Indian Calendar Art
By Himanshu Verma
January 2009

The ubiquitious and eclectic genre of Indian calendar art has formed the mainstay of popular visual culture in India. The repertoire of calendar art includes a range of themes, notably:
1. Religious Calendars which feature deities, religious icons or episodes from mythology; used for devotional purposes and worship.
2. Patriotic Calendars featuring national heroes, political leaders, and other patriotic themes.
3. Filmic Calendars featuring film stars. A variation in this category, is pictures of sports personalities.
4. Others, including landscapes, sceneries, and other such decorative themes.

This vast ocean of popular images speaks not just to the layman, but also to many contemporary visual artists who have incorporated aspects of this tradition in their work, consciously or unconsciously, thereby reinterpreting the tradition in distinctly individualistic artistic vocabularies.

While much of painting in India has undoubtedly looked westwards in an attempt to contextualise itself in the global art scenario, some artists have taken this very Indian popular imagery as the starting point of their journey. Each artist presents a unique way in which popular culture is incorporated into their art practice; going towards making what we may call contemporary calendar art, calendar art with a contemporary art twist!

This special art calendar for 2009 presents the work of twelve such artists. Some use the subject matter/s of popular art; some may use even the techniques, and some artists use actual visual references from works of calendar art. And in the work of yet others, a contemporary painting sensibility is shot through with dashes of calendar-ic imagination! Often, there are intersections of other narratives, other visual elements and new meanings are created.

A close parallel to this process of assimilation of genres, is the way in which classical musicians in India have adapted popular folk music, and by lending it more complexity and sophistication, made it a part of their own repertoire of art music. There is complexity, depth and intellectual enagement in contemporary calendar art; but at the same time, it does not imply a loss of immediacy and connect. Unlike much of current Indian contemporary art, these images will speak to the layman as well (albeit they will challenge him more than the usual calendar art image). The visual still emotes at the prime level, making it art that may transcend barriers of the popular-high in a very interesting manner.

This project is yet another effort of Red Earth to present art in newer formats, make it more accessible, and earlier projects which presented art specially commissioned for greeting cards, and diaries, have been appreciated and still remembered. We hope that this calendar will stay with you through the year, and beyond...

The calendar is also designed to become a pointer to the kaleidoscope of festivals, seasons and celebrations in India throughout the year. Hence, the Gregorian meets the traditional Hindu calendar for 365 crazy dates! January walks hand in hand with Paush and Magh, and traditional festivals celebrate with contemporary festivities!

Begin the year auspiciously with Arjuna’s Maha Saraswati, the goddess of the arts and learning. Worship this new form of the Andy Warhol-esque goddess on Basant Panchami in January.

Rajendra Kapse’s self portrait as a Maharaja will make sure you are in good humour.

In The Room with Blue Walls, Farhan Mujib merges imagery from Hindu and Muslim calendar art. He pays homage to the grandmaster of calendar art Raja Ravi Verma, juxtaposing his nouveau hindu iconography with the figure of a Buraaq, a mythical figure that is a popular in muslim calendars. Mujib’s multi-layered masterpiece also takes us into the realms of landscape, another common theme of calendars; and the aesthetically pleasing decorative elements further remind us of miniature art as well.

In the month of Chaitra (April), rose buds blossom all over North India, and it is a time to celebrate and wear the colour Pink. Thukral and Tagra respond with a landscape, pseudo-baroque houses on the cityscape of Gurgaon, embellished with floral delicacies. A quirky tale of decorative developments in contemporary India!

Witness an explosion of activity in The Singh Twin’s magnum opus, Arts Matters: The Pool of Life, executed in their unmistakable Past Modern style, which combines elements of the traditional Indian miniature with more modern, western aesthetics. The miniature that holds a city-universe within, etches the multi-cultural landscape of Liverpool, celebrating it as a European Capital of Culture. Read more about the work here: www.singhtwins.co.uk

Alexis Kersey offers a new mythology, new age punk yogis meditating on Louis Vuitton mats and an Indianisation of the myth of David and Goliath!

Celebrate Nag Panchami in July, pay homage to the snakes with Olivia Fraser’s charming watercolour, foregrounding the much exoticised and stereotyped figure of the snake charmer.

Independence Day with Bibhu Patnaik’s Bharat Mata, made with Indian soil and acrylic on Italian paper. A clever merging of the religious and patriotic concerns of the calendar.

Days of the Devi carry on in September, the month of Navratras and Durga Puja. Biplab Muzibar Rahman’s photographic work Durga, imitating hand coloured photographs rises to the occasion.

Celebrate Diwali differently this time, place Waswo X Waswo’s I See Myself as Laxmi in your temple and carefully observe how your traditional calendar art Laxmi responds to her new avtaar.

Sad that the calendar-year is coming to an end? Not to worry, to your rescue, the favourite stars of calendar art – women! Dileep Sharma builds his fantasies around Mallika Sherawat.

N. Pushpamala offers a humorous take, a selection from a body of work shot at a photo-studio in Bangkok. Dressed in traditional Thai costume, posing in pleasing dance poses, she bids adieu to 2009 with élan.

Exhibition on view from 19 January to 30 January 2009.
11 am to 7 pm
Closed on Sundays and on 26 January.

Preview on Saturday 17 January 2009, 6 pm to 9 pm (By Invitation)

Art Calendar 2009 featuring the artworks

Contact:
Himanshu Verma / 41764054 / himanshu@redearthindia.com

See www.redearthindia.com for more details

Click below for a great collection of books on Punjabi and South Asian art at Amazon!