MODERN MODES OF EXPRESSIONS FROM INDIA ART FAIR BY SHALINI PASSI

Modern modes of Expressions from India Art Fair by Shalini Passi

The 14th edition of India Art Fair opened with an exquisite enthusiasm, bringing forth a panorama of visual lexicon. Encapsulating the developing and established discourse in the realms of contemporary and modern Indian art. Held at NSIC Exhibition ground in New Delhi, from 9th February up till 12th February, the fair is predominantly divided into five sections: Galleries, Focus, Platform, Institutions, Studio, and Outdoor Art Projects. Foraying into the fields of digital art, performance, and multitudes of unconventional practices, we look at the ever-evolving terrains of modern and contemporary Indian art.

Ranbir Kaleka and Shalini Passi at India Art Fair 2023

A Discreet Exit through Darkness by Soumya Shankar Bose

Soumya Shankar Bose’s photography delves into the functionality of personal memory, and family trauma. The hazy effects in the pictures themselves denote the impact of collective consciousness while recounting the disappearance of his mother from a sweetmeat shop when she was nine years old, from 1969 till 1971. This personal memory has been presented in the format of moving image, a 360 VR film, and it is the first virtual reality non-animated feature length film to be made. The hauntingly mesmerising imagery embedded in the photographs and images brings forth the traumatic experience of Bose’s family, focusing on his grandfather’s plight as he searched for his daughter for three years. There is a sense of mystery that is atmospheric, layered with the themes of magical realism that is accentuated by a bird-headed figure, that embodies the otherworldliness of stories that seem deeply personal yet separated from reality through time.

Soumya Shankar Bose, A Discreet Exit Through Darkness , Inkjet print on archival paper, mounted on dibond, 2020, Experimenter, India Art Fair 2023

2. Breath by Ranbir Kaleka

A multi-channel video installation created by celebrated artist and visionary Ranbir Kaleka, the idea for ‘Breath’ was conceived in 1996 as a single channel projection on a hanging scroll with a belly painted on it. The artwork is the first iteration which articulates the polysemous ‘Breath’. Exploring the myriad practices ranging from Yogic traditions of the yore to the significance of breath during the period of pandemic. As the observer stands amidst the visual metaphor of life and vitality, the simplest act of breathing becomes a point of conversation. Mr. Kaleka has used the imagery of exhales and inhales, playing on each screen in a manner that draws us in. It makes us acutely aware of the elements of essentialism that we connect with the idea of breath.

3. Pipio by Payal Arya and Aditi Kulkarni

‘PIPIO: a bird flies, a stone is thrown’, is a 14 minute short film by Payal Arya and Aditi Kulkarni, looks at the presence of war, violence, and terror, and its interdimensional nature. Both the artists have looked at the state of lands against the backdrop of World War II, the cyclic nature of time and how memories bore witness to future events. Aditi and Payal have portrayed the incidents from the perspective of a bystander, an observer, encapsulating the helplessness that one feels in the wake of violence, and destruction that war leaves in its wake. Presented by Gujral Foundation, the film has used different plots, where the impact of war, and its repercussions are examined in depth, and how human beings carry this generational pain becomes the main crux.

4. Varun Desai, Mira Felicia Malhotra, Gaurav Ogale

It becomes of utmost importance to look at the changing landscapes of storytelling practices, specifically in the domain of contemporary art practices. Digital art is a dynamic medium with an ample amount of versatility. The Digital Art Residency Hub in the Studio section at the fair provided the first ever digital residency for three artists who worked with the theme of ‘Finding the extraordinary in the ordinary’, through the mediums of coding, animation, and illustration, each of the artists has tried to present their own experiences and idiosyncrasies.

While Gaurav’s doodles, moving images are an ode to the childhood memories, and his experiences in his hometown Pune and current home Mumbai, Mira’s aka Kohla vibrant artworks are a dive into the humorous pop-culture motifs, and Varun’s practice has a more multi-disciplinary approach, he uses coding to create layers in his artworks, both visually and conceptually.

5. Me with my Pets by Debashish Paul

Performance artist Debashish Paul creates an aura of mysticism, as he uses the power of body movements, otherworldly garments and slow and deliberate expressions to emote his own innermost desires. The performance titled ‘Me with My Pets’, Paul explored his childhood memories, to evoke a sense of nostalgia, child-like innocence, and an idealistic world filled with stories. In the performance, he talks to his pets, creating a narrative that speaks of Paul’s fascination with conscious and unconscious expression of one’s connection with home. Growing up in Phulia village in Nadia, West Bengal, a spiritual hub, Paul’s practice is also a glimpse of his understanding and views of rituals and metaphysical elements and their therapeutic effect on his practice.