INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL & NEW MEDIA ART PROJECT
APRIL 2017 - MARCH 2018 CONCEIVED & CURATED BY
USHMITA SAHU IN COLLABORATION WITH
EMERGENT ART SPACE USA
Building Bridges
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A/22, Hauz Khas Village, Deer Park, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, Delhi 110016 2 Building Bridges
24/10, BTS Depot Road, Wilson Garden, Bangalore, Karnataka 560027
4/66a, Bijoygarh Rd, Bijoygarh, Jadavpur, Kolkata, West Bengal 700032
BUILDING BRIDGES
International Digital & New Media Art Project August 2017 - March 2018
www.emergentARTspace.org info@emergentartspace.org facebook@emergentartspace
Foreword 03 Curator’s Note
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List of Artists
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Excerpts from Building Bridges Blog
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Interviews with the Artists
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Artist Pages
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Interview with the Curator
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The Three Shows
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Media Reviews
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Acknowledgements 68
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Foreword
BUILDING BRIDGES A Cross Cultural Collaboration
Grazia Peduzzi, Director, Emergent Art Space, San Francisco, USA
When Emergent Art Space was contacted by artist and curator Ushmita Sahu, with the idea of this project – an online dialogue and exchange among young artists on the theme ‘Building Bridges’, leading to the creation of new works to be exhibited in three Indian cities - it was immediately clear to us that such a project was perfectly aligned with our mission, and we readily accepted to collaborate with and support it. Emergent Art Space is a non-profit organization based in San Francisco, USA, founded on the belief that the visual language of art has the power to communicate across geographic and cultural distances, and committed to promote and foster such communication toward a better understanding across cultural barriers. We live in a global, connected world, and the increasing circulation of works of art across borders and cultures, made possible by new technologies, has the potential to enormously increase exchange, communication and understanding in ways not accessible to previous generations. Information technologies and the internet have opened unprecedented channels of communication across geographical distances. We can use them to tear down barriers, to ‘build bridges’, to open our understanding of cultures, arts and traditions still novel and unfamiliar, to genuinely communicate. Curator Ushmita Sahu’s bet was precisely to trust the potential of these new channels of communication. It worked. It exceeded expectations. 13 selected artists, 7 from India and 6 from countries as distant as Mexico and Ireland, participated in ‘Building Bridges’, and all exchanges took place online. It was an experiment and a challenge, not only because of the long distance and virtual communication, but because it required from the participants the genuine desire to enter in conversation with peers from distant backgrounds and walks of life, the openness to share one’s experience and to listen to the others’, the effort to cross a bridge and to understand. We are expressing here our gratitude to all the people who have made ‘Building Bridges’ a success: Ushmita Sahu, whose passion and tireless work has made the project possible; Anshuman Dasgupta and Prasanta Sahu, who generously served a jurors in the selection of the artists; A.M. Studio in Kolkata, Gallery Art Konsult in New Delhi and Sumukha Gallery in Bangalore, which hosted the three exhibitions; and the artists who believed in the idea, trusted each other sharing their stories and their art, and created a beautiful tapestry of conversations and a remarkable show.
