Interview Archives

Paving the path: Project Astitva bridges the gap between amateurs and experts

Featured, Interview / 31/03/2023 03/04/2023

In an interview with Manjeera for Abir Pothi, Garima Agrawal, and Jai Thakur, two independent photographers, talk about their collaborative project Astitva Photo which aims to bridge the gap between the novices and the experts in the photography industry. Jai and Garima saw that there is a noticeable lack of structure in the industry, making …

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Gallery Veda wants to find space for every art piece

Featured, Interview / 17/03/2023 17/03/2023

Abirpothi interviews Preeti Garg, co-founder of Gallery Veda “To make art more inclusive and not intimidating was the idea behind the gallery. Chennai, with its well-known love for the arts, provides the perfect setting for such a concept. The need for a distinctive space amid the homogeneity is what urged me to start the gallery,” …

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Akhilesh witnessed Husain, Raza & Swaminathan, and shines on his own

Interview / 22/02/2023 22/02/2023

Noted painter Akhilesh comes from Madhya Pradesh and his works are admired internationally. He has prolifically written original books and also translated many books in Hindi. He is one of the rare artists who had the good fortune of being associated with the three great masters of Indian art; J Swaminathan, Maqbool Fida Husain and …

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Himmat Shah, Part 4: Finding bliss through clay, and the Self through bliss

#longread, Interview / 04/08/2022 04/08/2022

Continued from Part 3. “Buddha and Mahavir were able to make progress only through their own experience, and that why I see art and spirituality being connected in this land. We will have to have conversations like those in the Upanishads, by immersing ourselves in art, and thereby with our artworks. We will have to …

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Himmat Shah, Part 3: Deep Immersion through Clay

#longread, Interview / 28/07/2022 28/07/2022

Continued from Part 2. According to Himmat Shah, an artist should be a very sensitive person, who could experience art at the very subtle levels and could give unmatched form to their own artworks. So that the unmatchable quality of their individuality stays in their work, and when faced with doubt, they could search for …

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Himmat Shah, Part 2: The Ceramic Yogi

#longread, Interview / 27/07/2022 27/07/2022

Continued from Part 1 “Look at people today — how they have become obsessed with their own body. How strange it seems that everyone wants to become body-less without understanding the body, dream of freedom without knowing boundation. It seems that everything is floating in thin air; the journey-nobody wants to embark on that process, …

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Himmat Shah, Part 1: The poet of clay and ceramics

#longread, Interview / 26/07/2022 26/07/2022

There is nothing straight about Himmat Shah. From his personal life to his art, which keeps meandering into different contours in ways one can not even imagine. One can experience them though, this process of exploring the unknown within him and around and his capacity to reveal some bits. Crossing the threshold of 90 …

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Finding Lalu Prasad Shaw via Manmeet K Walia

#longread, Interview, Special Story / 24/07/2022 24/07/2022

By Vinay Seth I met Manmeet Kaur Walia, the curator of the exhibition ‘Masterly Manoeuvring: Lalu Prasad Shaw’, at the show\’s preview on the evening of 20th July. The retrospective is being held by Gallerie Splash, based in Gurugram. Though very busy attending the guests, Manmeet was kind enough to lend me her time and …

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From Surat to Brooklyn, to a solo show in New York: Abir Artist is going places

Interview / 02/03/2022 02/03/2022

Our paths first crossed when he submitted an entry for FIRST TAKE and his work was applauded by an august jury. Abhishek Tuiwala continued to go from strength to strength and paved his way from doing his BFA in Surat to going all the way to the reputed Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. We had a …

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Iti Tyagi, Founder of Craft Village, is revamping the lives of thousands of Indian artisans

Interview / 25/02/2022 25/02/2022

In an Abir Pothi Exclusive, Craft Village Founder Iti Tyagi delves deep into the foundation\’s core philosophy, its achievements and its goals, and how the initiative has transformed the lives of thousands of artisans across the country. You are an alumna of The National Institute of Fashion Technology and have worked with top international brands …

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