The Regional Centre, Chennai in collaboration with The Aseema Trust, Chennai has organized the Space and Roots: A Festival exploring Traditional Visual Arts with contemporary thinking, at its gallery for the period between 08-08-14 and 14-08-14, in which the following 10 artists were invited to take part in the Workshop, out of which 5 contemporary artists from Southern Region and 5 traditional artists:
Contemporary Artists:
Sri S. Vignesh, A, Chennai, Sri Komakula Raja Sekhar, Visakhapatnam,
Sri Mahesh Baliga, Vadodara, Sri P. Usman, Palakkad, Sri Shripad Amrut Gurav, Goa,
Traditional Artists:
Sri D. Vinay Kumar(Cheriyal Painting),Telangana, Mrs. (Dr.) Gayathri Sankarnarayan (Kolam) Chennai, Sri R. Krishnan Kitna (Kurumba Art), Nilagiri, Sri Chakram Prabhakar (Kalamkari), Srikalahasti, Sri K.N. Sasidharan, (Kerala Mural) Palakkad.
Mrs. Gita Ram (Craft Council of India, Chennai) and Sri K. Muralidharan (senior artist) were invited as chief guests to the programme
On the last two days of the Workshop i.e. on 13th and 14th August, 2014, 130 children from 10 schools around Chennai City were invited to attend the Workshop to interact with the invited contemporary and traditional artists.
The Centre has invited the senior artist Sri V. Viswanadhan for the programme Artist in Residence; and the invited artist has demonstrated the painting technique using casein during the programme. As per the request of the Centre the following Colleges were sent their students to attend the demonstration of the invited artist, as observers:
A slide presentation of the resident artist Sri V. Viswanadhan was shown on 23-08-14 at 2.30 pm; in continuation, the well known art writer Mrs. Geeta Doctor had an extensive public dialogue with the artist – as ‘Artist – Writer Dialogue’.
The Regional Centre, Chennai in collaboration with Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai has organized a Retrospective Exhibition of Prof. Krishna Reddy (Curated by Prof. Anant Nikam) at its gallery for the period between 09-09-14 and 20-09-14.
The Exhibition of inaugurated by Prof. R.B. Bhaskaran (eminent Painter & Print Maker and Former Chairman of the Lalit Kala Akademi) on 09-09-2014 (Tuesday) at 6.00 pm.
As part of the Exhibition Prof. Anant Nikam (Head, Dept of Print Making, Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai) has given a demonstration on simultaneous colour print making: viscosity method of print making at the Centre’s Graphic Workshop on 12-09-2014 from 10.30 am to 1.30 pm. Around 80 students from the local Fine Arts Colleges and working artists of the Graphic Workshop of the Centre were enthusiastically participated.
The Centre has celebrated Hindi Week on 24-09-2014 at its premises. To encourage all the staff of the Centre to actively participate in this celebration the Centre has kept different competitions in Hindi with cash awards for the staff of the Centre during the said celebration. The Centre has invited Sri N. Kamble, Deputy Director and Dr. Sunil Kumar Loka, Assistant Director from Hindi Teaching Scheme (South) to give lectures on the importance of celebration of Hindi Week and conduct competitions in Hindi among the staff the Centre.
All the staff was worked throughout the day by cleaning the entire premises as well as cleaned the record room of the Centre.
The Regional Centre, Chennai in collaboration with the Seagul Foundation for the Arts, Calcutta has organized a Retrospective Exhibition of Prof. K.G. Subramanyan – his New Works at its gallery for the period between 04-11-2014 and 15-11-2014.
The Exhibition was inaugurated by Dr. K. ROSAIAH, His Excellency the Governor of Tamil Nadu on 04-11-2014 at 6 pm.
The Regional Centre, Chennai has organized a programme: Artist in Residence by the Canadian Artist Prof. (Ms.) Briana Palmer (Asst. Professor, School of Arts, Faculty of Humanity, MC Master University, Hamilton, Canada), in which two of the local artists namely Sri Vijay Pichumani and Sri Mani Murugesan were taken part as collaborators for producing 3 edition of total 18 prints.
The said programme was organized from 05-11-2014 to 19-11-2014. On the valedictory day of the programme i.e. on 19-11-2014 Prof. (Ms.) Briana Palmer organized her slide lecture for the general public and local artists.