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Curator’s Note
BUILDING BRIDGES An International Digital & New-Media Art Project 2017-18
Ushmita Sahu, Curator, Santiniketan, India Like a leviathan machine, whose parts are breaking down faster than they can be mended, our globalised world is increasingly plagued by growing intolerance, conflict and war so much so that volatility seems to have becomes the zeitgeist of our times. Discord, whether international or national, quickly spreads like wildfire through the world, creating non-anticipated disruptions far removed from epicenters of unrest. Social, cultural, linguistic and historical differences; economic, gender or physical inequalities; fight for political power and resources; ethnicity, religious ideology and disparity; desire for cultural autonomy are just few reasons for intractable turmoil. One could say that the idea of ‘otherness’, of not being alike, of being different underlines the growing divide between ‘us- them’, ‘insider - outsider, giving rise to stereotyping, bias and discrimination that in turn feeds the vicious beast of fear and enmity. Faced by an exponential growth of prejudice, and hatred it has become more important than ever, to know about our so called opponent, to listen and re-discover the threads of similarity that hide within the folds of ‘otherness’. Only by knowing how the other feels, or by uncovering facts that one was previously unaware of, can we hope to build connections with each other. Taking inspiration from Newton’s adage - We build too many walls and not enough bridges, Project Building Bridges was designed to encourage 13 young artists from across the globe to come together and foster a voice of reason and dialogue and help create a platform for empathy, and understanding through art, creativity and exchange beginning with an online blog for a period of one month. Together we hoped to bring to the virtual exchange a multiplicity of culture, language, geographical locations, heritage, ethnicity, religious belief and faith systems, socio-economic backgrounds, gender and sexual orientations, physicality, family dynamics and more from across four continents, nine countries, seven time zones and possibly more than fifteen linguistic backgrounds! Faced with such panoply of variety, where did one begin the conversations? Self and identity is always a good place to start, especially as artists. However, identity is also a double-edged sword, undeniably dependent upon distinctiveness of the individual or of a group from what is known as the ‘other/s’. Identity thrives on opposition, stereotyping, segregation, on alterity. So, the moot question was if identity and otherness are two sides of the coin then is reconciliation between the two even a remote possibility? Cultural homogeneity has often been suggested as a possible answer to this as it supposedly eases communication due to shared views and value systems. This, however, to my mind, is a dangerous space to occupy, as seen from historical instances as well as many presentday circumstances where dominant groups in power try to trivialize, dehumanize or in more serious 4 Building Bridges
cases remove all traces of those who are deemed as ‘lesser’ or ‘outsiders’. The answer, to my understanding at least, lay in celebration of inclusivity and our heterogeneity. I feel it is the demand of our times that we need expanded value systems which will help knit humanity together, especially in the face of exponential changes sweeping the socio-political landscape of the world. Mahatma Gandhi said- ‘be the change that you wish to see in the world’. Change, to manifest itself in the world has to start at the individual level. Therefore, as individuals, we need to start really ‘looking’ at the world with knowledge, respect and understanding. Project Building Bridges tried to create an exchange platform, thus for a short window of time the artists opened channels of discussion and became virtual hosts by welcoming each other into their lives. This cultural immersion has hopefully helped them to find out more about value systems which were alien to them, to hear the voice of the other that they might never get the chance to otherwise, to understand other cultures not as an outsider looking in at something exotic, but as a friend who gets invited to someone’s home. Each individual’s identity and uniqueness reached across to build bridges of empathy. This exhibition is a selection of some of the works that came out of the process of engagement with the idea of the Self & the Other. Ushmita Sahu
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Timeline of the Project Open Call: 5th August - 5th September 2017 List of Selected Artists Announced: 20th September 2017 Interactive Community Blog: - 5th October - 5th November 2017 Mentoring & Creation of New Works: 5th October 2017 - 5th January 2018
Exhibitions: Online Exhibition, www.emergentartspace.org - January 2018 onwards Art Multi-disciplines, Kolkata, West Bengal, India - 10th to 21st January 2018 Art Konsult, Delhi, India - 2nd to 12th February 2018 Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore India - 17th to 28th March 2018
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List of Artists
Alejandro Zertuche Mexico Ashok Vish India Bhargav Barla India Dengke Chen China/U.S.A Jasmina Runevska Macedonia Kate McElroy Ireland Nathi Khumalo South Africa Pranay Dutta India Sarasija Subramanian
India
Sonam Chaturvedi India Souvik Majumdar India
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Tatjana Huong Hendrieckx
Vietnam/Belgium
Vishal Kumaraswamy
India
Excerpts from Building Bridges Blog www.emergentartspace.org/category/building-bridges 5th October - 5th November 2017
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A call for collaboration, (of myths and legends?) Sarasija Subramanian
11.2.2017
“...The degree to which culture and its relationship with colonialism and/or migration has been discussed on this ‘Building Bridges’ platform has really caught me off-guard. Though I know that in one way or another, a group of 14 culturally diverse artists … are bound to have gotten here, it’s still interesting to see that gap being bridged through shared histories....”
