marathi-cinema

Marathi Cinema: Cultural Memory and Hegemonic Nationalism

Prabodhan Pol Apr 25, 2025

From the 1940s onwards, the rise of Marathi cinema played a pivotal role in popularising both the Kshatriya-Maratha narrative and a broader Marathi linguistic identity, using vivid visuals to narrate tales of regional pride, valour and historical continuity centred on the Maratha Empire and its prominent figures.

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rhythms-of-revolution
events

Rhythms of Revolution: Ritwik Ghatak’s Amar Lenin

Koyna Tomar Apr 23, 2025

Ritwik Ghatak’s Amar Lenin (1970) follows a young, unnamed protagonist’s encounters with the revolutionary ideas of Bolshevik leader, Vladimir Lenin, as the former embarks on a coming-into-consciousness journey through 1960s Bengal. The documentary was thus a fitting choice to mark Red Books Day at May Day Bookstore in Delhi. Organised in collaboration with Camera Commune, the screening on 21 February 2025 opened an evening of programming to celebrate leftist books, art and people’s movements.
on-theatre-and-architecture
events

On Theatre and Architecture: Re: Staging 1990s (Delhi)

Akanksha Maglani Apr 21, 2025

On view from 1–10 February 2025 at the Triveni Amphitheatre, Triveni Kala Sangam, in conjunction with the India Art Fair, the exhibition Re: Staging the 1990s (Delhi), presented by the Alkazi Theatre Archives and the Alkazi Collection of Photography, foregrounded the use of the architectural/theatrical model as an investigative tool.
confronting-eviction-in-manjolai
events

Confronting Eviction in Manjolai: Care, Community and Resistance

Sumaiya Mustafa Apr 19, 2025

The Vaanam Art Festival is a tribute to centuries of Dalit resilience and lived experience. The festival included the PK Rosy Documentary and Short Film Festival, which screened Samuvel Arputharaj’s Manjolai (2024), the story of tea-garden workers in the hilly terrain of Manjolai in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district.
on-manjolai-plantation-workers
events

On Manjolai Plantation Workers: Where Will They Go?

Sumaiya Mustafa Apr 18, 2025

Screened at the PK Rosy Documentary and Short Film Festival as part of the Vaanam Art Festival 2025 in celebration of Dalit History Month, Samuvel Arputharaj’s Manjolai (2024) is about five estates collectively referred to as “Manjolai”, which were once home to thousands of people in the hilly terrain of the Tirunelveli district but are now sparsely populated with only a handful of families.
the-afterlives-of-g-aravindan-s-thamp
stories

The Afterlives of G. Aravindan's Thamp̄: Parallel Cinema and Spectatorship

Sanjita Majumder Apr 16, 2025

Thamp̄ (1978) by Govindan Aravindan is a part-fictional observational documentary film following a travelling circus across a small coastal village of Thirunavaya in Kerala. Here, Aravindan sets the stage for a real-life encounter between members of the travelling circus troupe and villagers who have never witnessed a circus performance before.

WATCHLIST

The Silvana S Photography Award offers an SGD$8,000 cash prize, a solo exhibition at Objectifs in March 2026, and return flights and accommodation to Singapore for the exhibition opening. It is open to photographers working in Southeast Asia or based overseas, with no restrictions on genre or technique. Click for details.

WATCHLIST

Now in its twelfth edition and recently part of the Villa Swagatam residency programmes of Institut Francais, the Art Scribes Award invites emerging and mid-career art writers based in India, whose practice is deeply rooted in research-based critical writing, to push the boundaries of curatorial narratives. Click for details.

WATCHLIST

Serendipity Arts Foundation and Les Rencontres d’Arles, with support from Institut français en Inde invite South Asian lens-based artists to apply for the Serendipity Arles Grant 2025-26! This exciting opportunity supports innovative projects in photography, video, new media, and other lens-based explorations. Click for details.

