So there is an interesting art historical trajectory here. TO READ THE FULL STORY, SUBSCRIBE NOW NOW AT JUST RS 249 A MONTH. 1998-2022 Diligent Media Corporation Limited, All Rights Reserved. Last year, it introduced a regular feature, Video Art, and earlier this year, Mehta introduced Movies at the Museum, which features screenings and informal interactions with filmmakers. "In India, we are lagging on this because there is no pressure to perform and therefore there is a laidback attitude. Tasneem Zakaria Mehta. Since 2003, Mrs. Mehta is the Managing Trustee and Honorary . But Mehtas fierce love for the modern and contemporaryshes entirely responsible for transforming the fusty Bhau Daji Lad Museum into a dynamic showcase for Indian art todayfinds expression on every wall in her home. The elder, Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, is an art historian and writer, living in Mumbai. Museums in the 19th century were established as cabinets of curiosities displaying objects with the intention of encouraging good taste and public education via labels. Reported By:| Edited By: Ornella D'Souza |Source: DNA |Updated: Dec 05, 2017, 02:02 PM IST. History repeats itself in different ways and by looking at the past we can perhaps reflect and understand the present better. Curators on what makes them pick some artworks over others; and the intersection of art with time "We have fights about that. The paradigm that I want to bring in here is that the state has a role and some say, but more or less we get to function as an autonomous body. Before youve taken two steps in, youve probably got grubby fingerprints on a Gulammohammed Sheikh; walked into an antique spindle table with about 5,000 pieces of handcrafted brass; and sat on an exquisite mirror-work cushion salvaged from gatthriwalis (travelling fabric saleswomen). Another big exhibition is titled 'Kindred Nations', which is about a relationship between India and America that goes back to the 17th century. No matter how old he got, his brain never aged. Is healing and redemption possible? Politics Joe Biden Congress Extremism Elections 2022. That is ridiculous. Thirty-year-old Kadam feels his work here will better prepare him for a doctorate on the city overseas, a life's goal which materialised courtesy Ms Mehta. Her political background also comes into play in her role as a curator. The wings are supposed to symbolise the 'potential of dreams for each individual and the potential for the mind to take flight when it encounters the treasures within the Museum'. The book starts with the making of Bombay through maps, sketches and memorials. The positions of the curator of the Museum and the director of Sir JJ School of Art were held by the same person for over 100 years. A bout of wrestling underway as part of 'Games People Play', an exhibition by the artist duo Thukral & Tagra. He always had people visiting and would always tell stories of his days as Foreign Secretary.FAVOURITE GADGETS: I only really use my iPhone and my laptop. Salesmanship is what she picked up on her first job a three-year stint at Bloomingdales, New York. However, Mumbai's only city museum to win the UNESCO 2005 Asia Pacific Award of Excellence, one of her many accolades, is evidence that the 62-year-old gets things done. She is also a Senior Student Ambassador at the Wellesley Center of Women. Tasneem Zakaria Mehta has a deep and abiding passion for textiles, visible here in the Shyam Ahuja fabric on the sofa on the right. "Having a high standard of excellence can be challenging for others. She squeezes in a little more than an hour to talk about her curatorial style, about her life at the Museum, and her plans for it over the second half of the year. During the independence movement, there was a focus on classical culture and this diluted the focus on the city So yes, I am redefining the museums association with the city by bringing back the focus on urban contemporary culture through innovative exhibitions. Being a good curator also requires a lot of looking around to train the visual eye, she says. "My children tell me I'm Jurassic with technology!". It was very much a museum to showcase Bombay current day Mumbai. "As a curator, you should be able to say why a work of art is good or bad. "Tasneem has assigned so much relevance and credibility to the museum that the best artists have lined up to show their work at BDL," says Jyotindra Jain, Indian art and culture historian and museologist. "I wore a six-pocket, three-fourth pair of shorts on my first day and got an earful," says Pawar. omar zakaria son of fareedwvu mechanical engineering research. I think thats the main reason she inspires me she has never sacrificed her passion for anyone or anything and has become so successful following it. PASSIONS/INTERESTS: Ive always wanted to study law. While Zakaria hasnt reacted to the jab, his sister, Tasneem Mehta felt it seemed Coulter hadnt watched Zakarias program. "Today, I see her as a sedate Lady of the Arts, speaking elegantly about her passion museums. When she set out to refurbish the BDL plaza and its two cottages for the Guggenheim show in 2012, the civic administration didn't approve. Mehta invited the then-municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar for a personal tour, and put forth her suggestion. Unlimited access to Mid-Day Gold; Exclusive and in-depth stories; Premium stories from Sunday Mid-Day; Best Value Deal! At dusk, all the fishing boats dock here; and its almost like Diwali, says Mehta. With piles of books scattered everywhere, the large office of art historian Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, managing trustee and honorary director of Mumbai's Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, looks eloquently cluttered. In spite of the six-months' notice issued to her, Mehta does not seem worried at all. . Tallur, among others,to respond to the collection, to the history and archives, addressing issues that speak directly to the traditions and tensions that underlie the founding of the museum, yet invoke the present by challenging orthodoxies and questioning assumptions. Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app. So, the museum curator in the early 20th century decided to focus on the city through its people represented by these miniature sculptures. Now I realise that managing a retail store and managing a museum have great similarities, because in both, you are dealing with the public, inventory, events, display, customers, footfalls, targets how you manage people on the floor. Before coming to Wellesley, Ahilya studied at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai. Even if she invites controversies, of which there've been no dearth. Persistence is second nature to Mehta. Eminem apologizes to Rihanna in his lat Eminem apologizes to Rihanna in his latest song for siding with Chris Brown who assaulted her; says "I'm sorry, Ri". Tasneem Zakaria Mehta has been deeply engaged with art and culture, especially of India, since she graduated from the Sir J.J. School of Art many years back. Though, in the end, the Municipal Corporation bore 50 per cent of the cost as the building was stuck due to lack of funds. Navigating the spacious sea-facing apartment of Tasneem Zakaria Mehta the managing trustee of the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museumis a bit of an adventure sport, especially if youre a klutz like me. The show draws from the Museum's collection of ancient and traditional games and explores the idea of 'play' from different perspectives. She admits she can do with reserves of patience. Tasneem Mehta is an art historian, writer, curator, designer and museum expert. The College is committed to providing equal access and opportunity in employment and education to all employees and students. Tasneem Zakaria Mehta 5.00 2 ratings2 reviews Museum objects are time machines. There is a lot of history being effaced, rewritten and re-contextualised, and the interpretation is not supported by fact or research. EXHIBITION Now available online! The interaction also depends on the artists, as some are very protective of their work and ideas, and others, mostly the younger ones, often need some guidance. In order to access website you need to accept our cookie policy. They called them modellers. Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, Honorary Director of Mumbais Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum and Vice-Chairperson of the Indian National Trust for Art and. The largest singular event for nonprofit art curators across all fields, types of organizations, and geographic locations. Are museums always about the past or can you curate things of the present already receding into the past? Invalid email. [4], In 1963, Zakaria began her career in journalism as a children's columnist in The Illustrated Weekly of India and worked as Khushwant Singh's assistant editor. Mehta roped in contemporary artists such as Jitish and Reena Kallat, Atul Dodiya, Thukral and Tagra, Valay Shende, etc to showcase their works alongside museum exhibits, a trend that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralaya has since emulated. While Zakaria hasn't reacted to the jab, his sister, Tasneem Mehta felt it seemed Coulter hadn't watched Zakaria's program. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment, 1947: Madras Devadasis (Prevention of Dedication) Act passed, New BBC documentary puts Narendra Modi back in the dock, How Pathaan gives secular credentials of Bollywood a new boost of life, Beyond limits: On the Supreme Court order upholding J&K Delimitation Commission, IOC contradicts Adani over terms of port use agreement for LPG imports, Google India sacks 453 people from various operations, Barcelona 2-2 Man United highlights Europa League play-offs: No separating both the sides after a thrilling first-leg. "Our uniforms were not ready, but I was expected to dress formal. "The New York Tasneem was more bohemian," reveals De. Skip to Main Content. What you get on Business Standard Premium? She's done a good job, but BDL is not her private property," fumes corporator and MNS members Sandeep Deshpande. BDL completed 150 years in 2022, and to celebrate that we did some in-depth research on our collections and brought out a book Mumbai: A City Through Objects 101 Stories from the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum that was co-published with Harper Collins and authored and edited by me. [5] She joined The Times of India in 1970 and rose through the ranks to become Sunday edition editor. The c onference will be guided by the theme of "Empowerment", with . Museums are not only repositories of the past but an excellent environment for experimental, interdisciplinary learning. The models [of professions, ethnicities and religions] had become very popular at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and subsequent