Happenings

Astad Deboo performance – A Dream Of Sunrise

25 October 2018

Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation, Mumbai in collaboration of Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Delhi hosted a scintillating performance ‘A Dream of Sunrise’ by the globally renowned dancer artist Astad Deboo. Deboo, born in 1947 is an Indian contemporary dancer and choreographer, employs his training in Indian classical dance forms of Kathak as well as Kathakali to create a dance form that is unique to him, and is a pioneer of modern dance in India. His practice involves a keen interest in understanding unconventional performance spaces and costumes, and he often plays around these themes to choreograph a work. Likewise, his performance at CSMVS was a response to the spatial environ of visual artist Jayashree Chakravarty’s exhibition ‘EARTH AS HEAVEN – under the canopy of love’ curated by Roobina Karode. He moved through and among the artworks reflecting on the porous luminosity of Jayashree’s scrolls, providing a unique dimension to the space of display.

‘Earth as Haven’ rhymes with and alludes to heaven, and perhaps to a utopian desire, but Jayashree Chakravarty in this exhibition is more significantly immersed in retrieving the earth as a place of refuge and shelter for all visible and invisible forms of life. A play of camouflage, quite like in nature offers sudden moments of surprise and discovery, often challenging the naked eye, demanding a microscopic investigation. Jayshree Chakravarty was educated at Santiniketan and she graduated in Fine Arts from the Viswa Bharati University, Santiniketan, in 1978 and obtained a post-graduate diploma from M.S.University, Baroda, in 1980. She lives and works out of Paris. This event was partly supported by Akar Prakar.