our next exhibit!), I peeked onto her camera screen.

Right at the corner of our entrance wall, some part of the white texture had been chipped off - in the shape of a heart! Knocked off while shifting the sculptures? Chipped off by a mouse? We don't know! Seeing the surprise on my face and the wide smile on hers... everyone else was drawn to stop their business and look at the inconspicuous corner. All lenses remained focused on it until we had the impression permanently inscribed in our memories. I still smile at this metaphor to our labour of love.

Social Purpose and We

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 03:23:00 +0000

I see so many of us turning slaves to our monotonous daily routines... that social service often becomes a source of nourishment to our deprived self-esteem. It is like getting back to our roots. There is nothing more opportunist in such initiatives than to satisfy ones spiritual urge for philanthropy at a human level... and for patriotism at a citizenship level. This longing for social contribution is so common among middle-class Indians these days...because it brings a higher purpose to our life, makes our existence much worthier.


Kishor Pawar of Combatants Manpower Consultants, Boisar, Maharashtra

Recently a fellow networker of mine, Kishor Pawar was consumed by an enthusiastic motive to do something good for the underprivileged society. Kishor is an HR consultant and heads the firm, Combatants Manpower Consultants at Boisar. This concept to help the tribal community of Maharashtra was born out of his close association with one of the legends of Adivasi Art revival. Within his radius, Kishor Pawar identified that the tribal communities in our villages were left without an assured means of daily income in the absence of infrastructural progress at their place... and that he could offer some respite to the situation through his influence in the HR industry.

He came up with an ingenious idea. A few weeks back, he shot an email to his social network asking if we could lead him to anyone who'd train the tribals in construction masonry. Kishor envisioned that if these people were technically trained, they could land up masonry jobs in nearby cities. This would not only elevate the illiterate tribals from their current status as raw labour to that of qualified masons... but would also ensure them a stable monthly income.

Kishor’s idea was ambitious and applause-worthy, especially since he also took the next steps to execute his plan. He approached the corporate sector to absorb these tribal men into their construction workforce after training them appropriately. His plans went rejected. They thought Kishor was a labour contractor seeking a concealed entry into their domain. It is natural for companies to analyze thus.

What’s more unfortunate though, is that the tribal people too thought likewise. More than respecting the good fortunes that would come their way through Kishor’s initiative, they were more concerned about whether and how much Kishor was earning out of it. Our good man was hurt, felt humiliated and the last that I know, was contemplating to leave the task of social service to more mechanical souls.

And this attitude is not restricted to the Adivasis alone. With surprising frequency, I come across similar examples of moral self-depreciation in the world around. When you go to help someone, that person is ALWAYS more concerned with how You are benefiting from your act of nobility. We are in all probability a society of beggars who want all goodness to come to us as alms, not mutual benefit. Perhaps the knowledge that our Samaritan has already obtained some value for his deeds relieves us of the obligation to return his goodness in future. Are we so badly deprived of positivity?

Say, for example that if Kishor had indeed aspired to become a labour contractor – He didn’t - but let’s only assume so for a moment! Would that in any way have changed the fact that the Adivasis would have nevertheless got continuous assured earnings through his venture? In a situation where they are practically starving, wouldn’t a company taking charge of them be much more providential than no source of income at all for generations? I wonder what possible circumstances could make such people happy.... that their benefactor is reaping a loss by helping them? Perhaps that explains why they’re down in the dumps. A person is where he is, for a reason.

Then there’s another example of Arvind Kejriwal and his Satyagraha. When Arvind Kejriwal lets Anna Hazare do the fasting while he himself handles groundwork, everyone questions why a young man like him isn't sitting to fast. It is worth noting that when a diabetic Arvind Kejriwal indeed fasted for over 8days, none of those skeptics sat beside him to acknowledge. When he fights to eliminate corruption, we ask if his contributions to India are a part of his political ambitions. Like in Kishor’s case, I personally do not believe this man too could have any ulterior motives. But if he reaps something good in the process of helping us, does our collective conscience approve or object to that? His RTI victory has served us Indian citizens far much more than it has secured Arvind any special positions.


Arvind Kejriwal addressing a rally at Azad Maidan on 9 August 2011

Yet for a moment, let us assume that he indeed has some political plans. Try to recall........ Which other leader in our country today maintains ‘Uprooting Corruption in Quick Definite Steps’ as his electoral agenda? Arvind Kejriwal, on the other hand, has spent years of his life dedicated to that cause! If a strict Lokpal Bill comes into effect, it is not just Arvind's family but our own future generations that will live lives of affluence and security. So again the question pops... What is it that could finally make us people happy? ...that our benefactor isn’t getting the slightest ounce of goodness that he himself has brought upon us? Losers! That explains why we, as a people, are down in the dumps. We offer infinite chances to proven exploiters than to stand by someone new who at least holds some genuine promise for India's better future.

