Professional Documents
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Theisi Ref 4
Theisi Ref 4
History
Cholamandal Artists' Village, established in 1966, is the largest artists'
commune in India, whose artists are credited for the Madras Movement of
Art (1950s–1980s), which brought modernism to art in the South India.
Their work is widely recognized as some of the best art produced in
postwar India, and is shown regularly in galleries across the country; in
fact several Cholamandal artists have also shown in Europe, the United
States and South America. Situated at village Injambakkam , 9 km from
Chennai, it has over twenty resident painters and sculptors, who live as a
community and pool their skills; they also run the Artists Handicrafts
Association, a cooperative which manages the village and sale of works
through the the permanent exhibition at the complex, which includes
paintings, sketches, terra-cotta/stone/metal sculptures, batiks and
handicrafts etc, made by the artists living the village, making the village a
self-supporting entity.
Cholamandal Artists’ Village is situated on the East Coast Road, some eight
kilometres further south of the Chennai city and about 18 kms from Chennai city
center. The place represents an important arts centre in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Cholamandal Artists’ Village is built over eight hectares of land in the Injambakkam
region which exists as an extension of the Chennai city. The place stands on the
coastal plains of Chennai and lies close to the sea, Bay of Bengal. Cholamandal
Artists’ Village is a great tourist destination in the vicinity of the popular metropolitan
city.
The Cholamandalam Arts Village has a permanent art gallery to hold exhibitions.
Sculptures made of granite; wood, copper and bronze are created within the Artists
Village. The open-air theater is a platform for performing artists or even poetry
reading sessions and dance recitals.
Indian arts such as batik and pottery and painting are seen in the myriad articles and
works done by the artists of the Cholamandalam village. You can view or purchase
interesting pieces in terracotta and batik. In fact Cholamandalam has grown to be an
important hub or meeting place for international artistes in sylvan surroundings.
The place can be accessed by taking a bus to the Injambakkam township. It takes
about 45 minutes to reach the place in a bus.
Shilpa Architects
The Cholamandal Artists village named after the ancient Chola kings who were
great patrons of Art as is evident from their magnificent temples in their capital
(Tanjore). The Chola's influence spread to the corners of Asia and the rest of
the world. In 1965, the Madras Movement of Art crystallized around the
legendary KCS Paniker who along with likeminded Artists set up their
residences and studios in a rural setting on the sandy beaches of the Bay of
Bengal. The Artists Village is acclaimed as among the successful and
surviving art communes in the world.
The larger wing, housed the permanent exhiibit area and the museum area of
the building. The focus of the design was to get as much natural light as
possible while cutting out the glare and heat. This was achieved by orienting
the openings to get in the glare free lighting from the north.
The building was treated with exposed brickwork and concrete. No additional
plaster or painting was envisaged. The lofted spaces in the museum/
permanent exhibit wing, overlooking the lower level spaces, navigates natural
light into all corners of the building.
Art is considered a lonely job because it usually ends in competition and friction. But not
anymore. Sneha Kakodkarfinds that Cholamandal Artist’s Village has been helping artists live
alongside each other and contribute to each others’ success since the past 40 years.
Of the numerous students who attend art schools, only a few get to pursue their dreams to
become painters or sculptors. Even the most talented are
concern, the students of Government School of Arts & Crafts, Chennai, approached their
principal, K. S. Paniker.
This enthusiastic bunch, who were very passionate about their art, asked him, “Where will we
find such a beautiful, inspiring campus after college?” They were worried that even part-time
work or teaching art would take away their freedom, and end their artistic dreams. Another
obstacle was that Chennai predominantly supported cultural arts and recognition through fine
arts was quite rare. In trying to find a solution, Paniker stumbled upon the idea of creating an
artist’s village. There were only two requirements. One was land, the other capital.
Capital idea!
A French man Jean Tierre wore flamboyant shirts and when asked where he bought them from,
he revealed that buying clothes was boring. He purchased the silk, used paint on it and took
pearl buttons from his mother to complete it.
Paniker, the visionary, saw the untapped demand for such innovation in fabrics and taught the
students batik – a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. The first batik exhibition was a sellout
and raised money to buy 10 acres of land on the outskirts of Chennai.
Paniker believed that a man may not kill for his wife or kids, but he would kill for land.
Therefore, the precondition to membership was that every artist had to own a piece of land,
large or small depending on his or her capacity to spend. The vision of the Artist’s Village
turned into reality in 1966, with a society of 40 artists. The Cholamandal Artist’s Village has
been home to many world-renowned artists such as V. Vishwanathan, Akkitham Narayanan,
S.G Vasudev, and Reddeppa Naidu.