WE ARE ALL CONNECTED BY INVISIBLE STRINGS Kate McElroy
10.03.2017
“...With so much tension and fragmentation between and within nations, as well as within the individual, it has become all the more vital that we endeavor to understand and listen to ourselves and each others. Art can be a powerful tool to explore and communicate. Through art we can explore our emotions and our minds workings. We can begin to communicate with others, to ‘build more bridges’ allowing people access into our inner workings and thus begin to break down barriers that keep us apart......”
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“The unspoken truths “ Souvik Majumdar
10.22.2017
“...I started reading a bit, watched films, talked to some and came up with the term gender fluid, now I think I am genderfluid. Before that, I never knew that term. Honestly, I sometimes doubt everything, I don’t believe a certain words or phrases can define somebody’s emotions, and it cannot be generalised. I feel I came with a sexual identity when I was born it is not constant, it changes. And it will change. This whole process interests me, I am working on this series now these are some images. I am working with different mediums, drawing, paintings, videos, gifs. These works are in mixed media and then edited in negatives. (invert).....”
WAAR IS MY KOP Nathi Khumalo
10.7.2017
“...What brings us together, even when coming from different walks of life, backgrounds, experiences and cultures? This is an intriguing question, that has reminded me how art can be used as a social tool to talk about our similarities rather than differences...”
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ME, the OTHER Jasmina Runevska
11.2.2017
“...I am seeing myself in the eyes of the Other. Comparing similarities and differences between “I” and “You” I can write about my identity. I am different from You and, at the same time, similar to You. I’m seeing the things what I have or I don’t have through You. So, every identity depends on the other’s identity. It is impossible to separate only one “clear” identity by itself. My words are the words of the others. How they showed me. Or how they see me and how I see them......”
WORDS ARE THE GAPS BETWEEN SILENCE Sonam Chaturvedi
10.17.2017
“...Words have a form just like images, a constructed space beyond their meaning. We tend to read words and absorb their meaning, ignoring them as visuals, and the subtle sense they give when placed next to other words/ images. The emphasis here is on what the words and images do and how they behave at the center of the page, what is their relation to the other words/ images, and their relation to the mind perceiving them....”
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Can we put the infinite in the finite?
Food for thought on the intersections between personal & cultural identities and western & non-western art Ashok Vish
10.17.2017
“...When it comes to art in this globalized world with easy connectivity between artists across cultures, are we able to translate the artist’s intentions (influenced by their inherent personal & cultural identity) and the meanings of artworks from all these different cultures? Is there indeed an international language developing within the niche of contemporary art that does cross cultural barriers? ....”
WORLD FULL OF STEREOTYPES Tatjana Henderieckx
11.2.2017
“...Just coming back from my holiday in Asia (China, Singapore and Malaysia) I realised we actually don’t know and most of all don’t understand each other’s cultures. How come we don’t know so much about other cultures? Grown up in a Western country as an Asian looking female I have been brought up with several stereotypes. In my own practice I try to investigate where the stereotypes come from and why we look the other way, especially in the media.....”
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Becoming Bamboo Vishal Kumaraswamy
11.2.2017
“...While studying the works of continental philosophers such as Deleuze and Guattari, Lacan, Foucault, etc., I found that I was pre-disposed to a binary form of thinking. Either this or that. The conviction in my beliefs often led me to ignore/disregard any other points of view or stream of knowledge that was “other” than mine. The “rhizome” theory (Deleuze and Guattari) offered me a way out of my binary thinking processes. By allowing for multiple connotations of a thought to exist at the same time and at different times, i.e – multiple points of view regarding the same subject, arising from the same place or multiple places at various times, knowledge can then seep in without constraint.....”
The intertwined journey to the known to unknown Barla Bhargav
10.17.2017
“...We are all travellers on a quest that is unique to each of us, on some path to somewhere that is sometimes familiar and sometimes unknown. A destination which could be both tangible and intangible. No matter where it is, we are all on the journey to somewhere on some path....”
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Interview with the Artists
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EAS Director, Grazia Peduzzi in conversation with Kate McElroy @ Gallery Sumukha, Bangalore
Alejandro Zertuche
How do you think that artists and art can build the will or strength, within societies and themselves, to recreate and bend reality from the chaotic nature that it has fallen into?
