Body of art
In recent times, artists’ own bodies have become their muse, and more and more artists are discovering this new medium to make emphatic statements, writes Nonika Singh
Artist Diwan Manna steps inside — painted and nude — in the frames of his photographic series After the Turmoil. Sonia Khurana’s videos often feature her nude self. Her video, The Bird, has her flapping her arms like wings. Subodh Gupta decides to smear cow-dung over his body and shoot it as a video installation. Video and performance artist Pushpamala N is often the subject of her own compositions. In her ethnographic series of photographs, she enacts the stereotypes of women. Manmeet, better known as Mrs Manmeet, along with her spouse Shantanu Lodh, put up a nude art performance in an alternative space in Delhi.

Parkour craze
The relatively lesser-known physical discipline of French origin, parkour, involves moving from one point to another, efficiently and quickly, using the reflexes and agility of the human body. Films make this urban adventure sport a rage among youngsters, writes Nikhil Agarwal
Hrithik Roshan used it in Krrish, Akshay Kumar used it in Singh is Kinng, and even Bond movie Casino Royale had it. That’s the art of parkour, an urban adventure sport that empowers the nimble action hero to take down the bad guys by leaping from building to building, sliding down handrails, scaling walls effortlessly and dropping down from great heights.