Season of installations
Bengaluru, Goa, Mumbai and Delhi, installation works by artists from all these cities are being showcased at various international venues. The latest artist from the art fraternity to showcase his installation work is TV Santhosh. Mumbai-based Santhosh’s work A Room to Pray is on view at the 11th Havana Biennial.
Delhi-based artist duo Jiten Thukral and Sumir Thagra are showcasing their installations at the show Longing for Tomorrow at Nature Morte Berlin. A few months ago, Bengaluru’s Bharathesh Yadav, exhibited his Sound Signature project at Stadtgalerie Bern in Switzerland. These are just a few mentions, but the flavour of the season is that increasing number of Indian artists’ installations are making art-news headlines.
Whether it is a quirky approach to the “new-age India” or a message about the geo-politics of the country, installations are the way to go. “A critical mass of good work is being produced by studios and artists. Whether it is about new urban rich Indian icons that are aesthetically represented in Thukral and Thagra’s works or the pots and bartans in Subodh’s (Gupta) works that are symbolic of village life, the West is looking forward to it,” says Hemant Sreekumar, curator at W+K Exp.
Though installation art came to India in the late 90s as a dematerialisation of art, it was a form of restricted practice. “Earlier galleries resisted artists who worked on installations. It was at the beginning of the millennium when the face of installation art in the country changed. The current trend is that though the works are not similar, they follow a certain methodology,” says Johnny ML, Delhi-based art critic and freelance curator.
A few artists believe that the changing economy and the support by galleries together has made the difference. “Earlier artists would not be able to fund themselves. Today galleries are helping them find spaces abroad,” says artist Subodh Kerkar. Those who have received an overwhelming response to their work say the awareness is of much encouragement. “Alter-native experimental spaces are waking up to integrate new media installations and performances as part of their curatorial agendas,” says artist TV Santhosh.
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