Contemporary artistic practices often become, and come from, other interests than just “creating art”. The intentions of each creator comes into play-social practices, architectural and even autobiographical works come close to “getting results” as if artistic research could become a science. In that sense I think Art can create change within the self and others. For a short answer: Yes.
How did the work you have created for the Building Bridges exhibition draws on, influences and/or challenges your thinking and practice as an artist?
Generally my practice is action-based. For the distance I had to think how to do something that could become an action without it being so. I came up with a manual, inspired by the performance instructions of the fluxus movement. In some way, this made me realize the potential of other kinds of works to still trigger “action” without me being in the mix.
Kate McElroy
Thinking on today’s fast-paced societies and high-stress lifestyles that have become the ‘norm’ for many people, how do you think art can effectively promote introspection and tolerance towards others, to build a better, more empathetic society?
Art offers us an alternative way of seeing the world. We are presented with ideas we can either skim over or delve into more deeply. If we choose the latter, which most great art requires, it slows us down and provokes us to question. When viewing art, it is important to try and be in
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Preview of Building Bridges Delhi 2nd Feb 2018, From left to right : His Excellency Ambassador Archil Dzuliashvili of Georgia, Tatjana Hendriexcs, Sarasija Subramanian, Ashok Vish, Curator Ushmita Sahu, Bhargav Barla, Sonam Chaturvedi.
a very open and conscious state and not to judge too early – much like the attitude we should approach other people with.
How has the Building Bridges project influenced, extended, or changed your thinking and/or your art making?
From the beginning I saw the value of sharing ideas and showing the process of your thinking. Having a platform, for support and feedback to the fluid sharing of ideas between the participants, was invaluable, and very apt in relation to the theme. I would love to work in this manner again in the future. Working on this theme has opened up a lot of questions for me and I feel I have sprouted a wealth of new thinking that will continue into my practice.
Dengke Chen
The imagery at play in your work evokes disturbing issues of our times, and uses metaphor and altered realities to provoke. What inspires your work and what research and aesthetic strategies do you employ?
Inspired by historical photographs and paintings but within a contemporary and global context, I first created the illustrations with anthropomorphic characters. I then used BBC/CNN news as the visual reference to construct the game that tells the story from the animal’s point of view. Once I realized that my illustrations and games used different subjects as metaphors but criticize a similar issue, I thought it would be great to connect them together via augmented reality and the result looks profound.
How did the issues or themes brought up by the other artists affect your work?
In discussing environmental issues with other artists I came up with the idea of creating a new augmented reality piece ‘Humanimal Kingdom’. Compared to my past works, that solely reflected on issues concerning human society (what humans do to other humans), Humanimal Kingdom explores the byproducts of human presence (what humans do to the earth and all living beings Building Bridges 17
on it). This idea is based on the global context of increasing infrastructure building in vital areas, altering the landscape and causing the disappearance of once-reliable wild game.
Nathi Khumalo
As an artist that is aware of the role that colonialism has played in many societies around the world, how do you think we can use art to encourage viewers to challenge and effectively change the skewed perspectives that are a legacy of colonial times?
The most important element for me is research. Once we understand our history and how it currently affects us we will become a better society. We, as artist, have to challenge colonialism by bringing the themes of resistance to its legacy. Art education is important and we need to keep sharing our stories to create a dialogue on where we are now.
How did collaborating and being in dialogue with artists from other parts of the world inspire you?
I think the word collaboration is always linked to certain perspectives. I was hugely inspired by the discussion we had. Just reading other artists’ posts and viewpoints created a mind shift for me; the way I view my immediate surroundings and environment has changed. This project has shown me how fruitful collaboration is, and the power of art as a medium to break the social boundaries.
Sarasija Subramanian
Your enigmatic work, decontextualizing and reframing objects with inventive connections, makes me curious. Is your aim to create new entry points? What layered bodies of knowledge and inquiry propel your art practice?
Yes, the primary aim is to invite the viewer to perceive the work at different levels and points of entry. Since the works themselves in one way or another address the rifts and connections between, science, myth, histories, and present the images that weave through, each of these propels my practice – often one taking precedence over the other. In this work done at the Coral Hatchery (Ireland) for example, the visual triggers do in some ways become most important.