showings. Siblings: Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, Arshad Zakaria Height: 1.68 m (5 feet 6 inches) Profession: Journalist, writer, political commentator Marital status: Divorced Ethnicity: Indian Education: Cathedral and John Connon School, Yale University, Harvard University Early life "I'm trying to take everyone along, convincing them that this vision benefits everybody, including the BMC corporators." Ive always believed that honesty and respect are very closely linked. YOUR HEROES IN REAL LIFE: My real life hero is my dada, Jagat Singh Mehta. I miss the 'other' Tasneem, though I do catch a few glimpses in her rare, unguarded moments. Located at the entrance of the Museum, the office has large vinyl boards of its expansion plans resting on one of its walls. You can see the light constantly changing. This brought her to an interesting conundrum, says Tasneem Zakaria Mehta. Tasneem Zakaria Mehta is the honorary director of the museum and has a Board of Management and Trustees that include the mayor and the municipal commissioner of Mumbai. 1 Marriage 3 Children. We focus on how great we were in the past, but what about today? She is glad that her two major passions--writing and art--coalesce at the Museum. And that has been the case up till now." BDL has also hosted several online and in-person sessions on climate change, waste management, land ecosystem, ozone depletion, and so on, which have received an overwhelming response from schools and NGOs. With degrees from Delhi University in English Literature, Sir JJ School of Art in Textile Design, Christie's in London in Modern and Contemporary Art, and New York's Columbia University in Liberal Arts, among others, Mehta has been deeply immersed in her love for both art and writing throughout her life. View cookie policy. Her status makes Desphande appear stuck in a time warp, older than some of the museum exhibits. She also served as the editor of the Taj magazine of the Taj Hotels. The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai is pleased to host a solo exhibition by artist Praneet Soi from May 15 to July 25.Titled Notes on Labour and curated by Tasneem Zakaria Mehta and assisted by Himanshu Kadam.This exhibition is a continuation of the Museum's exhibition series "Engaging Traditions," which invites contemporary artists to work with the Museum's . Mehta is past chair of the Task Force for Culture and Museums for the Confederation of Indian Industries. Whats their significance? Mumbai News Live Updates: Congress Ravindra Dhangekar wins battle of prestige in Kasba; BJPs Ashwini Jagtap ahead in Chinchwad, BJP in talks to form govts in all 3 NE states, says development agenda beat Opp anti-minority claims against it, Extremely Compromised (EC) can become Extremely Competent (EC): Oppn reacts to SC CEC ruling, Year before polls, Odisha to start backward classes survey, sets July 12 deadline, https://images.indianexpress.com/2020/08/1x1.png, Our best subscription plan now has a special price, MHADA razes illegal structures freeing up nearly 9 acres of land in Mumbai. When it comes to curation, I feel there is a big lacuna in India. A dedicated sculptor from Lucknow, Shiv Prasad Balsing, produced these models in Bombay. She has studied fine art, textile design, art history, literatureand political philosophy. The house, too, feels like a throwback to a lost era. Those days gave me a clear sense of national pride.". Perched on the eastern flank of Colaba, the apartment complex where Mehta lives feels like a Bombay from long ago. Each artist explored a different theme such as alienation, pollution, destruction of biodiversity, unnatural divisions, mutations and distortions, the politics of water and waste and the destruction of landscapes and rivers. May 6-9, 2023. www.artcurators.org. Museums are not only repositories of the past but an excellent environment for experimental, interdisciplinary learning. In her curation process, Mehta feels that research is the most crucial element. To the left, Sagar Upvan (popularly known as the BPT garden) extends a green limb into the seacutting off the line of sight to noisy, busy Gateway of India. (Tasneem Zakaria Mehta is vice-chairman, INTACH, and managing trustee and honorary director of Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum) FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook Twitter Instagram KOO APP YOUTUBE end of article "Most museums in India ignore the contemporary," she says, "It's a two-pronged approach for us, as we are showcasing the contemporary talent of India; and through that, the artists are able to do more." "I interact with them quite closely. She looks highly composed, a far cry from someone who has been through a storm, even as she mentions an upcoming trip to the Himalayas where she would be completely inaccessible. rights reserved, India's Q3 GDP numbers: Testing growth guardrails, L'affaire Adani and the colonial mindset in our approach to governance, Adani-owned ports may use their pricing power. The public-private partnership was formed in 2003, when the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation and the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) got together to manage the Museum. And any scrutiny will prove our credentials and our integrity. "We want to make a difference in how the public feels about, views and engages with these artworks. But here we have to raise funds ourselves and funders will always ask how many people visit the museum."