The gradual evolution of Modernism in India in the post-independence era is a unique tale of artistic endeavours. Unending struggles and progression of vision against all odds by the artists to give birth to and deliver their individualistic language/s in art that made them the great Masters of Indian art of the twentieth century. The artworks of these Masters thus stand on their own to mark the emblematic journeys of each creator. The empowerment and enlightenment they could attain in their lifetime is far beyond the realm of material success and social recognition. Even in the second decade of the 21st century, the relevance of Modernism is as apt and significant in the field of visual arts as it was at the time of its inception. Thus, Aakriti Art Gallery takes the pleasure and responsibility in showcasing the works of such masters of visual arts in India along with a few dynamic young creators who are steadily making their way into the field, in this edition of the esteemed India Art Fair 2015, from 29 January to 1st February.
In the section of Painting, Aakriti Art Gallery is going to present works of the stalwarts of Indian Visual Arts – Ram Kumar, Jogen Chowdhury, Satish Gujral and Partha Pratim Deb. And in sculpture, it will showcase the works of Akhil Chnadra Das, Asim Basu, Subrata Biswas and Tapas Biswas – the names which have achieved solemn recognition in the art world and who have accomplished great expertise in handling different mediums of sculpting with dynamic skill and invoking discourse in the past few years. Thus, the whole idea is to generate a gamut of different genres of modern Indian art and its due course of progress into post-modern and henceforth. The display will be a blend of various flavours to cater its audience with the best of tenets that Indian art has so far created and nurtured through the above-mentioned exponents who otherwise don’t need any separate introduction.
On one hand, if it’s the power and magic of distorted lines and stokes by Jogen Chowdhury, on the other it will a romantic blend of shades and different moods of nature in semi-real abstract forms which the legendary Ram Kumar is best known for. Again where there will be poetic tales of life and death, bonding and partition with figures and solid patches of opaque colours on large canvases depicting the greater philosophy of life by Satish Gujral, there will also be subtle nuances of day-to-day living, anguishes in disguise and the critique to subjugation in Partha Pratim Deb’s vivid experimentations with different mediums on the canvas plane.
The sculpture section shall be proficiently designed by these young leading sculptors through their execution in different materials and mediums – wood, metal and stone and so on. From devising the tales from myths and folklores by Subrata Biswas experimenting with metal, we will get to observe the finesse of sculpting in great volumes in Tapas Biswas’s works who gives voice to the crisis of mankind and the nation through his execution. It will be a set of experimentation by Asim Basu in his sculpting style and Akhil Chandra Das who has been explicitly dealing with organic reality and the essence of human values in his sculptures will add another dimension in the new series of works to be showcased in the India Art Fair.
Aakriti Art Gallery is also organizing multiple Talk Sessions, within its booth premise. The itinerary of these sessions would be:
- 30th January, 2015 at 4p.m. – A Conversation with the artist Jogen Chowdhury and Prayag Shukla. 6p.m. – Meet the artist Satish Gujral.
- 31st January, 2015 at 4 p.m. – Conversations between Gagan Gill and Prayag Shukla about the life and works of artist Ram Kumar.
- 1st February, 2015 at 4p.m. – In conversation with Dinesh Vazirani, Co-Founder, Saffron Art and Priyanka Mathew, Head of Sales, Modern & Contemporary South Asian Art, Sothbey’s, on art investment.
These sessions will be coordinated by Ina Puri.
The exhibition’ A Requeim, A Prayer, A Song’ hosted by Aakriti Art Gallery Delhi, curated by Ina Puri will be running as a collateral event to the Art Fair. The venue would be the gallery premises.The exhibition will open on 31st January for the Lado Sarai Art Nite.
‘Aakriti Art Gallery has always explored in the art world and we hope that in this edition of India Art Fair we would be able to present the genius of stalwars in Indian art including Ramkumar, Jogen Chowdhury, Satish Gujral and Partha Pratim Deb‘ says Vikram Bachhawat, Director of Aakriti Art Gallery.