This Friday, one of the highlights of ALWAYS LIVE‘s 2023 program will occur when BLAKTIVISM takes over Melbourne’s Hamer Hall for a massive celebration of First Nations artists and music.

BLAKTIVISM 2023 boasts a lineup equally mixing rising talent from the next generation alongside true living legends, from King Stingray to Emma Donovan, Bart Willoughby to Tasman Keith.

It promises to be collaborative, emotional, explosive, and, above all, celebratory of Blak Cultures and Artivism.

Ahead of the third edition of BLAKTIVISM, Rolling Stone AU/NZ caught up with Gaba Musik’s Artistic Director Deline Briscoe to find out more about this year’s theme, the current strength of First Nations artists, and what the future holds for BLAKTIVISM.

BLAKTIVISM 2023 takes place at Hamer Hall on Friday, December 1st. Ticket information can be found here. 

Rolling Stone AU/NZ: BLAKTIVISM 2023 is all about ‘Skylore’. Can you tell our readers a bit more about that theme?

Deline Briscoe: Skylore connects us all! We can travel across the map without colonial borders, the skymap that follows our Songlines that has been sung for hundreds of thousands of years across the regions.

Skylore comes from the concept that across this region and the world we are all connected by the map in the sky. We follow the journey from the rise of the Evening Star in the Kulin Nations to the rise of the Morning Star in West Papua. No colonial borders can undo those cultural connections that we have across all of this region. At BLAKTIVISM we have West Papua, Torres Strait, and mob across the country represented. We are connected culturally.

Always start with the music, a powerful setlist, then approach the artists. It’s incredible to see that our next generation has so many opportunities, so actually a lot of decisions depend on artists’ availability in the end. BLAKTIVISM actually feels like a family gathering on and off stage, because each of us already have solid relationships across the cast and crew.

It must be wonderful to have King Stingray at the event. Does it make you proud to see a First Nations band doing so well on a national scale? It feels like only a matter of time until they start making inroads globally too. 

More and more I feel so grateful for our pioneers of Blak Musicians and Artists who made the inroads for the next gen to come through. I am a strong believer in “See it, be it,” and King Stingray certainly are a part of the legacy of Yothu Yindi. I’m really looking to watching their journey to a worldwide takeover!

Away from BLAKTIVISM 2023, are there any other rising First Nations artists you think our readers should be listening to? 

We can’t fit everyone into the BLAKTIVISM program. Some of the other incredible artists I love working with are IZY, Waari, Tamala Shelton, Jungaji, Kee’ahn, Jem Cassar-Daley, Barkaa, Yirrmal, Dean Brady, and more.

I have enjoyed watching the journey of Emily Wurrumara,  JK-47, Inkabee, Ziggy Ramo, Sa’chem, and there are some really talented songwriters coming through from regional areas such as Cassandra Wiliams, Felicity Schreiber, RAHNAE, and Layla Havana.

How much collaboration is involved on the night? And how have rehearsals gone?

Rehearsals are underway this week, bringing the Kulin Nation Songwomen, Yolngu Songmen, First Nations Performers, West Papuan Singers and Dancers all backed by the world-class Gaba Musik Band. There are some powerful collaborative performances throughout the BLAKTIVISM set that you certainly won’t see/hear anywhere else.

How did you plan out the setlist? 

The setlist is planned, then changed about 300 times before the rehearsals!! But seriously, I have been working with Airileke Ingram (Music Director) and Nigel Jamieson (Dramaturg) to carefully craft the musical journey to capture the intimacy and present big powerful moments threading music, dance and  visual storytelling together.

This is the third edition of BLAKTIVISM in Melbourne, is that right? How do you want the event to look in 2024 and beyond? 

Yes! Naarm has experienced BLAKTIVISM twice already! [It] feels like BLAKTIVISM could become a mini-festival –  2024 lookout!! Every year the BLAKTIVISM program is getting bigger, we [are] able to include more First Nations creatives in the BLAKTIVISM program with added support of Songlines Aboriginal Music Corporation and Clothing The Gaps.

