It is with heavy hearts that we begin our September issue, as this month we have lost another great Indian Master; Krishna Reddy. A household name amongst artists, this legendary artist, throughout his career succeeded in presenting the extending concerns of modernism while developing a new language, leading to the heights of the post-colonial Indian Art Scene. His legacy lives on in our contemporary times. Because of the path carved by artists such as K. Reddy, we see a continuation of this notion of change, as the nation continues to carve its mark into the global art scenario.
We also present another installment of Vikas Harish’s series of essays, in association with the Naithani Foundation. This month’s essay ‘Oral Histories to Material Culture; The Making of Autochthonous Art, Origin of Shame and Sorrow’ takes us through the very nature of visual storytelling within our Indigenous Art forms, and how tales from the epics and scriptures were brought into the domain of day to day life through art. It is widely acknowledged that our rich history of storytelling also extends into the three dimensional, in the form of temple architecture. From state to state, region to region, we see marked changes in architectural form and art, and different variants of story and myth. Contemporary photographer Sanjay Das has recently captured the beauty of the Terracotta Monuments of Bengal through the photographic lens – reviving the image of these often hidden gems.
We see craftsmanship and artistic sensibility across the spectrum of life – from grand temple exteriors to the most simple of household items. The exhibition ‘Pankha’ which was recently on display at IGNCA highlighted just that. This display of the collection of renowned artist Jatin Das featured hand fans obtained over the period of decades, celebrating the beauty and craftsmanship which has gone into these often overlooked items. Upasana Bhattacharya reviews the exhibition, and gives a detailed account of the experience.
It’s refreshing to see our traditional craft methods being reapplied and reworked in the contemporary scene, with artists such as Renuka Rajiv whose recent solo show at KHOJ, while delving into the question of identity and personal psychological space, showcased a number of textile works featuring the familiar running stitch of Kantha textile. Mohit Kant Mishra interviews the artist to discover more about her process. And our London based correspondent Rajesh Punj interviews one of the rising stars in the global scene, Matthew Ronay, whose career has been heading skyward since his first major exhibit in 2016.
The two exhibitions we report on in this issue represent two of the growing focal points in the art scenario today; identity politics within art, and a criticism and break from the existing structure of the art world as we know it. Mansi Dhiman Mandhwani reviews recent Delhi exhibit ‘ME WE’ curated by Myna Mukherjee, reflecting the Queer communities growing voice in the contemporary political and art scenes. And Indira Lakshmi Prasad reviews PIDGIN: A Visual Interplay, the collaborative exhibition orchestrated by a group of emerging artists. Rahul Bhattacharya contributes a much needed insight into the development and nature of curation as we know it in India.
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Happy Reading Siddhartha Tagore.