On this lazy sunday when winter has truly settled in, these are a few of my favourite quotes – lets Dance! Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion. Martha Graham “You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like there’s nobody listening, And live like it’s heaven on earth.” ― William … Continue reading A Few of my Favourite Quotes
This Chinese artist and his oil creations of self in commercial and collectible artworks that straddle the line between social commentary political criticism whilst simultaneously being creepy, confounding, confusing and comical I present to you an artist that is celebrated by alarmist Chinese galleria and Chinese art enthusiasts. Yu Minjun’s works are unfamiliar to the most educated of viewers. His character(s) create distance as well as a … Continue reading Saying au revoir to Chinese Art : the multiple smiles of Yu Minjun
I remember getting english homework in junior high that guided us to write our own Haiku’s. The example we were given to follow in the 5-7-5 On (or translated as syllables for writing one in English) was : A caterpillar, this deep in fall– still not a butterfly. I didn’t know then that the example we were given was of the great and revered Japanese … Continue reading There is nothing you can see that is not a flower; There is nothing you can think that is not the moon.
Not technically a poem, but the mood and emotion this novella creates is powerful and on power with any and all great verse. This little gem is filled with quotable quotes, but for me the top two are : “Grown-ups were once children… but only few of them remember it.” And “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with … Continue reading The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery
Having its roots and ground for exploration in the spoken word tradition, rap to me is as much part of poetry as the poets explored in the previous posts. For me if I had to choose one single work that echoed this more than others, it would have to be “I Wonder if Heavens Got a Ghetto” by Tupac Shakur Here are the lyrics: I … Continue reading I Wonder if Heavens Got a Ghetto
This poem connects to every human, heart-beat and soul who has suffered prejudice, judgment and oppression. Here is the poem: You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise. Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom? ‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells … Continue reading And I Still Rise by Maya Angelou
The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe was the first poem I memorised by heart. I was 11 years old and found a well worn and loved copy on my Grandfathers Desk. The golden embossed copy had me spell bound and I would curl up and read and reread this poem, fascinated by the swells and swirls, and most importantly the powerful imagery it created. The Raven continues … Continue reading The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe
VRATHA – a Sanskrit word that is often used across India in various dialects and languages to signify ‘fasting’, means a ‘sacred vow’ in its truest translation. The Hindu in contemporary times, very much like their brothers and sisters from antiquity, offer a range of prayers, mantras, gifts and sacrifices to their Hindu Pantheon. With each day of the week ascribed to a specific God, … Continue reading Karva-Chauth
The 1960’s sees artists such as Rauscheneberg and Warhol react against the Greenbergian philosophy of “form must follow function” where the medium/material used by the artist must dictate the artwork created. They dismiss this notion and begin drawing inspiration from Duchamp and Surrealism. They are not alone in this breaking from “prescribed media for prescribed creations” within art philosophy. Across the Atlantic in the 60s … Continue reading The Photographic Image as Found-Object
I was first introduced to Antonin Artaud and the Theatre of the Absurd through Martin Esslin’s book of the same name. In it he charts the minds, inspirations, objectives and intent of a selected group of creative thinkers and performers. I was 16 when I first read it and recently re-read it after visiting a retrospective exhibition in Spain, which showcased Antonin Artaud’s fractured mind … Continue reading Antonin Artaud – Part I
D's Art Takes 