Fame and scandal in the art family seems to be more the norm than the exception of late. Art circles were abuzz with an exhibition titled Tits, Clits And Elephant Dick that sprawled across the length and breadth of the right wing of Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, heralding an august gathering of gigantic phallic and pubic symbols...but the moral police soon got into action to nip it in the bud. Conceived by Marathi poet, writer and visual artist, Sanjeev Khandekar, with artist, Vaishali Nerkar, it was an ambitious installation of sexually-explicit imagery designed to provoke viewers to think about the consequences of virtual sex that is so freely available at the click of a mouse today. Unfortunately, since the title was enough to repulse seasoned art lovers, the exhibition only succeeded in titillating those who came despite...or maybe because of...it.

Bose Krishnamachari triggered off a widespread discussion on what really constitutes art when he unveiled his latest 'artwork' - an exhaustive collection of books and DVDs, set up as an unlikely installation in the interior of the Museum Art Gallery. Chintan Upadhyaya, unofficial collaborator of Tits, Clits... has enjoyed more than his 15 seconds of fame, but attracted attention yet again when he divulged that he aims to depict and use dead female foetuses with a view to shaking viewers out of their lethargy and draw awareness to the problem of female infanticide that is so rampant in his native Rajasthan.

Papri Bose, whose solo show at Jehangir Art Gallery followed close on the heels of Khandekar's unbridled public display of affectation, stood her ground with A Free Man's Worship - a series of acrylics on canvas that sought to explore the nexus between the subconscious feminine spirit of men and the unconscious masculine tendency of women. Using erotica in tandem with symbols of regeneration like water, the linga and the yoni very subtly and unobtrusively, Bose's fertile imagination depicted this seductive interplay of sexual energy as the embodiment of life and a dance of celebration.

A successful artist from Bengal, Prokash Karmakar's paintings are depictions of lush landscapes and female nudes, the former perceived more by the senses than by the spirit. In Painting Such As The Dream, a female nude is portrayed in a state of complete abandon with blatant sexual overtones that suggest that the subject is a sex worker. However, he also comments on social issues, power equations and the repression of the poorer sections by the dominant classes in society - as seen in Lush at Priyasri Art Gallery.

Dhruvi Acharya's Two Plus Two Equals is an attempt at balancing the universal duality of our existence as human beings. Using as take-off points her own experience of being a woman and an artist, a daughter and a mother of two boys, she grapples with the stress of this double life we all lead at various stages. Deeply concerned about the issues of societal expectations and gender-motivated crimes that women have to face, she follows her stream of consciousness as she revisits and filters the events in her life to universalise the particular. The exhibition continues at Gallery Chemould until October 4.

Verve Listing

• The Monsoon Chapter, curated by Himanshu Verma of Red Earth, Delhi, created a splash at Gallery Art and Soul with a range of visual, sensual and aesthetic experiences captured in the creative outpourings of artists like Anjana Mehra, Buwa Shete, Eleena Bainik, Jaideep Mehrotra, Jatin Das, Kanchan Chander, Nayanaa Kanodia, Sanjeev Sonpimpare, Tanujaa Rane and Yogesh Rawal. From the romantic and metaphysical to the pragmatic and even cynical, the rainbow of colourful expressions was at once captivating and thought-provoking.
• Zendo, a photographic study of Ladakh by Prabir Purkayastha at Bodhi Art Gallery, was an undoubtedly heavenly experience. The theatrical play of light and shadow on a topography that is in itself so unearthly, combined to create a space where one could not but meditate on the silences that punctuate one's life. Yes, each image, imbued with an air of spiritual rootedness and ancient wisdom, appeared to hold a secret waiting to be discovered. The good news was that the photographs were available in limited editions of eight prints each.
• The Oberoi art camp, curated by Vibhu Kapoor of Gallery Beyond, was a resounding success, largely due to the lively interaction between senior artists like S.G. Vasudev, Jayakumar and Brinda Miller and promising young talents like Rajan Krishnan, Sanjaykumar Yamgar, Pritam Bhatty and Minal Damani.
• Colours Of Life, in aid of children afflicted by cancer, was presented by the Cancer Patients Aid Association at Cymroza Art Gallery. Paintings produced by 26 women artists at the art camp Women for Women - Healing Brushstrokes along with contributions from 50 other eminent artists were part of the show.
• Stylefile, a popular lifestyle show organised by Preeti Goenka and Sumedha Sarogi of Kolkata at the Hilton Towers, Mumbai, will showcase home accessories and objets d'art created by artists like Paresh Maity, Bose Krishnamachari, Rini Dhumal and Yuriko Lochan on September 29 and 30.
• Derek Monteiro's playful imagery of faces created out of material like sweet wrappings has given way to Vishnu Sonavane's series of unusual figurative work that displays his abstract leanings - at Artquest until September 22.
• The JW Marriott Art Camp, organised by Kahini Arte-Merchant, will be remembered for the exciting work of artists like Anant Joshi, Brinda Miller, Kanchan Chander, Rini Dhumal and Subodh Kerkar.
• Arzan Khambatta will be showing his metal once again when the large sculptures he has been working on make their public appearance at Gallery Art & Soul in October.