Moderns. Works from the Lalit Kala Akademi Collection, New Delhi
Dienstag, 15. Oktober 2013 - 18:30 Uhr
Universitätsgalerie im Heiligenkreuzer Hof
The exhibition titled Moderns represents a cross-section of the Lalit Kala Akademi Collection, New Delhi. This on-site collection located in a public institution, was launched in the fervour of the post-independence era, incorporating some of the most important representatives of the Indian modernist movement.
In contrast to the Euro-American movement, tendencies of Western Modernism in India have been contextualized differently, in which the peculiarities of the individual artist find expression through an involvement in the given socio-political, cultural context. Art historian, critic and curator Geeta Kapur, in her extensive study on Modernism writes, “Modernity is a way of relating the material and cultural worlds in a period of unprecedented change that we call the process of modernization. It is also an ontological quest with its particular forms of reflexivity, its acts of struggle. Modernity takes a precipitate historical form in the postcolonial world, while its praxis produces a cultural dynamic whereby questions of autonomy, identity and authenticity come to the fore. These are desired individually but are sought to be gained in collectivity [...].”
(Geeta Kapur, When was Modernism in Indian Art?, 2007)
The exhibition Moderns mainly presents works from a period roughly spanning three decades (1950s - 1970s), with the emphasis lying on painting and sculpture. Among the artists selected by the curator of the show, Uma Nair, are internationally renowned names like M.F. Hussain (1915 - 2011), Tyeb Mehta (1925 - 2009), G.M. Sheikh (*1937), F.N. Souza (1924 - 2002), K.G. Subramanyam (*1924), or Documenta IX and XII participants Nasreen Mohamedi (1937 - 1990) and Bhupen Khakkar (1934 - 2003). These artists / professors who have had immense socio-political impact in their times, have been eminently influential for artist generations to follow. Other than the approximately 50 artefacts from the Lalit Kala Collection, documentary films and publications related to the topic from the State Archives of India will be shown.
The exhibition is based on the framework of collaboration and agreement of cultural exchange between the institutions University of Applied Arts Vienna and the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi. Rabindra Bhavan another name assigned to Lalit Kala Akademi, is also home to the national academies for literature and for the performing arts. Drawing upon the International Style of mid-twentieth century, Lalit Kala Akademi was built by
the renowned architect Habib Rahman in the 1950’s - 1960’s. The institution was conceptualized to house exhibition halls, libraries, auditoriums, studios and similar facilities for artists and large audiences. In February 2013 the exhibition Artists in Multifunctions (Idea: Rini Tandon, Curator: Peter Weibel) with 22 artists from the teaching staff of the Institute of Visual and Media Arts was realised at the Lalit Kala Akademi in New Delhi. The concepts of each exhibition were defined independently by the visiting institution, just as the production of publications on the shows.
As an initiative of the University of Applied Arts Vienna, a symposium will be held in the exhibition space. It will address international contributions and perspectives on the subject of Modernism, emphasizing exchange and reflection both on artistic and theoretical levels. It will entail a 40 minute contribution by each speaker to be followed by a brief discussion.
Artists in the exhibition
Ram Kinkar Baij, N.S. Bendre, Bikash Bhattacharjee, Rameshwar Broota, Jayasri Burman, Dilip Kumar Das, Bimal Dasgupta, Biren De, Ambadas Gade, V.S. Gaitonde, Balakrishna Guru, Ganesh Haloi, Zarina Hashmi, K.K. Hebbar, Somnath Hore, M.F. Husain, P.V. Janakiram, Sanat Kar, Latika Katt, Bhupen Khakkar, Devjani Krishna, Kanwal Krishna, K.S. Kulkarni, Ram Kumar, Tyeb Mehta, Nasreen Mohmedi, T.R.P. Mookiah, Sailoz Mukherjee, M. Reddapa Naidu, Badri Narayan, K.S. Radhakrishnan, Krishna Reddy, G.R. Santosh, Paritosh Sen, Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, Arpita Singh, F.N. Souza, S.G. Vdiyasagar Sthapathy, K.G. Subramanyan, J. Swaminathan, S.G. Vasudev