| Geeta Vadhera |
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GEETA VADHERA, CONTEMPORARY INDIAN ARTIST EARLY YEARS Geeta was educated at the Delhi School of Arts and started her assignment with the Government owned Cottage Industries, where she worked on commercial assignments for Mrs. Howden, then the head of design for the Cottage. A chance project with to design beachwear for a London based design house lead her to projects with Pierre Cardin and Christan Dior, amongst other design houses. She had already started working with her mentor, Nehru Fellowship Awardee, Narendra Srivastava. Soon, Geeta left the world of commercial design to start focusing on her real love - paintings. Her first exhibition, on Concrete Poetry, the poetry in the Devnagri script, "Ansh" was released as an exhibition in AIFACS , New Delhi , accompanied by a book by the same name. Ansh was a step in the letterist movement. The work was submitted to Prof Eugen Gomringer, international Concrete poetry expert and is permanently placed in the archives in Selbe, Germany . THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS At that time, The Indian Council for Cultural Relations, then headed by Amb. P.A. Nazareth was seeking Indian artists to showcase in their cultural exchange programs to Europe . Geeta's works were selected for their unique Indian ness and ability to relate to Indian scriptures. Her initial exhibitions in Europe were on the Rig Veda, the Isovasya Upanishad and The Bhagwad Geeta. The shows were very well received and commercial exhibitions in Europe followed. THE FESTIVAL OF ARTS In the late 1980s Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi dreamed up the grand scale "Apna Utsav" - a festival to showcase the best of the Indian arts to the urban Indian audience. Geeta played an important role in the creative planning for this event. The Festival of Arts in Singapore followed, where she experimented with body painting alongside leading ballet artist, Karen Clarke. Geeta also at this time worked with several leading Indian publishers as creative consultant and designer/ illustrator. Her 5 series book "An Introduction to Art" is used by several schools in India as prescribed text for learning art. PROGRAMS AND EXHIBITIONS 33 exhibitions have been held by Geeta in diverse locations such as Paris , Tours , Bonn , Nice , Canberra , Singapore, Chandigarh , Mumbai , Chennai , Bangalore , Kolkata , New Delhi. She was elected Fellow of Royal Society Of Arts in 2003 and was awarded Bharat Nirman award.(2)(4)(5) Geeta says, "The experience, or impact, is what I attempt to paint. As I experience life in its many forms, there are some moments which leave their own indelible impact on me. A visual impact, a presence which haunts me until I have exorcised it by putting my brush to the canvas. Each of my works has its own moment of association and raison d'être. I paint to relate my inner self, my space, to this association. " (6) Geeta Vadhera's celebrated "Jogia Dhoop" series {Link without Title} was exhibited first in 2003 and comprises callographic paintings based on the writings of the Sufi saints - viz. Hazrat Shah Niaz, Rumi, Bulle Shah, Hazrat Shah Taaji and Kabir, amongst others. The painting on the right, "Main Vich Main" - is from this series - in this, Bulle Shah says, ever since I became one with the Almighty, I, as myself, ceased to exist .. "Jado Di Main Jogi Di Hoi, Main Vich Main Na Rah Gai Koi". Note the calligraphy imprinted across the canvas. This particular painting is in a private collection in the UK. More works from this series are on http://geetavadhera.net/jogia_dhoop.html and also on http://geetavadhera.tripod.com/id8.html. More details on Indian Paintings are available on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_painting Geeta lives and works from her studio in Noida , a suburb of New Delhi. Noted critic Fred Showker of www.graphic-design.com has the following to say about Geeta's works : "While Geeta's work is solidly planted in the fine arts world -- of oil on canvas, I see powerful design and layout at work in her art. The tension of negative and positive space molds and commands the eye as it moves in and around each work. When viewing the enlargements, squint and see the fluid movement of color, light, dark and shape. Geeta would be just as well at home in any illustration studio on Madison Avenue! In fact, those designers viewing this art today should spend a few moments on each -- and get a lesson in visual dynamics! " (3) In 2006, Geeta's work, Waqt Waqfa, was auctioned by Christie's in New York at the Indo American Arts Council art auction prior to the sixth film festival to benefit the Indian arts. (7) Geeta Vadhera's website is www.geetavadhera.net {Link without Title} (2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_art#Fine_Art REFERENCES
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