How did the issues or themes brought up by the other artists affect your work?
One of the most interesting themes that was recurrent in both the blogs and the conversations was the one of home, belonging, cultural drift and displacement. These were on top of my mind and, though it will take time for them to truly seep into my practice, these did drive me to explore the idea of Bred in Captivity in relation to the sense of belonging that one may or may not feel in a space that may in actuality provide everything essential.
Tatjana Huong Henderieckx
You seem preoccupied with the dominance of stereotypes and the lack of understanding when dealing with people from different cultures. Do you think that art could help foster cross-cultural understanding, in which ways?
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Yes, I see art as a sort of language that does what words can’t communicate because there are different native languages. Often, due to ignorance, we are not aware of misunderstandings. Art is a way to communicate those misunderstandings, because art is something universal. At this point racial stereotypes sadly enough are still going on, and I feel it is my job as an artist living in between cultures to point out the importance of understanding one another.
How did collaborating and being in dialogue with artists from other parts of the world inspire you?
By listening to other opinions, I started looking differently at art from the others. In the West we don’t always appreciate art that comes from the East, and I realized there is, in fact, no reason for it. It is very interesting and inspiring to get to know other cultures by just having a conversation and looking at each other’s work. Those cross cultural art interactions should be done more to start understanding the world and the persons next to us!
Sonam Chaturvedi
Has your work on sound and silence, and in particular their role in the generation of meaning, opened up new interesting perspectives for you?
The sound installation made me think and conceptualize an idea in terms of sound, which changed my perspective towards what and how we listen to our surroundings, how memory is built through the sounds of a place, and how meanings can be moulded without visual signifiers. While experimenting with silence and intimacy, I tried creating varied meanings to confuse the memory of the listener. The book becomes another impediment within the already fragmented threads of meanings.
How did the work you have created for the Building Bridges exhibition draw on, influence and/or challenge your thinking and practice as an artist?
This was the first time I worked with sound as the primary medium, thus it was exciting and simultaneously challenging. The biggest challenge was to use sound in a group show where other works were closely knit and I had to maintain the porosity of sound without bleeding into
Sarasija Subramanian & Kate McElroy @ Gallery Sumukha Bangalore Building Bridges 19
other artists’ works. Visual art is confined to the space it occupies, while sound is difficult to harness. This was overcome with the intimacy of the corner and the small photobook. It changed my approach towards exhibiting.
Jasmina Runevska
Your work takes into account memory inscribed in and upon objects, opening opportunities to invent and reframe histories and identity. What are your strategies for moving beyond novelty in mining these associations?
Whether discovering a new place for old objects, or putting them in other visual contexts, coloring with a particular filter, or editing the conversation we are listening every day in different loops, those stories are becoming reframed and open for multilayered reading. The mining of these associations is left to the audience. Depending on their own experience, every object and every sound or word have a different referent, within which everyone is re-reading with other memory, identity or expression.
How did collaborating and being in dialogue with artists from other parts of the world inspire you?
Being born in somewhat of a limited artistic environment due to the size of my country, I was pleased, relieved and encouraged to encounter the same issues facing other artists in my field. Meeting them re-enforced my ways and gave me a clear focus for the work at hand. Through the Building Bridges artists and their work, I managed to flourish and enrich the dialogue within me.
Vishal Kumaraswamy
Strategies of immersion, disorientation and subversion are at play in your imagery and I’ve read about your interest in engaging chaos. How do these countervailing forces combine to inform your work and propel your art practice?
My work draws strands from the tensions that exist when these forces are combined with their resultant propensity to create chaos. This disorder allows me to identify strands that resonate with my current state of being, along with letting my intuition guide those choices. I finally try to detach myself before I can deem a piece of work has satisfied my internal logic. The desire to repeatedly engage with this process is what propels my practice.
How did the issues or themes brought up by the other artists affect your work?
