This mid-point of the season, when the intense sun is at its most merciless, is the time
we usually associate with the winding down of the art season – however I’m glad to see that
there are still a wealth of exhibitions, events and happenings occurring even now.
India is renowned for its deep connection with its folk and tribal art. Whereas in many
countries the folk and tribal cultures are but a distant dream of memory, here, our folk
and tribal art remains a living tradition. Yet at times we cease to think about the rich folk
and tribal traditions of other cultures. Currently, The National Gallery of Modern Art is
exhibiting ‘Indigenous Australia’ a remarkable exhibition for which they have collaborated
with The National Gallery of Australia. One of the most heart wrenching piece of modern
history is the strife experienced by the Indigenous/Aboriginal Australian community.
Their history and culture was deliberately and strategically eliminated, almost entirely, by
the British when they arrived on the shores of Australia, and to this day the Aboriginal
Australian community continues to be one of the most marginalized communities in
existence. The works in ‘Indigenous Australia’ tell of the beautiful, nature based, tribal
culture of the Australian Aboriginal people and their traditional art techniques, as well as
hard hitting pieces about their struggle against their oppressors. Indira Lakshmi Prasad
reports on the show which continues until the end of August.
Vikas Harish continues his series ‘Demystifying the Ritual’ with the article ‘Oral
Tradition and Depictive Narration: Rural Stories in Images’ looking at the tradition of
storytelling within the Indian traditional arts. This series aims to educate and break down
barriers when it comes to understanding our folk and tribal art traditions of India. Amit
Mukhopadhyay takes us back to a crucial point in history, the 1968 Paris Uprising against
the French government – which can be seen as a predecessor of global events such as the
Occupy Movement. Amit Mukhopadhyay highlights the role of Atelier Populaire, a group of
artists whose posters were vital in spreading the call to unite French students and workers.
Rajesh Punj, our London correspondent, gives us a detailed insight into the Abu Dhabi
Festival, organized by the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, and is in its fifteenth year
running. The festival was a celebration of music and the unification of different cultures.
In this issue we introduce our ‘Photo story’ section. To start things off, we feature Kolkata
based young emerging concept photographer Arka Patra. He cleverly uses an anachronistic
aesthetic style inspired by classic European paintings to challenge society’s ideals towards
gender roles and sexuality.
Our review segment this issue includes two Mumbai exhibitions covered by Tanishka
D’Lyma; Willam Dalrymple’s photographic exhibition ‘Sharing the Historians Love’ and
‘Wasteland’ a contemporary exhibition curated by Brigid Uccia. Ruchi Sharma also reviews
‘Sands of Time’ a sculptural exhibition at Kalakriti Art Gallery, Hyderabad.
Lastly, Rahul Bhattacharya gives us his insight into the state of India’s contemporary
art scene as it has evolved since the 1990’s, and need to revitalize scene where he proposes
‘Noise’ as a concept metaphor , which seeks to celebrate the stylistic reaction of a post digital
aesthetic.
As always, please write to us with your suggestions, comments and feedback.
Happy Reading.
–
Siddhartha Tagore
