5 art shows that capture the diversity of Indian cultures

Arshia DharPublished on Sep 14, 2023

5 art shows that capture the diversity of Indian cultures

From celebrating modern women trailblazers in Indian art, to upholding folk traditions, this month has something for everyone

From celebrating modern women trailblazers in Indian art, to upholding folk traditions, this month has something for everyone

In the world of art, this month marks a carnival of not just artistic languages, but also mediums, materiality, and identities.

IndiyartPresented by Rooftop, a learning platform for live art workshops and professionally curated art courses, Indiyart is an exhibition of folk and tribal art forms from across the country. The exhibition will feature nine Indian art forms, with 30 master artists partaking in it. This inaugural exhibition by Rooftop is a celebration of the country’s rich cultural landscape, and displays the profundity of the folk arts and tales like Warli, Mata ni Pachedi, Nathdwara of Shrinathji, lores of Pabuji from the West, crafts of the Bhils and the Gonds, Madhubani paintings, and Cheriyal scrolls.Where: Kalamkaar Gallery, Bikaner House, New DelhiWhen: 16-19 September — Indiyart
Presented by Rooftop, a learning platform for live art workshops and professionally curated art courses, Indiyart is an exhibition of folk and tribal art forms from across the country. The exhibition will feature nine Indian art forms, with 30 master artists partaking in it.
This inaugural exhibition by Rooftop is a celebration of the country’s rich cultural landscape, and displays the profundity of the folk arts and tales like Warli, Mata ni Pachedi, Nathdwara of Shrinathji, lores of Pabuji from the West, crafts of the Bhils and the Gonds, Madhubani paintings, and Cheriyal scrolls.
Where: Kalamkaar Gallery, Bikaner House, New Delhi
When: 16-19 September

A Place In the Sun: Women Artists From 20th Century IndiaIndia’s first woman artist, Sunayani Devi, picked up a paintbrush in 1905 when she was thirty. It was while she was supervising kitchen duties that she taught herself how to paint, with her talent even garnering the critical attention of American art historian Stella Kramrisch, who organised an exhibition of her paintings in Germany in 1927. It was in her footsteps that India’s women artists followed, and the likes of Devayani Krishna, Amrita Sher-Gil, Ambika Dhurandhar, B. Prabha, Nasreen Mohamedi and Zarina Hashmi, to name a few, were born.DAG’s exhibition looks at a group of such trailblazers who, in their own individual ways, crafted their distinct artistic identities, thereby contributing to the legacy around the diversity in style, medium, material and context of India’s 20th-century art.Each of these women artists—Devayani Krishna, Zarina Hashmi, Madhvi Parekh, Shobha Broota, Anupam Sud, Gogi Saroj Pal, Latika Katt, Mrinalini Mukherjee, Navjot, Rekha Rodwittiya—whose works are on display at the show, has weathered hardships, fighting prejudice and patriarchy, to establish a well-deserved place in the sun.Where: DAG 2, The Taj Mahal Palace, Colaba, MumbaiWhen: Until 21 October — A Place In the Sun: Women Artists From 20th Century India
India’s first woman artist, Sunayani Devi, picked up a paintbrush in 1905 when she was thirty. It was while she was supervising kitchen duties that she taught herself how to paint, with her talent even garnering the critical attention of American art historian Stella Kramrisch, who organised an exhibition of her paintings in Germany in 1927. It was in her footsteps that India’s women artists followed, and the likes of Devayani Krishna, Amrita Sher-Gil, Ambika Dhurandhar, B. Prabha, Nasreen Mohamedi and Zarina Hashmi, to name a few, were born.
DAG’s exhibition looks at a group of such trailblazers who, in their own individual ways, crafted their distinct artistic identities, thereby contributing to the legacy around the diversity in style, medium, material and context of India’s 20th-century art.
Each of these women artists—Devayani Krishna, Zarina Hashmi, Madhvi Parekh, Shobha Broota, Anupam Sud, Gogi Saroj Pal, Latika Katt, Mrinalini Mukherjee, Navjot, Rekha Rodwittiya—whose works are on display at the show, has weathered hardships, fighting prejudice and patriarchy, to establish a well-deserved place in the sun.
Where: DAG 2, The Taj Mahal Palace, Colaba, Mumbai
When: Until 21 October

