Repton School

Repton School in association with thejamjar held the first exhibition, Anchored Ocean by Subodh Kerkar at “The Arch” art gallery.

Repton School Dubai officially opened its art gallery “The Arch” with the exhibition “Anchored Ocean” by acclaimed artist Subodh Kerkar. The exhibition held in association with thejamjar Dubai, delighted and inspired the audience at the event.

The exhibition featured fourteen sculptures and a collection of drawings and paintings that were selected to highlight the cross discipline nature of the artist’s work, ranging from acrylic paintings to charcoal, pastel and pen and ink drawings.

In his continuing tribute to the sea, Kerkar explores the concepts of his installations through drawings, paintings and sculpture. Commenting on his sculptures Kerkar explains that his inspiration comes from his fascination for the sea and life around it. “The life of people on the coast is anchored to the ocean and the ocean in turn is firmly anchored in their psyche. The breaking waves offer a perpetual caress to their lives. My sculptures celebrate this ‘oneness’ of the man and the ocean.”

A recurring subject of Kerkar’s artworks is the traditional fishing boat and its relationship with the fishermen and the sea, from the carpenters’ hands that built the boat to the impressions of fishermen’s bodies on the boat’s surface. Kerkar’s fascination with light is ever present throughout his drawings and paintings capturing the essence of moon light or the blazon sunrise.

In addition to the exhibition, gifted and talented students from years 5 to 10 will be participating in artist workshops lead by Subodh Kerkar, creating a dialogue between the students at Repton School and the works on show in the exhibition. As a specialist of installation land art, Kerkar will introduce the students to techniques and concepts for outdoor public art using the natural environment. These workshops will culminate in two land art installations which will be created on the lawns at the entrance to the school and will last for approximately 3 months.

Repton is the first school to open a dedicated space for art in the UAE as well as the first school to invite a UAE Gallery to host an exhibition in their venue. This will be the first of many exhibitions held at The Arch. Repton boasts specialised facilities encompassing every discipline within the arts and the broadest range of teaching expertise. All of the art teachers at Repton School are practicing artists and will be exhibiting their work at The Arch in the coming months.

ANCHORED OCEAN is presented in association with thejamjar -www.thejamjardubai.com

thejamjar exhibits contemporary art from emerging local and international artists. Through its curatorial and cultural exchange program it brings to the forefront cutting edge art practices to the UAE. As an arts organization with a year round exhibition and events calendar, thejamjar prides itself on its link to the community, making art accessible to all.

An exhibition of photographs by Subodh Kerkar will be on display at thejamjar from 30 April – 6 June 2009.

Subodh Kerkar presents his latest body of work in his second solo exhibition in Dubai. Through installations on the beaches of Goa he captures ephemeral poems using shells, sand, light, and boats, which he then photographs, freezing them in print. Using the fishermen themselves, he explores their lives and their relationship with the sea, as a celebration of the unity of man and the ocean.

The ocean is their life itself. For the fisherman, the waves do not simply rise and fall ….. For him, the ocean breathes. The ocean is the very breath of his life!” – Subodh Kerkar