Treading their own path

An exhibition of 11 artists in New Delhi showcases the works of men who have all charted virgin paths for themselves, says ALKA PANDE.

THE Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts has opened its doors to Contemporary Art. While one half of the Mati Ghar hosts an exhibition of oleographs "Indian Gods in the Age of Industrial Revolution", the other half will mount the exhibition "Finding the Centre at the Margins".

Set up by the Chennai-based Apparao Galleries, the exhibition is the brainchild of the dynamic art dealer Sharan Apparao who, over the years, has made a niche for herself by representing a particular genre of modern Indian artists both in India and abroad. This time, she has moved away from her usual one-man or group shows .

"Finding the Centre at the Margins" is an exhibitions of paintings by Muralidharan, Rm. Palaniappan, C. Douglas, Ravinder Reddy, Krishnamachari Bose, A. Balasubrahmaniam, Tallur, Ravi Kashi, Iranna, Jitish Kallat and Shibu Natesan. It is a mixed bag of artists who have been put together. There is no particular reason why they should be bunched together. Their artistic oeuvre has no common interplay, they do not even represent a particular generation. But what they do have in common is a sharing of a certain geography. All of them, except the Mumbai-based Jitish Kallat, are from the South.

Kallat is very much part of the Mumbai metaphor that attracts so much attention. Mumbai, with its accent on commerce and verticality, is a part of the global consciousness. And Kallat is a visible metaphor of the zeitgeist of the city in which he lives. But his work - with its heavy accent on visual representation of the urban - does not really fit in. But his inclusion does update the group to the present.

In tune with Kallat are Iranna, whose work has always been clever and trendy, and Krishnamachari Bose, who after a year at Goldsmiths, has also changed. His work is concerned with more global issues. But it is A. Balasubrahmaniam who is always a delight and so very refreshing. Like Bose and Iranna, Balasubrahmaniam - after winning the Charles Wallace award - has had numerous residencies abroad. His work is constantly evolving, and now he is in the process of transforming himself. With painting, printmaking as a strong base, Bala is moving towards constructs and sculptures.

There has always been this indivisible divide between the North and the South and both are in a way isolated from each other's work. Bringing a group of artists from the South to the "cultural" capital is a great idea. There should also be a showing of the work from the North in the South.

For geography and mappings cannot be detached from the visual representations in any artists work. Ravinder Reddy's work is a perfect example. For the Vishakapatnam-based artist's work is iconic. He takes his inspiration from the temple and bazaar art of his environment and speaks a universal language.

On the surface the artists can be divided into three groups - those who are calculated and deliberate in making political statements like Rm. Palaniappan and Ravi Kashi, artists who are more emotional and painterly like C. Douglas and Muralidharan, and then artists like Tallur and Bala who are more into mixed media painting and assemblages.

The 11 artists have yet another common feature. Each has charted out his own path and make strong personal statements. Unlike the North where there have always been role models and gurus who have already opened numerous vistas for a younger generation of artists, the South has not been able to offer any such direction. It is to their credit that the non-availability of direction has not stopped or dulled their creativity. They have used this lacuna as a springboard for catapulting into an arena which has not been walked on before, and they are chartering out virgin paths for themselves.

Interestingly, no woman has been represented. It is not a question of patriarchy, or patriarchal tropes, but the fact that not too many women artists have emerged from the South.

The presence of women artists has been an indelible fact from the days of the revisionism of Shantiniketan and, in the 1990s, the "empowerment" of women in art has made a statement and established its own strong trajectory.

The show which opened on March 17 is on for eight days through till March 24.

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