About Us
What is the BulbulArt Project?
The overarching goal of the BulbulArt Project is to promote the work of the artists Kiron Sinha and Gertrude Sinha Hirsch. Within this we aim to:
- Publicise and promote their art;
- Tell their story;
- Share information about them so that people can learn about this important Bengali cultural heritage;
- Identify works of Kiron’s and Gertrude’s from around the world that are not yet recorded in our catalogue of their body of work.
Who is BulbulArt?
BulbulArt is managed by Gertrude’s Australian family – her niece, Verna Blewett and great niece, Lily Hirsch.
Dr Verna Blewett and Dr Lily Hirsch are social researchers based in Adelaide, Australia who have worked as consultants, researchers, and academics. From 2007 to 2011 they spent extensive time in the company of Kiron Sinha and Gertrude Sinha Hirsch undertaking long-form interviews of the couple about their lives and the history and background stories of their works.
They have interviewed over a hundred people with connections to the artists in India, Australia, the USA, UK, and Europe. They have researched the artists’ family papers in private collections and in public archives, and have compiled a Catalogue Raisonné of the artists’ oeuvre, which is listed with the International Federation of Art Research.
What does BulbulArt Do?
We actively promote Kiron and Gertrude’s art. We do this through our Facebook and Instagram social media platforms; by presenting seminars at public forums and for galleries; and by writing publications.
We are building a catalogue of artworks and supporting materials. Our aim is to build a comprehensive record documenting Kiron and Gertrude’s artworks and supporting materials, including personal papers and photographs.
We are searching for artworks that are not recorded in our catalogue. We do not want to purchase them, but we believe it is important to know about them, their history, and to make a record of them in our catalogue so it can be as complete as possible. If you know of any works by Kiron or Gertrude, please contact us.
We research and record stories and history.Through interviews and document analysis, we are actively researching the history of the artworks, and the stories of Kiron, Gertrude, and Bulbul’s lives. If you have a story to share, please contact us.
We produce products inspired by the art of Kiron and Gertrude. For us, producing contemporary interpretations of their work is a way of keeping their art and our heritage alive:
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- We print on fabric and paper with Kiron’s carved woodblocks, just like Gertrude did in the 1950s and 1960s.
- We worked with artist Lei Wen to visualise Kiron’s sculpture garden as it was in Rattan Pally, Santiniketan when they were alive.
We conserve and repair works that are in poor condition. We have organised the conservation and repair of two of Kiron’s large oil paintings, and many works on paper. We are also working to clean and conserve family photographs, and to archivally store these, as well as the personal papers.
Thank you to our Supporters
Throughout this project, BulbulArt has been generously supported by numerous people and organisations – be it through accommodation, information, time, food, ideas. Thank you to…
Within India… Santiniketan: Kala Bhavana, Art History Department; Satyasri Ukil; Samiran Nandy; Subhomoy Roy; Professor R. Shiva Kumar; KS Radakrishnan. Delhi: Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts; Singal Family. Mumbai: Aggarwal Family; Meghani Family; Supratim Pal. Lucknow: Lalit Kala Akademi, UP; University of Lucknow’s College of Arts and Crafts. Chandigarh: Government Museum & Art Gallery; Panjab University Art History Department. Chennai: Women’s Christian College. Kerela: Sarita Deepak. Naggar: Himalayan Brothers Adventure; International Roerich Memorial Trust; Bhardwaj Family. Guwahati: Asudev Art Foundation. Indore: Dassani Family
Outside India… Australia: Artlab Australia; Aussie Broadband; Paintlei; History Trust of South Australia. Brazil: Metamorfose 9. UK: Professor Jeanne Openshaw. Germany: Professor Martin Kampchen