THE ARTIST: Rajan Krishnan
His background: Born in 1967 in Kerala. After his B.A. in Economics, he did his B.F.A. (Painting) at the College of Fine Arts, Thiruvananthapuram, and then his M.F.A. at the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University of Baroda. He lives and works in Kerala.
His concerns: The fields and villages of his youth play the protagonist in most of his works as he records the dramatic changes wrought by development and urbanism.
The exhibition: Ore/Substances of Earth
The concept: A multimedia installation of large and small-scale paintings, metal and terracotta constructions and a DVD. Together, this personal reflection on tragedy and resilience modifies the way we experience a space and remind us of our universal past.
The highlight: Ore, a terracotta construction set like a hill about ten feet tall, composed of thousands of handmade terracotta figurines; each one functioning as an atom/molecule that is a maximum of four inches in height. Made by artists, friends, art students, laymen artists, children, local working women and men, this work is a spontaneous, constructive and creative response to earth/mud/clay through a collective and interactive process.
The venue: Bodhi Space, Wadi Bunder, Mumbai
The dates: January 19 to February 9.

THE ARTIST: TV Santosh
His background: Born in 1968 in Kerala. After doing his B.F.A. in Sculpture at Kalabhavan, Santiniketan, he did his Masters in sculpture at the MS University of Baroda. In 2000, he moved to Mumbai where he now lives and works.
His concerns: The persistent and ominous presence of violence and injustice throughout history disturbs the artist, and his work confronts the subjects of war and terrorism as well as its relationship to the eco-political and environmental struggles we face.
The exhibition: Countdown
The concept: Sculptural installations done in mixed media, based on the notion that the world is going to end, whether due to terrorism or global warming. Through his use of timer devices, a cluster of bones and paintings depicting images of terror drawn from reality, the artist represents the fear psychosis sweeping across continents today.
The highlight: Houndingdown, a sculptural installation of fiberglass sniffer dogs, metal and LED panels, which recalls images of bomb squads hunting down terrorists; and Bone Prayer, a cluster of fiberglass bones on a Last Supper-like table attached to a timer device, which signifies the prophecy of a terrible future or an imminent catastrophe.
The venue: Nature Morte, Delhi; preview at The Guild, Mumbai
The dates: January 24 to February 16.

GENERAL SWEETIE
(Polly, Revolution, South, Cookie) (January 11 - February 22, at Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Mumbai).
Known for his paintings as well as his sculptures, installations and performances, the German artist draws inspiration from varied sources like Christianity, medieval chivalry, occult traditions, German art history, the Third Reich, sexual fetishes, pop culture and the consumer age.

NAVJYOT ALTAF
BOMBAY SHOTS (January 14 – February 3 at The Guild, Mumbai.)
An interactive project, wherein the artist and her team spoke to a cross-section of people living and working in Mumbai to understand their relationship with the city and the ‘sites’ they wish to visit, remember and would like to be photographed with.

TALVIN SINGH
EVERYONE IS A CAMERA (January 14 – 21 at Bombay Art Gallery, Mumbai.)
The accomplished tabla player, electronic musician, music theorist, record producer and DJ, best known as the father of modern Asian electronica music, will be presented in the unusual avatar of an art photographer by artist-curator Bose Krishnamachari to launch the new space of Aditya Ruia’s Bombay Art Gallery at Kamal Mansion, Colaba.

GROUP SHOW
RETRIEVAL SYSTEMS (January 30 – February 10 at Art Alive Gallery, Delhi)
The title refers to “the archives of memory and reference that sustain the contemporary artistic imagination: whether it is data flows from the Net,mythology from various cultures, or the repertoires of art history”, discloses curator Ranjit Hoskote, adding that the artists Baiju Parthan (Mumbai), Iranna G R (Delhi) and Theodore Mariano Mesquita (Panjim) haveeach demonstrated their vital concern with such retrieval systems.

RAMESH KALKUR
THE GREAT INDIAN SHOW (January 7 to 19 at Pundole, Mumbai)
The Bangalore-based artist explores the timeless form of the torso by juxtaposing various objects against it. The paintings raise disturbing questions about how the body dominates our lives, and encourage us to wonder whether we truly own one of our most intimate possessions – our own bodies.

JENNY BHATT
MOKSHA SHOTS! (January 7 to 13 at Museum Gallery, Mumbai)
Psychedelic visions which draw inspiration from Trance and Tantra, Rave and Electronic Music, theories from Particle Physics and Vedanta. Using acrylic and glitter paint on paper and canvas, Bhatt creates sensual images that are colourful and fluid.

GROUP SHOW
SYNCHROME FOUR (January 14 – 30 at Tao Art Gallery, Mumbai)
Paintings, photographs and sculptures of senior artists like Somnath Hore and Paritosh Sen, younger artists like Indrapramit Roy and Uday Mondal, besides international artists like Alex Stenghal and Peter Bjork, presented by Kolkata-based Akar Prakar.