I’ve often come across the inspiring phrase “The earth without art is just eh,” attributed to the brilliant Demetri Martin, while scrolling on Instagram. This powerful statement encapsulates the profound significance of art in our lives. It serves as a transformative tool for education, communication, and healing, fostering connections and breaking down barriers amongst people.
An embodiment of this essence of art is the India Art Fair ’23, a highly anticipated annual event held in Delhi. This prestigious fair featured a convergence of 85 exhibitors, including 71 galleries and 14 institutions, all dedicated to showcasing the finest modern and contemporary art from South Asia.
As art enthusiasts, we, at currentMood, were deeply captivated by several remarkable pieces exhibited at the fair. Here are some of our favourites:
Experimenter, Kolkata: Showcased a range of innovative works by artists Adip Dutta and Julien Segard. Dutta’s new bronze sculpture and drawing challenged the ordinary, as he explored the potential of everyday objects that are often considered dull and unremarkable. Segard, on the other hand, used urban landscapes to convey his message. Through his work titled A Possible Life in the Wasteland of a Megacity, he examined the relics of modern cities such as flyovers, underpasses, and road slivers, transforming them into thought-provoking pieces that are a common feature in any city today.
Gallery Art & Soul, Mumbai: showcased the Object Making Exercises exhibition, featuring a Dual Solo by artists Mayuri Chari and Upendra Ram. Chari’s wall tapestries explored the theme of women’s emancipation, depicting body positivity and inclusivity through embroidery on cloth. According to show curator Prabhakar Kamble, “Chari stiches the conversations she has with her body – its presence in physical space and contemporaneous time. In India’s patriarchal system, the female body is often an arena of discussion, control, criticism and violence.” Upendra Ram’s ceramic sculptures, on the other hand, portrayed his life in the village. His sculptures demanded to know the significance of the space between two arms while making a ceramic object. Kamble added, “Childhood memories inform Ram’s practice. As a toddler he made dolls using clay from the banks of the village pond much to the chagrin of his mother who saw it as a feminine preoccupation.”
Serendipity Arts Foundation, Delhi: Exhibited Food Lab Project: Edible Issues and Akash Muralidharan. The show ‘Cook and See’ raised questions about the absence of several vegetables from our kitchens today. The idea was to encourage the use of underused vegetables with recipes from the Tamil vegetarian cookbook Samaithu Paarasked why several vegetables from Samaithu Paar from the 1950s. The exhibit ‘The Library of Edible Issues’ by Elizabeth Yorke and Anusha Murthy questioned the current food system and its supposedly bleak future.
Gallery Nvya, Delhi: showcased the works of 7 prominent South Asian artists, including Paresh Maity and Senaka Senanayake. Maity’s ‘Mahakali’ stood out with its circular canvas adorned with shimmering glass beads, imploring its viewers to dive deep. “Intuting Ley Lines” was a thought-provoking showcase of the interplay between tradition and modernity, spirit and matter.
Tarq, Mumbai: ‘How to Cook Bombay Duck in Various Ways’ by Parag Tandel, explored the plight lives of the Kolis, a community of fisherfolk, whose way of life is threatened by industrialization and rapid development that encroach their fishing zones. Tandel’s sculpture was a poignant depiction of the seven islands and fish drying racks that make up the Koli’s world. The installation featured a rubber floor representing the sea bed, which visitors were encouraged to walk barefoot, to get a feel of their deeds – destruction of coastal areas.
Mash, Delhi: Artist Ranbir Kaleka presented Breath, an interactive multi-channel video installation that aimed to make the viewer acutely aware of “condition of viewerly reception”. The installation featured the artist’s signature ‘Dream-logic’, where coherent narratives were eschewed in favour of the use of magic realism.
Project 88, Mumbai: Displayed the works of artists Khageshwar Rout, and Rohini Devasher. Devasher’s installation, titled ‘Elseworld’, featured an exploration of the physical properties of soap bubbles – a whimsical and gravity-defying phenomenon that arises when soap and water are combined. In contrast, Rout’s series of sculptures called ‘Organic Anatomy’, delved into the intricate textures of human and non-human skin. Texture is what gives away age, and the artist explores the concept threadbare.