If the Seas Catch FireThis is artist’s Sakshi Gupta’s first solo in Mumbai; her practice focuses on the disconnect one experiences with oneself and the discomfort this creates, bringing to the fore the consistent dread of an acute background suffering. The works on display include sculptures made of reclaimed industrial metal, recovered concrete and stoneware, all of which coalesce to build something new.The difficulty in making sense of the human condition is captured visually through different analogies—like someone’s noisy headspace is likened to a large-scale chicken coop, whilst an overwhelmed state of mind is projected onto a ruffled carpet. The crosses between banal inanimate objects and animal-human-plant lives seen in the works arise from a desire to meld these rigid lines and experience the self in a larger context, outside of these boundaries.Where: Experimenter, Colaba, MumbaiWhen: Until 26 October — If the Seas Catch Fire
This is artist’s Sakshi Gupta’s first solo in Mumbai; her practice focuses on the disconnect one experiences with oneself and the discomfort this creates, bringing to the fore the consistent dread of an acute background suffering. The works on display include sculptures made of reclaimed industrial metal, recovered concrete and stoneware, all of which coalesce to build something new.
The difficulty in making sense of the human condition is captured visually through different analogies—like someone’s noisy headspace is likened to a large-scale chicken coop, whilst an overwhelmed state of mind is projected onto a ruffled carpet. The crosses between banal inanimate objects and animal-human-plant lives seen in the works arise from a desire to meld these rigid lines and experience the self in a larger context, outside of these boundaries.
Where: Experimenter, Colaba, Mumbai
When: Until 26 October

The Effection ExperienceEffection, by multidisciplinary artist Hansika Mangwani, invites you to undertake a transformative experience where one rediscovers themselves and their environment through a fusion of sensory stimuli. It aims to act as a mirror to one’s inner landscape. In this exercise, heart rhythms, breathing patterns, and emotions synchronise through meditative cycles of light and sound.Guided by heart rate sensors, The Effection Experience dynamically responds to the rhythms of a person’s heart, transforming them into a sequence of light and accompanying sound. This immersive biofeedback encounter invites you to explore the intricate connections between your heart, breath, and emotions. Incorporating principles of colour psychology and emotional mapping, Effection serves as a reminder of our profound interconnectedness to everything that surrounds us.Where: Method, Kala Ghoda, MumbaiWhen: 23 September - 15 October — The Effection Experience
Effection, by multidisciplinary artist Hansika Mangwani, invites you to undertake a transformative experience where one rediscovers themselves and their environment through a fusion of sensory stimuli. It aims to act as a mirror to one’s inner landscape. In this exercise, heart rhythms, breathing patterns, and emotions synchronise through meditative cycles of light and sound.
Guided by heart rate sensors, The Effection Experience dynamically responds to the rhythms of a person’s heart, transforming them into a sequence of light and accompanying sound. This immersive biofeedback encounter invites you to explore the intricate connections between your heart, breath, and emotions. Incorporating principles of colour psychology and emotional mapping, Effection serves as a reminder of our profound interconnectedness to everything that surrounds us.
Where: Method, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai
When: 23 September - 15 October

Meet Me In the GardenJaipur-based art practice Wolf, by Ritu and Surya Singh, presents Meet Me In the Garden, a show inspired by Rumi's quote: — Meet Me In the Garden
Jaipur-based art practice Wolf, by Ritu and Surya Singh, presents Meet Me In the Garden, a show inspired by Rumi's quote: "Somewhere beyond right and wrong there is a garden, I will meet you there”.
The exhibition is curated by Srila Chatterjee, and showcases a rich tapestry of many materials, secret finds at local shops in and around Rajasthan, objects collected on trips, from kabadiwalas (scrap dealers), flea markets, and from the annals of family storerooms.
The exhibition is laid out like a garden, with each flower made by hand, employing three grades of scrap wire mesh; these flowers are then held together with chicken mesh. Brass binding wire and scrap copper wires from burnt machinery have been used to tie together the works and the flowers.
Where: Sakshi Gallery, Colaba, Mumbai
When: Until 7 October

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