Being far from the city had many disadvantages but being en route Mahabalipuram, a major
foreign tourist destination, had greater benefits. The idea was to encourage artists to be
financially independent by using their skills to make batik tie and dye products, jewellery, and
metal work and brass products. The flexibility of working from home gave them the necessary
time to devote to their art.
Picasso believed that an artist should think about his art all the time and the Artist’s Village
provided the opportunity. Paniker along with his students played a huge role in creating an
identity for art in Chennai, thus giving way to the Madras Arts Movement.
an artist’s haven. The permanent gallery has a fabulous display of paintings, graphics, drawings
and sculptures. Its open-air theatre, created from a sunken pond, now hosts over 300
spectators during music, theatre or dance performances. Musicians who have performed here
include Dr. M. Balmuralikrishna, M.D. Ramanathan and N. Ramani. Famous dancers include
Alarmel Valli and Leela Samson, and Maurice Bezzart of the Belgian National Theatre
presented a ballet based on the Siva-Parvati theme. Theatre artists Badal Sircar and Koothu-P-
Pattari also performed here.
Luminary alumni
There is a workshop for batik and metal work and several guesthouses are rented out to art
aficionados. Artists who stay here for a year get to showcase their work at the gallery
alongside its permanent members.
Nandagopal, the renowned sculptor and permanent resident of Cholamandal, explains, “All
artists have insecurities. I take more than a year to complete my sculpture and feedback is
often very useful in enabling me to make changes at an initial stage.”
He started the International Sculpture Camp in 1979. It is a platform to invite sculptors from
different countries to live at the village, to feel inspired and to create magnificence. These
camps are conducted every two years and sculptors are discouraged from using power tools.
They are encouraged to enjoy with their families, experience the Artist Village and create the
sculpture over two months. Some of well-known artists such as Sir Anthony Caro and
Francisco Kleminsky have created amazing pieces of art here. Others participants include
Queen Mother Juliana of the Netherlands, Princess Wisdon Ali of Jordan, Andrez Wawrzynisk,
Jeannie Auboyer, and Simone and Andre Bonjaiboult.
When K.C.S. Paniker and his students set up the Cholamandal Artists’ Village on eight acres by the sea 8 km
south of Adyar Junction in 1965, they could not have envisaged that their collective vision would survive a
generation. Or that over a dozen of its 40-odd individuals would attain a global reach. Even less, that their
achievements would be commemorated with the inauguration of the 10,500 sq. ft. Cholamandal Gallery of
Contemporary Art Complex in February 2009.
Centrestage within the gallery’s mezzanine floor is a
1957 oil on board, Genesis, by Paniker, predating
his more identifiable abstract phase. A fitting tribute,
indeed.
The great banyan and the open-air sculpture gallery.
All around the 3,600 sq. ft. K.C.S. Paniker Museum
of the Madras Movement are glimpses of significant
markers seldom gathered under a single roof.
Shiraz Cafe.
Footnote: Thirty painters and sculptors have acquired land for themselves in order to be able to work in
comparative peace. Here the artist paints or sculpts through the major part of the day and applies himself to a
congenial art-craft during leisure hours to supplement, if necessary, his income from the sale of paintings and
sculptures. Cholamandal is perhaps the first of its kind anywhere in the world. It is administered by an annually
elected council of members. Cholamandal welcomes visitors to the village. It has a twin guest cottage.
CMI Arts Initiative
Each year, the Chennai Mathematical Institute offers two non-Indian Sangam House alumni the
opportunity to be Writers-In Residence at the Institute through their Arts Initiative Program.
The residency periods run for 6 weeks each, between January and March each year.
During their residency, writers interact with the CMI community as well as with other writers and
literary organisations in the city.
History
Cholamandalam Artists
Village was conceived by the renowned artist, Panicker.
When it came into existence, the swanky ECR or East Coast
Road was a narrow road that connected a multitude of
fishermen’s hamlets.
To Do At Cholamandalam
As you enter the café, you can’t help yourself admiring the simple and welcoming décor that adds
to the warm and homely feel in the atmosphere. The striking yellow wall paper with its mosaic like
pattern, little objects of interest, the fresh flower arrangements, the shelves adorned with crockery and
soft music flowing in the back ground set the scene. The couples’ love for glass and artwork is evident
from the various paintings and stained glass paintings tucked in the place - the brilliant stained glass
works are done by Nasrin’s husband Farhad himself …!!
The relaxed and laid-back setup of the café, the reasonably priced lip-smacking food and
the hospitality and service extended by Nasrin makes this café a perfect place where one can chill
out on a lazy Sunday afternoon with family and friends and devour on unique Iranian flavors …. !!