Why do we need a biennial? I have often asked myself this question. Before COVID-19, I visited many places with international cultural events. During lockdown, I co-organized an artist residency program to reflect on the impact, threats and opportunities of COVID-19 for cultural workers. Everything went differently than expected. Now everyone is trying to get back to normal. Have we thoughtlessly spent trillions of euros and dollars to maintain a system that desperately needs a change?
The works of Amitabh Sengupta show a broad spectrum of styles and reflect the challenges faced by Indian artists in the 20th century. A major exhibition of his work is currently on display at the Kalakendra Art Gallery. Find out more about his influences and his significance for the Indian art scene.
The CADALfest took place from December 16th to 20th, 2022, in Adishakti. I hadn't planned on going, but I was thoroughly surprised by the four days of round-table discussions, poetry and film screenings, concerts, and theatrical performances by a fascinating group of artists, activists, and academics. I picked out a little something and on Saturday, attended the „Adivasi Round Table discussion with Vandna Tete, Ganga Sahay Meena, Seral Murmu & Ashwini Kumar Pankaj, moderated by Gopika Jadeja“ followed by the…
Yesterday, I followed something in my mind that is difficult to describe. In everyday language, I might say I followed my intuition. But it's a bit more complex. I went back to Tiruvannamalai. It was the last day of the Karthigai Deepam Brahmotsavam Festival. So, on December 6, 2022, a fire was created on that mountain, as has been done for 2500 years. There is, of course, an ancient story about this. Brahman, the universal Self, manifested itself as Brahma (the creator), Vishnu...
They were four magical days. The Auroville Film Institute organized a residency with Ustad Bahauddin Dagar from November 7th to 10th, 2022. It took place in the Bhumika Hall, Bharat Nivas Auroville. Dhrupad – The Film (1983). Ustad Bahauddin Dagar is a Rudraveena player. His family has been playing the instrument for 20 generations! His father and uncle (Zia Mohiyuddin Dagar and Fariduddin Dagar) were true masters. There is also the wonderful film Dhrupad by the Indian director Mani Kaul. Mani Kaul…
I recently met a young Indian man here. He's from Delhi, and for him, South India is also a foreign world, though not as foreign as it is to me. He doesn't speak Tamil, and he's also a bit more detached or enlightened in his spirituality, as one might say. I ran into him again on the street, and we went to the Thamarai afternoon school on the outskirts of Auroville, which offers an afternoon program in a village that holds many social tensions within it...
Today I visited a place for village children with special needs (Deepam). Someone from the guesthouse here had invited me to accompany them. It was a kind of ceremony as part of Navarathri in honor of the goddess Saraswathi – she represents education, prosperity, and success. In India today, the items needed for work were cleaned and consecrated as a form of thanks. Gifts were brought to them and songs were sung. At the therapy center, these included figurines, books…
I've always resisted the word meditation. Much about it seemed suspect to me. At the same time, I've always practiced my own forms of meditation without calling them that, or without having learned them. For me, meditation includes: a.) contemplation, i.e., sinking into a thought and consciously tracing thought impulses on a topic, circling around it until the mental image becomes clearer and appears before the inner eye. b.) focusing on…
German 
English 
French