Tag: Culture

Facsimile of published article A new exhibition on the visual history of Calcutta opens a large window to the heterotopia of itsglorious past and forces us to stand by it in awe, writes Sayandeb Chowdhury One only has to open one’s eyes to understand the daily life of the one who runs from his dwelling to the station, near or far away, to the packed underground train, the office or the factory, to return the same way in the evening…

LPs for sale at the iconic footpath store near Calcutta’s Wellington crossing, 2010. Photo by author. German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who while nurturing a deep distaste for everything Christian and worthy of appreciation in the Western world had reserved a keen ear for music, famously said: “Without music life would be a mistake.” Though it is not known, this author of A Case for Wagner must have heard his music in LPs. Technologically it’s unlikely because LPs came later than Nietzsche’s descent…

William Kentridge is as different in his art as in his films. William Kentridge is a South African artist and animator and an influential figure in the country’s art scene. His exhibition, till recently on display at the Seagull Art & Media Resource Centre, gave a sampling of his art and cinema much of which has been viewed widely across the globe but not in India. This exhibition is, however, a sampling of his vast body of work and in…