The discourse in itself was extremely enriching. It was very encouraging for our practices to find points of intersection, as well as parallels. The earnestness with which we engaged in dialogue is something that I paid more attention to than the various issues and themes the works’ address. The need for an open dialogue between emerging artists has never been greater and the generosity of thought is something that has definitely made a mark on my practice.
Souvik Majumdar
You mentioned that sometimes you have the desire to tell people things but feel that you
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Installing the show @ Sumukha Gallery, Bangalore From left to right; Kate, Sarasija, Vishal, Ashok
are not able to. From your experience, in which ways can art influence your ability to be more open and comfortable with a public?
I feel I am not that good at communicating with people using words. Art is a language that I can use to express more in my work. While working I can manipulate, transform, reform, etc. Art is a space where I am free to do anything, and it helps me to be open and more comfortable with myself. I think that through art I can realize certain things and it helps me to know myself more. It sometimes influences my ability to be more open and comfortable with the public.
How did the work you have created for the Building Bridges exhibition draw on, influence and/or challenge your thinking and practice as an artist?
Honestly, this whole journey with Building Bridges has helped me and I learned many new things. The whole process, from the blog post to the show, has changed many things. I started new works because of this project. Somehow they didn’t go with the concepts, or there were many problems, but it has given me different channels or roads where I could experiment. Talking with other artists and with the curator has boosted a confidence that was lacking before. The whole journey challenged my way of thinking.
Ashok Vish
What are the themes that you have found most interesting in your exploration of the two ancient Indian epic poems? And what themes do you think they might have in common with mythological narratives from other cultures?
The exquisite tension between Karma and Dharma lies at the very heart of the epic Indian poems Ramayana and Mahabharata. This tension really strikes a chord within me. The balancing act of what is the right thing to do is the essential dilemma of being human. In the epics, it is the gods who negotiate these fundamental human confusions like the dilemma of choice. In my work, the Building Bridges 21
idea of gender transformation, or just questioning your gender identity, is very much at the heart of the aforementioned tension and dilemmas.
How did collaborating and being in dialogue with artists from other parts of the world inspire you?
The most exciting aspect about the Building Bridges project was taking part in it with thirteen other artists, from other parts of the world, while all communication took place virtually. This possibility in itself is inspiring. Interacting and exchanging ideas with so many diverse artists was eye-opening, because we really had the opportunity to discuss and even argue or disagree with one another. The premises of the project, respect and cross-cultural connections, are quite essential and very needed in present times, and I appreciate having been part of it.
Pranay Dutta
Inserting urban structures in pristine, natural landscapes, you have created images that arise an eerie feeling in the viewer, stronger than the recognition of the contrast between the two. Was this intentional?
My primary concern was to vision shangri-la (a site that would probably be the last to be encroached upon) being breached by urban structures and construction. My intent was to create a sense of turmoil on viewing such pristine landscapes being sabotaged. There was a conscious attempt to create a contrast between the organic mountains and the geometric construction setups. Although it wasn’t the primary focus. I think working with isolated, desolate landscapes, something that I’ve always been interested in, is what brings out the eerie in the work.
How has the Building Bridges project influenced, extended, or changed your thinking and/or your art making?
The Building Bridges project was quite interesting in terms of the way it worked out. It is probably one of the first projects in India that brought together a batch of artists who are geographically set apart and given a common virtual platform where they can share and learn from each other’s ideas. It acknowledged the impact of technological development in the field of Visual Arts, not only by creating a virtual interactive space but also by bringing together a wide range of artists who are quite multidisciplinary.
Bhargav Barla
Your photos evoking landscapes of roads, pathways and unknown terrains, raise questions of where one is headed and why. How are you as an artist navigating your way? What questions and interests drive your work?
I believe few settings evoke a response or a mood in me. Certain settings inspire me to draw parallels with situations in my life or things I strongly resonate with. That inspiration makes me want to pursue something further and I try to create an idea out of it. Human behavior and responses to different situations also inspire me. I try to interpret how it relates to me, how I would respond and how my interpretation generates curiosity. In a multicultural setup like India, the big and small differences are also inspiring.
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Building Bridges @ Sumukha Gallery Bangalore; From left to right Ashok, Sarasija, Ushmita, Sonam, Grazia, Kate, Vishal
How did collaborating and being in dialogue with artists from other parts of the world inspire you?
