FRAMES-2020: People Who Made It Possible
Frames’ is an initiative to bring together professional photographers from all over the world onto a single platform and thus create an opportunity for artists living in the valley to showcase their work alongside with best known professionals of their field. First of its kind this exhibition which is being organized by Gayoor Art Foundation’ received great admiration from artists and art lovers for creating a space to exhibit and appreciate art. One of the organizers of the event and the founder and director of ‘Gayoor Art Foundation’ Naushad Gayoor’ recalls the initial steps taken to bring forth such an incredible event showcasing more than 350 works. In a statement he had said that in 2015-16 he along with few young photographers thought to showcase their works to make people enjoy the aesthetic essence of this form of art, as well as to develop interest in the masses and students in particular about this subject. Since then as he said, “ we came up with many solo and group shows under name ‘FRAMES’.”
Adding that “As a practicing photographer and a teacher of this subject, it was always my dream to celebrate 19th August, which is “WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY DAY” and is celebrated all over the world by organizing photography exhibitions, seminars, workshops, talks and more. This came true in 2017 when the same day we celebrated World Photography Day with a historical photography exhibition in two phases first at Islamic Cultural Centre, Nowhatta’ and then at convocation complex in University of Kashmir. The exhibition got an overwhelming response by the art lovers and general public as well.”
As we are going through a pandemic and whole universe is put at halt, Naushad said that organizing an event in such circumstances was not feasible as far as the well being of the participants and visitors is concerned.” But we were led by enthusiasm and we searched for possibilities that we can get hold of to organize our event. And as life says“LET’S MOVE ON”, with this tag line we in collaboration with Soch-Open Stodio Bangalore planned to go for an Online Global Photography Exhibition on 19th August and same was thrown open to public as an Inaugural show of our Online Art Gallery”.
People Who Made It Possible:
Naushad Gayoor (Curator)
As Dr. Waseem Mushtaq Visual Artist and Associate Professor has written about him. Naushad Gayoor is one of the prolific and popular contemporary artists from Kashmir. He has done his bachelors from IMFA(Institute of Music and Fine Arts), Srinagar and masters in applied art from the prestigious College of Art, Delhi. He is a winner of many national and state awards, he received JuniorFellowships by Ministry of HRD, Department of Tourism and Culture, government of India, and NationalScholarships by Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi and has held numerous exhibitions, workshops as well as art camps across India.
Being a son of a renowned artist and academician, Gayoor Hassan, he never ceases to aspire to be like him. The legacy of his father remains to be a great source of inspiration and energy to think and act as an artist even in the most hostile conditions in the Valley. Naushad is a powerhouse of energy when it comes to art – be it as an artist, art teacher,organizer or curator. Right from his graduation days at IMFA, Srinagar, he has been in the forefront to commit himself for the cause of art and culture. He was the founder member of CAF, a non-profit artists’ commune, to promote art awareness in the Valley during the most violent years of insurgency in the late 1990s.
Since the death of his father in 2013 his restlessness to devote his time for the art promotion has only increased. Recently in 2019 and 2020, as the director of Gayoor Art Foundation, the two successive art exhibitions, Innovative Vibes-I and Innovative Vibes- II, which he launched outside the state, have been a great success. At present he is teaching, working and living in Kashmir.
Jeetin Rangher (Curator)
Jeetin Rangher is a multidisciplinary artist based in Bangalore, India. With an education in painting and design, his interest in the Arts is nurtured by his sensitivity to his surroundings of both the natural and social environment. He initiated the Green World Art Festival in November 2010 which continued in 2011, 2012. He has been working with different communities in conflict zones in Kashmir, India.
Healing Hands- Art Intervention In Conflict Zones is his project conducted in Jammu and Kashmir. Through his expressions in the visual arts, Rangher’s main concern over the years has been man’s intervention in the natural world. His performances are responses and critical reflections on our social, cultural, as well as political behavior. The artist has been intensively involved with community art and special needs kids, conducting workshops with them. His recent project, Art Adda was created with the support of a grant from the India Foundation for Arts as a part of Project 560 named after the Bangalore postal code 560. Art Adda was an intervention into found space in the heavily populated and cosmopolitan city of Bangalore.
Through his performances, Rangher takes his body into public spaces to interact with the audience. Rangher says, “My works are more about self-healing, they are about transformation and change through sharing and connecting. They are meant to be raw and subtle, intense and beautiful. I want to shake people by shaking myself. I believe the body is the most nostalgic element, the most vivid, vital, dynamic, powerful and beautiful, one where the past, present and future coexist, where life and death make synthesis, where I can find my fears and hopes, my memories and most importantly my strength, drive and spirit.”
More recently, Rangher has focused on creating site-specific performances that are not planned in advance, but made in response to a location that is selected upon arrival. He has been involved in art activism through his performances and he has been a part of numerous performances as well as other types of festivals, and multidisciplinary arts projects in India and abroad.
