Dear Readers, Awaiting the change of seasons, spring breaks in as we tackle a pandemic as a community. As panic sets in with the coronavirus spreading, for the first time in a while we have hit the pause button on our constant hectic schedules, in these depressing times exhibitions have had to be closed for safety. Recently, a major exhibition by Pooja Iranna took place at the Bikaner House and I had the chance to catch the show this morning. The exhibition, although phenomenal, has unfortunately been put off for now due to safety measures being set in place to slow down the coronavirus.

In this issue, the cover story by Uma Prakash revolves around the ‘Dhaka Art Summit 2020: Seismic Movements’, an international and non-commercial research platform for art and architecture, hosted every two years at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Shaking our perception of the past and the present, to create new opportunities for us to come together and make/ write art history from a fresh perspective, DAS 2020 impelled by intelectual and curatorial benefaction is the epicentre of progressive upheaval of how we absorb art. The Summit is not just an exhibition but rather a movement, focused on igniting one beyond the confines of an art exhibition. It takes us on a journey of planetary movements, geological movements, colonial movements, independence movements, social movements as well as feminist movements.

In the heart of the summit was an immersive installation “New Mutants” by Adrián Villar Rojas, where moroccon marble floor tiles are encrusted with 400 million year old ammonite and orthoceras fossils. Their geographical proximity in the Himalayas highlight the fact that these melting peaks were once under water.

A compelling interview with artist Rinus Van De Velde by Rajesh Punj brings out the brilliance behind his works. We peek into the artist’s mind to gain insights of his artistic process and the philosophy behind his works. Wrangling in a maze of lies, the artist plays with the viewer’s mind making them question the “Truth”.

Preeti Kathuria reviews two parallel exhibitions of legengendary artists Haku Shah and Mahendra Raj, hosted by Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. Haku Shah’s approach pre-dates most contemporary theoretical lenses and fleeting Zeitgeist movements. Exhibiting a variety of works like paintings, terracotta sculptures, textile scrolls, journals, books and periodicals. We find the dramatics of everyday life represented through a rare sensitivity and naturalness in his works.

Apurva Sinha explores the historic lore of “Gyaraspur”, belonging to the era of pratiharas Gyaraspur is located approximately a hundred kilometers North-East of Bhopal where he explores and visualizes the events and happenings of 7th century CE.

We Pray for everyone as we battle through this pandemic and hope for things to go back to normal soon.

Hope you enjoy the read.

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Siddhartha Tagore