BARBICAN ANNOUNCES FIRST MAJOR SURVEY OF PIONEERING INDIAN ART 1975-1998

Source FAD Magazine by Mark Westall
In the autumn of 2024, the Barbican will present The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975-1998, the world’s first major exhibition of Indian art to explore and chart a period of significant cultural and political change in the country. Organised in partnership with the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, this significant group show will feature over 25 artists and nearly 150 works from across a range of media, including many that will be shown in the UK for the first time. Participating artists include Jyoti Bhatt, Rameshwar Broota, Sheba Chhachhi, Sheela Gowda, Rummana Hussain, Bhupen Khakhar, Nalini Malani, Meera Mukherjee, Madhvi Parekh, Navjot, Gieve Patel, Sudhir Patwardhan, Himmat Shah, Gulammohammed Sheikh, Nilima Sheikh, Arpita Singh, Vivan Sundaram, J. Swaminathan, Jangarh Singh Shyam, Savi Sawarkar, N.N. Rimzon and more.The Imaginary Institution of India: Art 1975-1998 will be accompanied by an integral film programme in Barbican Cinemas which will respond to the themes of the exhibition. This collaboration with Barbican Cinema reinforces the Centre’s commitment to cross-disciplinary programming.
> read more

The Pilgrimage of Tarshito

Source The New Indian Express by Alexander Sebastian
For Italian artist Tarshito, art is largely, if not entirely, a spiritual affair. At the inauguration of his ongoing exhibition at the National Crafts Museum in Delhi titled ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, the 72-year-old says his artistic practice is inspired by “the magical part of life. It comes from the energy of the sky”. The eponymous concept of all of humanity being one big family has also been the guiding force for his creativity over the years. With works done in collaboration with around 25 traditional artists from across the country, in various styles of art ­— from Gond and Warli to the mural art of Kerala— blended with Tarshito’s own imagination, the exhibition is a celebration of the power of art in bringing together varied cultures and communities.
> read more

Raza reigns supreme, Souza sets record at New York auctions

Source Bizz Buzz
The last of the big auctions of Indian art in the first season of this year are now over and have left us with some whopping records. At the three sales of modern and contemporary South Asian art held by Sotheby’s (two) and Christie’s (one) in New York this past week, most of the canvases sold for way above their pre-auction estimates, setting records for some artists and pushing the envelope for quite a few others.
> read more

Rooshad Shroff’s signature furniture line is now canvas to T Venkanna’s provocative art

Source Architectural Digest by Arshia Dhar
“We wanted to take something that people have seen before in terms of shape and form,” Shroff says, explaining why a pre-existing collection of furniture was chosen for the project, to which the artist responded with his unique idiom. Shroff adds, “For example, with the coffee table, we wanted Venkanna to do something with the act of drinking and the pleasure one seeks from it, which he then depicted in the ways he does, where the subject matter—if one is not familiar with his work— might even be considered vulgar." Conceptually, the imagery in the series reiterates the significance of the body as a motif and as a symbol of social commentary, exploring the boundaries of mores, by often performing for an external gaze. The artwork, therefore, challenges notions not only of belonging, control and access, but also of censorship, shame and privacy.
> read more

Sheher, Prakriti, Devi Ishara Art Foundation

Source Ocula
Recently awarded the 10th Prix Pictet for global photography and sustainability, New Delhi-based artist and photographer Gauri Gill presents her first curatorial project, titled after the Hindustani terms for city, nature, and deity at the Ishara Art Foundation. The exhibition follows Gill's documentation of India's rural and urban spaces since 2003. 'Rememory' imagines cities as spaces shaped by 'multiple life-worlds': a concrete rod sinks into marshland in one image; in another, a gate opens onto an incomplete road.
> read more

6 Standout Works at the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale

Source Artsy by Reena Devi
Often, art events in Saudi Arabia show a predilection for the bright and shiny. The second edition of Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, the nation’s major biennale, however, was no such show. Launched with expansive international ambitions, the exhibition showed a geographically diverse range of artists from the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Organized by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation and led by artistic director Ute Meta Bauer, the second edition of the biennial opened on February 20th and runs through May 24th.
> read more

Nikhil Chopra’s 'Line of Fire' at Chatterjee & Lal layers contemporary anxieties

Source Stir World by Manu Sharma
Chopra also enthralled audiences in his live performance at 47-A, donning a metallic costume and drawing landscapes on the gallery’s glass facade. The performance saw the Indian artist develop his work while a soundscape filled the space with natural and unnatural sounds. Winds gushed and birds chirped and were intermittently interrupted by gunshots and the screech of aeroplanes. As was the case with Chopra’s paintings, the sense of discomfort grew gradually at 47-A. The artist’s instrument of choice—lipstick—typically contains heavy metals such as aluminium, cadmium and chromium which can be quite toxic if they enter the body. Chopra’s decision to use lipstick instead of his usual charcoal or pastel was taken to comment on the historical buildup of “toxic histories and ecological contamination” across the earth’s natural environments, as curator and writer Mario D’Souza writes in a press release. The durational performance, along with the larger exhibition it is a part of, provided audiences with cause to reassess our relationship with the planet, and to ponder the extent of toxicity, both literal and metaphorical, that it now carries.
> read more

12 new art shows in India to add to your March 2024 calendar

Source Vogue India by Huzan Tata
March’s roster of new art shows in India incidentally opens with the international fest Art Dubai, where Indian galleries like Experimenter and Latitude 28 are participating, so head to Madinat Jumeirah if you happen to be in the desert city till 3rd March. Closer to home, Srila Chatterjee of Baro Market is curating the annual showcase of the Affordable Art Show from 1st-3rd March at Method Juhu, featuring over 15 artists from across India, while Ahmedabad’s 079 | Stories gallery is showcasing artist Vipul Prajapati’s solo show of paintings and installations. Here’s our pick of what you should definitely catch at galleries this month.
> read more