But Team Anna... Thank you for your efforts nevertheless! We can only thank you for not deserting our cause midway even after all this social indifference and apathy we've shown at a time when the Indian citizens' concern and support was needed the most. When a bunch of dedicated people are fasting & protesting to bring about monumental progress in our country, the rest of us shamelessly sit back and watch your news updates on Television.

Kishor, myself and many others like us will support you wholeheartedly should you ever choose to form a political party someday. Because your motive is more patriotic than political. Thank You for not giving up (on us)! Thank you for holding ground despite all the hostility around.

Mumbai Wall Art Project

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 12:45:00 +0000

I was speaking of projects -- projects that I've missed to list over here. One such event was the Mumbai Wallbook organized by Tata Housing, Asian Paints and Brand Promotions. About 500 artists participated in this event to paint a wall 2kms long. This was also an attempt to enter the Limca Book of Records for the Longest Painted Wall in India.

The entire stretch of Tulsi Pipe Road from Mahim to Dadar was divided into sections and allotted to different Art Teams. Participants varied from professional artists to amateurs, from architects and designers to students, from housewives and kids to senior citizens.... the range was terrific. And media presence was as eccentric. There was BBC but no Times of India, there was Zee and Star but no IBN Lokmat.

My work and interviews were covered by BBC News, Hindustan Times, DNA, Mid-Day and Zee 24 Taas. Along with me, Santosh Patil, Samrat Bhogle, and my wife Aamrapali represented Hemant Sonawane's STUDIO at the event. The theme was 'Visualize Mumbai - Paint the City of your Dreams'.

We painted two subjects :

JANNAT KI SAWAARI : In English, this means "A Tour of Heaven". This flying auto-rickshaw is an ode to every Mumbaikar's dream to escape the daily traffic congestion and rising fuel prices.

and

SUPERHEROES : Four squares depicting a logo of some superhero in each of them. Superman, Batman, Spiderman ....and Common Man. Yes, we hailed Mumbai's aam janata for its bravery to survive the city and its courage to keep returning to the same life. This is Mumbai as it is... and the Mumbai everyone wants it to remain.

These are some media clippings from the event :

Hemant Sonawane's wall art photographed by 'Kya Khayal Hai'

Hemant Sonawane covered by BBC News, UK

BBC News journalists interviewing artist Hemant Sonawane

Media flocks to document Wall Art by Hemant Sonawane

MNS leader Nitin Sardesai & Pogo Channel's anchor Rob appreciate Hemant Sonawane's Wall Art


Hemant Sonawane posing with RadioCity's Malavika after the interview

Fans and Media frenzy around Hemant Sonawane's flying rickshaw - seen here Zee 24Taas team

Hemant Sonawane with his assisting artists - Santosh Patil and Shashikant Chavan

Samrat Bhogle sketching the Superheroes mural for Hemant Sonawane's STUDIO

Hindustan Times photo-journalist Kalpak Pathak balancing over a taxi to shoot Hemant Sonawane's Flying Rickshaw wall art at Tulsi Pipe Road, May 2012

and finally... special mention to volunteer Nishant Bangera for his superb support !!

IIT Bombay Mood Indigo 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 08:13:00 +0000

I realize there's so much I haven't blogged about in the last one year - my projects, for example. Here's an Art Installation I created for Mood Indigo 2011, the annual fest of IIT Bombay. The Indian Institute of Technology, better known as IIT, is a global frontrunner amongst technical education institutions. It has several branches across India - in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kharagpur etc. Its alumni count amongst the who's who of the world - some more popular names include Narayana Murthy and Nandan Nilekani (founders, Infosys), Chetan Bhagat (bestselling author), Arvind Kejriwal (social activist & pioneer of RTI Act), Arjun Malhotra (founder, HCL), Krishna Bharat (principal scientist, Google) ...and these are barely a few names.

With such illustrious credentials, IIT hosts its annual fests with matched enthusiasm and vigour, with budgets that would put a Bollywood movie to shame. Mood Indigo of IIT-B held its 2011 chapter themed on the Wild West. Our studio offered them a wide range of choices suitable for various locations across the vast campus. Unfortunately, we couldn't match rhythm with the laidback Mood Indigo management -- we had other equally important projects to complete... our calls went mostly unanswered, the IIT Team did not bother to revert on most occasions, we had to beg and pursue for almost everything from payment to site photographs of our work ....and eventually all this mis-coordination made sure the installation was left with an inconspicuous location -- on the main road leading from the entrance to the fest. Nevertheless, the students should be appreciated for organizing an event of such magnitude while balancing studies simultaneously. However much I felt bitter on seeing my artwork vandalized during the event, one cannot forget that these people are just young boys and perhaps it would be too ambitious to expect professionalism from them at this stage. Someone higher should have guided them better. Here are the pics.....

Holy Shit!

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:49:00 +0000

Watch this film directed by my dear friend Rajesh Thakare and his associate Troy Vasanth, both from the prestigious National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad.

This animation has won multiple awards and countless hearts.... GLOBALLY.

