The denim uniform and Indian art exhibition revisited

On Everybody Everywear the monthly challenge for September is "back to school". It has been a few years since I left school (the school I'm attending now is an business academy), and we didn't wear a uniform.

Looking back at my childhood, remembering what I wore, I realize that I almost always wore the exact same thing: Jeans, t-shirt, trainers, a denim jacket and a large scarf. That was my "uniform" for years!

Old uniform

This is as close to my old denim outfits as I can get. The jacket is now fitted, the jeans are dark wash and the trainers are black Ecco instead of the white Adidas. Back then the scarf would be a Keffiyeh, inspired by Yasser Arafat. Now it's a piece of Indian cotton fabric.

Old denim jacket from Noa Noa

The jacket is about ten years old, but still a favorite although I haven't worn it much lately. The shape is more like a fitted blazer than a classic denim jacket, which suits my body shape so much better.

Two different denim colours

I wore this jacket so often that I got a bit tired of it. Now that I've had a break, it may be time to pull it out from the closet again. Doesn't it look OK with the dark wash denim?


Now back to the art exhibition! Apart from Manish Arora who I favoured yesterday, there were others, very talented fashion designers with some amazing creations. Here's a few more (remember to click the photos to have them enlarged - the difference is significant):

Amit Aggerwal

Prashant Verma, blue dress - Manish Arora other dress

Little Shilpa

Manish Arora, again!

and again!

The creation by Little Shilpa reminded me of Hans Christian Andersen's tale 'The Emperor's new clothes'... It's a very beautiful creation, but there isn't a lot of it!

If you take a closer look at the blue peacock print dress by Prashant Verma, you'll see my reflection in the semi -transparent screen next to the dress. It took a few photos to get it right as the screens were turning all the time!

The fashion part of the exhibition was absolutely breathtaking! The craftsmanship that was used on these creations was unbelievable! Many pieces were decorated heavily, with lots of blingy parts - beads, sequins, lurex. The colours weren't as "Indian" as I was expecting, maybe more harmonious? Anyway, every single creation was a masterpiece to me!


The rest of the exhibition introduced me to some fantastic artists - I've made collages as above, with the artist's name underneath.


 

Vivan Sundaram

The red dress is made of bras, the other one, old trainers!

Ravinder Reddy

These sculptures really turned heads! The shadows on the floor are very interesting too.

Doshi Levien

The mirrors on the walls are fantastic and the furniture just amazing, to look at! I sat in the yellow chair - it was extremely hard!

Rina Banerjee

Rina Banerjee

I love how the artist combines the strangest materials such as seashells, feathers, dolls' heads, drift wood and much more. These strong colours are very Indian to me.

Atul Dodiya

This is really double paintings. It's two layers, the top is a motorized metal roller shutter that pulls away and reveals a picture painted on canvas, when a button is pressed.

Jitish Kallat

This collage is just brilliant! I saw many visitors having trouble leaving this one - there's so much to look at. I like the way it meets in the corner, very original.

The next picture is an introduction to the installation Escape! Resume/Reset. I took so many photos as there was so many details, and I didn't want to leave any out.

Introduction to Escape Airlines

Click the picture to enlarge - and read!

Thukral & Tagra

View from "the end" of the installation

The lamps were tilted and formed SOS on the wall

Masks and bags like on real airlines, plus matching bags!

The gaming arcade in the lower right corner!

This installation was hard to leave, I just wanted to sit in those gorgeous chairs and watch Indian films. It's hard to imagine the amount of work it has taken to produce everything. There was the incredible paintings on the wall, with flashing lights, the carpet pieces, the upholstery in different, printed Indian cottons, the matching bags, sleep masks, pillows... There was so much to explore, and not enough time!

Finally, the one piece that touched me the most, Subodh Gupta's Terminal!

Subodh Gupta

It's just brass, but it's so beautiful. I've included the introduction from the museum. It's my foot in the lower middle photo!

Introduction to 'Terminal'

 This is without comparison the longest post ever on this blog! However, I loved everything I saw on this exhibition, and wanted to share it. I hope you too have enjoyed the tour !

A last photo of 'Terminal'

Subodh Gupta