This is certainly been the month of feasts and festivals, prayers and fasting. And so when an invite titled Devotion-Invocation, lands at your doorstep, you are bound to be slightly amused. The curatorial note, by Sushma Bahl, says that “artists have explored the theme of devotion in a contemporary context, offering the viewers an aesthetic panorama of expressions that resonate around concepts ranging from the physical to the spiritual. The exhibition will present varied oeuvres, forms and media in a range of contemporary artworks that bring together faith, fact and fantasy.”
That nearly 40 artists have interpreted ‘devotion’ in their own way is bit of an exaggeration, you think. But then you look at the accompanying catalogue and realise that art certainly can be tweaked to express any emotion. When one trudges along to the newly renovated gallery in Lado Sarai, which has recently added an artifacts store and a cafeteria to its premises, any remaining doubts about the concept are also dispelled as one realizes that the concept of devotion need not be limited to religious iconography.
Bahl is pleased with the reaction and adds: “Devotion also encompasses positivism in one’s attitude to life in its varied spheres be it commitment to a cause, belief, person, profession or society. The art works in the show present multifaceted interpretations of devotion and the way it transforms things and individuals. There are works that evoke peace and spiritualism and others that provoke disquiet and action. The show has been in the making for the last several months and I feel privileged to have such a distinguished group contribute to make it so fascinating.”
The participating artists are Akhilesh, Akkitham Narayanan, Arijoy Bhattacharya, Arunkumar HG, Bratin Khan, Chhotu Lal, Dharmendra Rathore, Dileep Kumar Sharma, Enas M J, Gagan Vij, Gopal Swami Khetanchi, Jayasri Burman, Kazi Nasir, Manish Pushkale, Manu Parekh, NS Rana, Paramjit Singh, Prithvi Soni, Puja Bahri, Radhakrishnan K.S, Sanatan Dinda, Sanjay Bhattacharya, Satish Gupta, Seema Kohli, Shekhar Roy, Shail Choyal, Shipra Bhattacharya, Shobha Broota, Shuvaprasanna, Sidharth, Subodh Kerkar, Subrata Saha, Sudip Roy, Suhas Roy, Suman Roy, Suneel Mamadapur, Suresh Kumar Muthukulam, Venkat Bothsa, Vinay Sharma, Vrindavan Solanki and V. Viswanadhan.
The artists, in this show not only explore the theme in its divine, iconic and religious context, but also in its philosophical and rational interpretations. The displayed paintings, sculptures and installations meander around one’s devotion to an idea or principle or cause. Given the freedom to interpret the concept in any which way, some of the artists have also dared to examine it in a somewhat negative turn where devotion turns into obsession or blind love. The religious fervor is highlighted in the work of Satish Gupta and Sanjay Bhattacharya and it also appears as the main driving force though with a different flavor in the imagery of Sanatan Dinda and Sudip Roy.
Feminist perspective on the theme is articulated in paintings by Jayasri Burman, Shipra Bhattacharya and Seema Kohli can be seen where as nature comes to play in renditions by Paramjit Singh and Sidharth amongst others. The impact of classical and folk forms gets reflected in colourful paintings of Bratin Khan, Suresh Muthukulam and Chhotu Lal while pop culture pops up in work of Dileep Sharma and Venkat Bothsa. The Zen and meditative streak underlines the work of Shobha Broota and Manish Pushkale and abstraction comes to the fore on the canvases by Akhilesh. The thrust in the sculptures by Radhakrishnan is dynamic figuration, conceptual layering is evident in the work of M J Enaz, Kazi Nazir and Vinay Sharma.
This is a show that is bound to please all palates.
The show is on till November 5, 2011 at Art Positive, F-213/B, Lado Sarai, Old MB Road, New Delhi-110030. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Poonam Goel is a freelance journalist and has covered the arts for over 15 years. She contributes on visual arts for various newspapers, magazines and online media. More about her on Story Wallahs. Write to her @ poonamgoel2410@gmail.com