From an ensemble of prominent names pondering on the theme of being alone together to a young group showcasing their work after winning an open call, there is something for everyone
The onset of the festive season means that there are more reasons to step out. With art galleries across India making up for the lack of physical shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was never better time than now to stop at your nearest gallery to appreciate art in all its glory.
While art lovers in New Delhi were just treated to two weeks of collaborative art experiences, the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Saket opened a stunning exhibition of prominent print-maker Anupam Sud’s works spanning her illustrious career of five decades. Meanwhile, Mumbai’s Chemould Prescott Road currently has an ensemble exhibit featuring their entire roster of artists that sees works by names such as Anju and Atul Dodiya and Jitish Kallat explore the meaning of being “together, alone”. Kolkata’s Emami Art will be showcasing a solo of Probir Gupta’s works that are a reflection of our volatile times, hoping to hold a mirror to the world. But if exploring art from emerging artists is more your jam, then there is Method Bandra’s solo exhibit by Shaina Nikam asking the very pertinent question of why everything has to make sense. In a similar vein, Emami Art is hosting another exhibition for 10 young artists who were adjudged the best through an open call. Here is what to expect from our pick of five exhibitions you can check out this month:
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Modus Operandi III: Together Alone
A continuation of the gallery’s endeavour to display artists on its roster in one exhibition, this iteration focuses on being “together, alone”. With names such as Anju and Atul Dodiya, Dhruvi Acharya, Gigi Scaria, Jitish Kallat and Rashid Rana, the exhibition looks at uniting the artists in a way that even if the pandemic is not a central theme, the works are from a time when the artists were together, alone. Moreover, the works are displayed in a manner where they engage with the varied themes of each other’s practices and have conversations with each other, further highlighting the theme of this ensemble exhibit.
Where:@chemouldprescottroad
On till: 10 September
In picture: Man Abandoning Himself, 2022 (watercolour on paper) by Atul Dodiya.
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Room Full of Mirrors: Works by Probir Gupta
With works across mediums, New Delhi-based artist Probir Gupta often explores confrontational themes such as violence, oppression and resistance. His inspirations are manifold–from local riots to the Arab Spring uprising. Room Full of Mirrors at Emami Art, as the name suggests, shows Gupta’s new paintings and installations that seem to hold up a mirror to a world caught in conflict and turmoil. Gupta’s upbringing in Kolkata and his subsequent experiences of living in New Delhi and Paris have shaped his art. While Gupta might not fundamentally make political art, his approach to art comes from how he sees the world, which cannot help but reflect the socio-political overtures of our times.
Where:@emami_art
On till: 20 September
In picture: The Raft in Memory of Gericault and Noah by Probir Gupta.
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Why Does Everything Have to Make Sense by Shaina Nikam
Seldom does everything in the world make absolute sense to everyone. And even if it does, it hardly ever makes sense to everyone in the same manner. So when it was time for “content creator and art history-enthusiast” Shaina Nikam to choose the name for her first solo show, she named it exactly what was born out of the moment of panic when she was expected to come up with it. Exhibiting a collection of 10 works, the young artist hopes to engage with onlookers as they spend time in front of her work and make sense of them, themselves through each of their lived experiences.
Where:@methodbandra
On till: 10 September
In picture: Hug a Felled Tree by Shaina Nikam.
Between Vows & Words by Anupam Sud
Five decades of Anupam Sud’s practice has been spent in an almost meditative pursuit of the elements of light and darkness playing out in her printmaking as she says, “Printmaking can never be totally predictable. It is like a sunrise over a landscape. You know what is about to unfold but never cease to be surprised by the revelation.” Alongside, Sud has also examined human form and its existential predicaments. “She demonstrated the will and fortitude of a young woman silently and slowly subverting the archaic notions of male supremacy and puritan idioms of modernism. Trained by Jagmohan Chopra–founder of printmakers’ collective Group 8 in which Anupam was the youngest member–she quickly developed her own pictorial vocabulary and style,” says curator Roobina Karode on the exhibition that looks back at the vast repertoire of Sud’s practice that is also influenced by her time spent at the Slade School of Fine Art, London.
Where:@knmaindia
On till: 31 October
In picture: Art by Anupam Sud from the exhibition.
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Imaginarium 2.0 by Emami Art
Though Emami Art has a roster of both established and emerging artists, Imaginarium is the gallery’s platform to assimilate young talent from across the country, chosen through an open call. Selected by a jury of eminent names, the 10 artists exhibiting include Ali Akbar PN, Sudhir Ambasana, Puja Mondal, Abhishek Chakraborty, Dhaivat Shah, Gyanwant Yadav, Liactuallee, Priti Roy, Priyaranjan Purkait and Subhankar Chakraborty. Apart from discovering new talent, the exhibition also prioritises the implementation of varied mediums and techniques that keeps the artistic conversation more open-ended and multi-layered. Expect sculptures and photography to fabric manipulation and art that questions identity, all under one roof
Where:@emami_art
On till: 30 September
In picture: Tales of Sonajhuri by one of the participating artists.
VIVIAN SARKY
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