WATCHLIST

Empowerment: Art and Feminisms is a South Asian travelling exhibition, showcasing the work of 31 feminist artists and artist collectives. It looks at inclusion at all levels and showcases the voices and rights of various gender and social minorities, especially in the context of South Asia. Click for details.

WATCHLIST

The panel discussion will analyse the voices of young artists navigating the complex legacies of decolonisation and its global implications, highlighting emerging talent and fresh narratives shaping contemporary South Asian art. Click to register for the event!
it-takes-a-funeral-to-celebrate
events

It Takes a Funeral to Celebrate: On Dalit Subbaiah

Steevez Apr 14, 2025

In celebration of Dalit History Month, MKP Gridaran’s Dalit Subbaiah: Voice of the Rebels (2025) was screened at the PK Rosy Documentary and Short Film Festival as part of the fifth edition of Vaanam Art Festival, organised by filmmaker Pa. Ranjith’s Neelam Cultural Centre in Chennai. The film is a musical documentary stitched together by the slogans raised at a funeral procession.

magic-myth-and-indian-kitsch
stories

Magic, Myth and Indian Kitsch: The Spectacular Aesthetic of EXCISE DEPT

Upasana Das Apr 06, 2025

In the third installment of Upasana Das' interview series with EXCISE DEPT, they delve into their creation of a digital universe from their personal lives and performing before the very powers they critique.

staging-the-farce
stories

Staging the Farce: The Visuality of EXCISE DEPT

Upasana Das Apr 05, 2025

In the second part of an interview with Upasana Das, the members of EXCISE DEPT delve into the references behind their striking visual language.
on-a-schizophrenic-viewing-practice
stories

On a Schizophrenic Viewing Practice: In Conversation with EXCISE DEPT

Upasana Das Apr 04, 2025

In the first of a three-part interview with Upasana Das, the members of EXCISE DEPT—Rounak Maiti, Karanjit Singh, Siddhant Vetekar and Andrew Sabu—discuss the origins and evolution of their audio-visual collective.

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janin-jenin-jenin
stories

Janin, Jenin, Jenin: The Legacy of a Camp

Santasil Mallik Apr 02, 2025

In the new production Janin, Jenin (2024), Palestinian filmmaker and actor Mohammad Bakri reconnects with the interviewees from the prequel, recalling the persecution he faced surrounding the controversial film, and captures witness accounts of the recent offensive upon the camp.
on-global-photographies
events

On “Global Photographies”: Limits and Possibilities

Koyna Tomar Mar 31, 2025

On 28 February 2025, at a panel discussion at the India International Centre, New Delhi, the co-editors, Duncan Wooldridge and Lucy Soutter, shared the conceptual and editorial process behind the making of the book Global Photographies, while Tanvi Mishra, writer and curator, presented her contribution on “decolonial” artistic practice in the South Asian context.

making-a-photograph
events

Making a Photograph: Pictorialism, Craft and the Legacy of D.R. Mody

Avani Tandon Vieira Mar 29, 2025

Curated by Veerangana Kumari Solanki and conceptualised by Tapan Mody, grandson of D.R. Mody, the exhibition DADA - An Accidental Pictorialist situates the photographer’s work within the tradition of Pictorialism, a movement that privileged principles of beauty and composition over those of record-keeping, approaching the photographic medium as an art form rather than a tool for documentation.
on-photographic-archives-at-the-chennai-photo-biennale
events

On Photographic Archives at the Chennai Photo Biennale

Mallika Visvanathan Mar 28, 2025

Drawing from a range of archival sources, artists and curators participating in the recently concluded Chennai Photo Biennale engage with different imaginations of photographic archives.

fragmented-memory-and-personal-history
events

Fragmented Memory and Personal History: On Reena Mohan’s ‘Kamlabai’

Akshay Shelar Mar 26, 2025

The film Kamlabai (1992), directed by Reena Mohan, was screened at the NFDC-National Film Archives of India (as a part of the Film Circle screenings) on 8 March 2025. Mohan’s conversations with Kamlabai Gokhale, considered the first lady of Indian cinema, form the basis of this documentary.

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