(L-R) : Rajesh Thakare with Troy Vasanth

Rajesh, whom I fondly address as "Raja" since our younger days, shows good promise that he will indeed ring true to his name someday -- ruling Indian Cinema like a "King". This is his first attempt at movie-making that earned the world and its heart over by its sheer simplicity and truthful narrative. Bound to bring a smile to any true Mumbaikar.... And if you haven't had the good fortunes to visit Mumbai city yet, well... this one's a curtain raiser for you!

This movie has earned the following awards so far :

Jury Critic Award MIFF 2012
Second Best Animation MIFF 2012
Best Student Film AYACC China 2011
Best Student Animation Film Infocom 2011
Special Mention in Chitrakatha International students animation festival 2011
Special Mention Asifa INDIA 2011
Special Mention Anifest Mumbai 2011
Competition Selection In Animamundi Brazil 2011
Selected for screening in Animac Spain 2011

Keep rooting for these men and their work -- they're all set with this propeller on them!

Winds of Change....

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:38:00 +0000

Momentarily, the bygone decade screened before my eyes in a flashback. My first days in Mumbai.... I was just yet another import from the interiors of India... one amongst the swarm of country boys that enter this city every day with a baggage of hopes and dreams. Like everyone else, my family had consented to my migration solely depending on a couple of close relatives that had already settled base in Mumbai. And the relatives made sure I understood I was unwelcome as soon as I set my foot in their home. This is a city where strangers befriend you like family and where the family betrays like no bond lost. As a teenager, I was in Mumbai to pursue higher studies in Art... and Art was considered a loser's choice back then, although it was the only one I ever had in life. My relatives perhaps did not imagine a day when I would ever bring them a fat paycheque. After all, I was not set to be a doctor, engineer or accountant. With no scope to return to Bhusawal, I picked my yet packed bags and settled to live in a slum thereafter throughout my college days. My parents did not know about this until long.

15 years later... suddenly I received an email from the same relative's daughter yesterday. She has now completed her MBA in Human Resources and sought my "blessings" in tracking career opportunities for her. I know how awful it feels to return empty handed from a place you have attached so many hopes to....

I told her she is welcome.

It used to be such an advantage a few decades back to have an "MBA" attached to ones portfolio, I wondered. That certificate itself carried a job guarantee. Today every doctor, engineer or accountant has mastered a management degree and are yet scorching to find a job... And artists like me have turned entrepreneurs and have our rightful place under the sun! I wonder what the situation will be like until my (yet-to-be-born) children complete their studies! Times are changing fast....

There was a time when applicants would find employment based on their good handwriting... Today almost all correspondence and documentation is typed with ready neat fonts. Remember those childhood days? How we lost a mark in examinations every time we misspelled a word? Today school children do not drop grades for vain reasons like these... because they have Spell-check applications to correct errors as they 'type'... The human brain is used for better purposes than to memorize stupid spellings. And it has become perfectly acceptable to write an academic essay in SMS slang and secure 10/10 marks for it. Purists may go, take a nap. Language focuses on Communication today and Application is better valued than bookish knowledge... the way I would have loved to have it in my own academic years.

The current Indian education system bars from failing any student until the eighth grade, no matter how well or how badly the child may have understood their lessons. The skill to COMPETE - which is so necessary for survival in the real world - is no more taught at school. We send our children to athlete clubs to learn sportsmanship .....and We send them to our native place in summer vacations to see what a family is supposed to be. This is what I meant when I said, times are changing. In today's world, professionally qualified parents are equipped better than school teachers to impart knowledge and education to their own kids. Today we send children to school only to have them learn to socialize.

Nd f ur chld stl seems lik a loser 2u, thnk again! Appreci8 it 4 wht it is.... Focus on enhancng its +ves and mk it a strong CTzn of d world.... Nvr taunt! Nvr mk it feel Unwelcm.... 4 u nvr knw wht directn d wind may blow in tmrw.....

Death of an Artist

noreply@blogger.com (Hemant Sonawane's Studio) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:19:00 +0000

A loss of life in the family breaks all reins loose. Hue and tears all around. Then the mourning period. Ever wondered why we cry so much over death?

Do we cry because that person might now be in hell and suffering? ....or because he was so good that his departure leaves a vacuum in our own lives? Perhaps because he left some of our questions unanswered... Or because he left without letting us fulfill our dues. We wish the person should have lived some more... For whom? For himself or for the world? We mourn not for dead people, but for the loss their death causes to us... for we depended on them whilst they were alive... Because they were a source to our survival, faith, peace, happiness, our purpose. We never cry for the dead. We cry for ourselves - for those who have been left behind. Like an artist fears death of inspiration, like he mourns a creative block.

In sincerity, one would admit that the source of all creation lies beyond our limited self. It is a stream that flows like a divine gift.... like a tool provided to us to serve our purpose. It stays with us until we are working towards its destination. Creativity leaves an artist when its cause is over. Like the soul departs leaving a body dead.

And then the mourning saga begins.... not for what is gone, but for what's left.