The Regional Centre, Chennai in collaboration with Banyan Hearts Open Studios, Hyderabad, has organised the Regional Print-Making Camp (Relief Colour Print-Making) at Hyderabad for the period from 21-11-2014 to 27-11-2014, in which the following senior and upcoming practicing artists were invited to take part:
Senior Artists: Prof. Laxma Goud (Hyderabad) and Sri Surya Prakash (Hyderabad).
Upcoming practicing artists: Sri S. Vinil Rabeek (TN), Sri Fawad Tamkanat (AP) Sri A. Rajeshwar Rao (AP), Sri C.N. Vijay Sarathy (KAR), Sri K.S. Prakasan (KER), Sri Mangesh Kapse (MAH), Sri H. Shanmugam (PON) and Sri Ramdas M. Gadekar (GOA).
The Regional Centre, Chennai has organized the programme: ‘ETHNIC MINDSCAPE: An Interactive Workshop with North East Artists’ at its gallery for the period between 23-01-15 and 29-01-15, in which out of 24 invited artists, the following 23 artists were taken part in the Workshop; and out of which 10 artists from North East and 13 artists from Southern States:
Artists from North East
Sri Ayhunbu Lorin (Nagaland), Sri V. Lalzawmkima –Zawma (Mizoram), Sri Raphael Warjri (Meghalaya), Sri Paltu Barman (Tripura), Sri Priyoum Talukdar (Meghalaya), Sri Mantu Das (Assam), Sri S. Boby Singh (Manipur), Sri Rangskhembor Mawblei (Meghalaya), Ms. Lalhmiing Mawii (Amoii) (Mizoram), Sri Ranab Saha (Tripura).
Artists from Southern States
Ms. Kirusiya rani. veera (Tamilnadu), Sri R. Janarthanan (Tamilnadu), Sri S. Sujeeth Kumar (Tamilnadu), Sri G. Subramanian, (Karnataka), Sri Sameer Rao, (Karnataka), Sri Imran Liyakath Ali Khan (Andhrapradesh), Sri P. Venkataswamy (Telengana), Sri P.A. Sajeesh (Kerala)
Sri Sajithputhukkalavattom, (Kerala), Smt Tanujaa Rane, (Maharashtra), Sri Prafulla Sheshrao Nayse, (Maharashtra), Sri Vasantha Kumaran, (Pondicherry), Sri Kedar Dhondu, (Goa)
Sri M.D. Muthukumaraswamy (Executive Trustee and Director, National Folklore Support Centre, Chennai) has inaugurated the Workshop on Friday 23-01-2015 at 10.30 am; Sri Keshav (Artist & Cartoonist, The Hindu) has presided over the function, Sri Rm. Palaniappan, Regional Secretary, Regional Centre, Lalit Kala Akademi, Chennai has introduced the participating artists.
As per the invitation of the Centre, Sri M.D. Muthukumaraswamy, the well-known folklorist has interacted with the invited participants and also delivered a lecture on folk narration and its sensibilities and also about various folk tales of North East, on 24-01-15 morning 10.30 am to 12.30 pm.
Similarly, Sri M. Trostsky Marudhu (senior artist and a film maker) has interacted with the participants on 25-01-15 morning 10.30 am to 12.30 pm by giving a slide lecture on history of the cinema and its visual narration and a demonstration on illustrative drawings on narrative culture based on our ethnic stories.
Ms. Lakshmi Venkatraman (former Art Critic, The Hindu) has been invited by the Centre to document the entire event by interviewing the participating artists and editing their bio datas for the publication.
A formal valedictory function of the Workshop was held on Thursday 29-01-2025 at 4 pm; and the works produced by the participating artists of the Workshop were on display for the public view.
In collaboration with the Alliance Francaise of Madras and the French Embassy in India and the Institut Francais in India, the Centre has organized an Exhibition of photographs by the French artist Georges Gaste who lived in India during his last years, titled ‘GEORGES GASTE IN INDIA 1905 – 1910’. The Exhibition was organized at our first floor group show galleries for the period from 11-02-2015 to 26-02-2015. During the exhibition a short documentary film about Georges Gaste was also screened by the Alliance Francaise.