It’s obviously a sensitive subject, but with BLAKTIVISM 2023 coming so soon after the unsuccessful Indigenous Voice referendum, will the emotions be extra charged on the night? Will everyone involved feel more motivated to celebrate the music and stories of Aboriginal people?

BLAKTIVISM presents some the country’s biggest voices in the history of Blak Artivism with Bart Willoughby’s Blak Anthems, Tasman Keith’s razor-sharp lyrics, Emma Donovan’s soulful power, Kaiit’s unapologetic truth, Birdz & Fred Leone bringing some fire, Suga Cane Mamas revealing the slave trade era of this country, and Sorong Samarai connecting with Yolngu raising the morning star in cultural solidarity.

Everyone on stage and in the audience will be motivated by the intimate, compelling, energetic, celebratory, dynamic truth-telling. Our hearts will be warmed, spirits rejuvenated and of course our voices will be heard loud and clear at BLAKTIVISM 2023!

Nov 29, 2023 10:22 AM IST

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India Art Fair 2024, in partnership with BMW India, will host its 15th edition from February 1-4 at NSIC Exhibition Grounds.

With the participation of over 100 exhibitors from all over the world, including 71 galleries, seven design studios, and major regional art institutions, India Art Fair 2024 promises to be the “biggest edition yet”. Touted to be the leading platform for showcasing modern and contemporary art from India and South Asia, the 15th edition of the art festival, in partnership with BMW India, will be held here from February 1-4 next year at the NSIC Exhibition Grounds.

It will be the first time that India Art Fair hosts a Design section, highlighting the contemporary design scene emerging in South Asia by featuring limited edition and hand-made collectible furniture, jewellery and fabrics by studios. The 2024 edition of the fair will also see exhibitions by 18 international galleries and institutions, as well as the participation of a number of leaders of global arts organisations in its Talks Programme.

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“The landmark 15th edition of India Art Fair comes at an exciting time for both the South Asian art scene and the market, with artists from the region becoming a part of international conversations as never before. As we continue to grow as a fair, we remain focused on our mission to amplify the voices of the most exciting artists from the region and to support the expansion of South Asian creativity,” Jaya Asokan, India Art Fair director, said in a statement. Some of India’s leading contemporary galleries alongside established international names will showcase rare masterpieces and contemporary works, as well as examples drawing from South Asia’s traditional arts heritage.

Indian contemporary art galleries that will be exhibiting at India Art Fair include Vadehra Art Gallery, GALLERYSKE, Nature Morte, Exhibit 320, Gallery Espace, Shrine Empire, Latitude 28, and Blueprint12, Anant Art Gallery, Chatterjee & Lal, Jhaveri Contemporary, Chemould Prescott Road, Gallery Maskara, Galerie Isa, Project 88, Emami Art, Gallery Art Exposure, Experimenter, Vida Heydari Contemporary, Apparao Galleries, Gallery Veda, Archer Art Gallery, Iram Art, ZOCA, Dhi Contemporary, Shrishti Art Gallery, and Kalakriti Art Gallery.

Alongside these will be modern galleries, including DAG, Crayon Art Gallery, Sanchit Art and Dhoomimal Gallery. The art fair will also host two new Indian galleries for the first time: Gallerie Splash and Method. Among the international galleries returning to the fair are Galleria Continua, Marc Straus, Aicon and Aicon Contemporary, 1×1 Art Gallery, neugerriemschneider, Bruno Art Group, Saskia Fernando Gallery, and Grosvenor Gallery.

The fair will also introduce three new international galleries: Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Galerie Geek Art, and Indigo Madder. The Focus section at the art fair will showcase mixed media works by veteran artists, represented by their respective participating galleries, including Probir Gupta, Paresh Maity, V Ramesh, Chippa Sudhakar and emerging practices including Dibin Thilakan.

The Institution section will feature booths and projects by 22 leading cultural foundations, collectives and organisations, including the Foundation of Indian Contemporary Art (FICA), JSW Foundation, Purushottam Public Trust, Egaro Photo Festival, Unnati Cultural Village, The French Institute in India, the Basu Foundation, Galerie Lelong Paris, and Chanakya School of Craft.

The fair will also highlight three Artists-in-Residence: performance and mixed-media artist Merci Thamshangpha Maku from Manipur, textile and installation artist Mayuri Chari from rural Maharashtra, and graffiti and street artist Siddharth Gohil aka Khatra from coastal Gujarat.

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Express News Service

CHENNAI: Politicians are like our next-door neighbours. We see them every day — in our newspapers, delivering their fiery speeches on our screens and smiling from the million posters that line our city walls. They are an intrinsic part of our daily lives. We think we know them as there can’t be anything private about their lives, but then, do we really? Jitha Karthikeyan presents a rare glimpse into the artistic side of some of our netas that may completely surprise you. 

A Prime Minister’s canvas
Late former Indian Prime Minister, VP Singh may have strived to paint rosy pictures for the nation as a politician, but he also painted haunting pictures, away from the political arena. He started as an accomplished photographer and went on to do pencil sketches, until his political career put his artistic pursuits on hold. For years, he painted without ever bringing it to the public eye, doubting the quality of his work — an insecurity that most artists experience. On the insistence of his friends, he finally held an exhibition and to his astonishment, most of the paintings sold out! Although nature dominated his canvases earlier, he slowly turned to human forms in his post- political life. “I did politics with my head but I paint with my heart,” he once remarked.

The king’s watercolours
Britain’s reigning monarch, King Charles III, started painting in the 1970’s after he was inspired by his art master in school, who guided the artist in him. Primarily painting with watercolours, the king often paints outdoors, favouring the beauty of nature as his subject. A quick painter, he once stated that he preferred to complete his paintings soon, in order to not keep his security guards waiting for too long. The king’s art has been displayed across the world and all proceeds from the sale of his artworks are directed to his charity.

The disgruntled dictator

The last thing on Earth that anyone would associate Adolf Hitler with, is art. The infamous dictator of Germany who rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party will always be remembered for starting the Second World War and for his systematic murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust. Not many though, know of the dreams he nursed of becoming an artist. As a young man, he failed to get admitted into the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts despite two attempts. He survived by painting postcards and watercolours to earn a living. With the outbreak of the First World War, his life took a different turn and his days as a struggling artist ended.

Hitler though, was not one to take his rejection by the Arts Academy lightly. His shock and disappointment back then turned into an intolerance for modern art. In 1937 at the peak of his power, he seized around 16,000 artworks from various German museums and held a degenerative art show, intentionally displaying the priceless artworks in an unaesthetic manner with no care. He even hired people to criticise the art. The show, however, attracted three million viewers, while another exhibition he held at the same time with art that he had personally approved had barely any footfalls. Most of Hitler’s own paintings were destroyed under his command but there still remain several of his artworks with the biggest collection housed in the International Museum of World War II, in the US.

The President’s portrait
The world knows him as the former President of the United States, a position so powerful that it simply overshadows anything else he can ever be. George W Bush started painting after his presidency ended and managed to keep it secret until 2013 when his sister’s e-mail account was hacked and images of his art were leaked. Surprised at first by the attention, George soon acknowledged his interest in art and made his paintings public. In the years that followed, Bush has continued to paint. His series titled, Portraits of Courage, features war veterans he had encountered in military hospitals. His canvases bear images of their once seriously injured faces. The psychological scars that the troops still carry from the war he sent them to fight may have left a wound on him too perhaps.

When the CM paints
Mamata Banerjee’s penchant for painting has often managed to court controversy. Fondly called Didi by her supporters, the chief minister of West Bengal has always been open about her love for art. However, not everyone was amused when she proclaimed that the sale of her paintings fetched a whopping amount, which was of course contributed to the CM Relief Fund. She has actively defended her decision to use her art for the political causes she believed in and continues to paint despite all the ups and downs of public life.

Politicians may never fit into the identity of an artist because their primary identity that the world recognises them, will always be that of a leader. With most of them finding the time to indulge in their interest only very late in life, their purpose is beyond making a career of art or even being acknowledged. They paint simply because they owe it to themselves when the dust settles over a life dedicated to public affairs.

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