Interacting with them greatly influenced my thinking and how I will work form now on. This experience broadened my spectrum of how art is perceived and conceived. The way some of the artists are using the digital tools is inspiring. Each of their themes and how they correlate is very interesting. It makes me explore and ponder parallel themes resonating with me. The cultural difference between us also captured my interest. One of the things that I found most curious and inspiring is how different situations influence and affect us.
Interview conducted by the EAS team Building Bridges 23
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Artists Pages
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Installation view @ Art Konsult Delhi
Alejandro Zertuche “The FrĂĄgil Project is an ongoing material investigation of obsidian stone, an ancient icon in many civilizations. Its physical and symbolic possibilities are researched and the artwork points to social and political conditions of existence through actions with the stone. In its mirror form, obsidian is a dimensional portal for unbounded entities. Fractures in the stone are created to liberate those entities. Is it possible to similarly liberate reflected forms of failed modernity? Can we change the ways we live? Are we doomed repeat history? A structure is not made just of solid matter; it must connect by other means.â€? 26 Building Bridges
Rise and fall of paradigm II from the Frรกgil project Blueprint diagrams 12.7 cm x 17.8 cm x 9 2017
Rise and fall of paradigm I from the Frรกgil project GIF video 46 second loop 2017 (Stills from Video)
Alejandro Zertuche (1989, Monterrey, Mexico) graduated with a BFA from UANL and co-directs Venus Project. His work has been in exhibitions and festivals in more than 15 countries. His artistic practice often deals with autobiographical references that he links with an independent study of occultism and mysticism, exploring ritual through performance art, also experimenting with video, sound and installation. Building Bridges 27
Ashok Vish installating his work @ Gallery Sumukha Bangalore
Ashok Vish “This project explores the phenomenon of rewriting and retelling of the myths. There is no single version of a myth and we have been telling our myths in different ways for centuries. Each telling is inflected by time, place, caste, religion, politics and ideology. Examining gender fluidity and transformation, this work experiments with creating a crossover between the two yugas (eras) and two epics--the Karaga festival from the Mahabharata, and the Ramlila theatrical production depicting the story of Lord Rama from the Ramayana.� 28 Building Bridges
A Retelling Video 10 minutes loop Digital Print on Canvas 46 cm x 61 cm x 2 2017/18
(Stills from Video)
Ashok Vish Is an artist whose practice includes work in film, video, and photography. In both his filmmaking and his photography, Vish analyzes the world through the lens of personal politics. His overriding objective for all of his projects has been to create narratives, whether linear or abstract. Building Bridges 29
Artist & viewer interaction @ Art Konsult Delhi
Bhargav Barla “Windows act as portholes between two different scenes. The view through a porthole can affect the mood of the person looking through it. Often mood also manifests in the drama of the view. The play of light, the things that stand out in the visual array and proximities, all play a key role in the drama. There is a sense of melancholy, at times a lonely longing for company after being alienated from someone, at times a simple peaceful solitude or a chaotic mess.� 30 Building Bridges
Blurred Video 20 minutes loop 2018
(Still from Video)
Windows Digital Photography Details from a set of 4 images 31 cm x 46 cm each 2017
Bhargav Barla (1992 Visakhapatnam, India) received a Master’s in painting at Visva-Bharati University, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Art Design and Performing Arts at Shiv Nadar University, Delhi. He uses photography as his primary tool, creating works that connect with his surroundings, thoughts and emotions. He has participated in exhibitions in Kolkata and Visakhapatnam. Building Bridges 31
Viewer interacting with Augmented Reality works @ Art Konsult Delhi
Dengke Chen Dense smog is occurring in cities across the world, causing respiratory diseases and death. Masks invented for protection from poison gas in World War II and dangerous levels of air pollution are growing in use. Are we leading ourselves to an era where every living creature needs to wear a gas mask to adapt? Worldwide construction and expansion has dramatically altered the landscape and changed the native species’ way of life. With narrations created from the animals’ point of view, Humanimal Kingdom is a digital animation/installation depicting the environmental impact of our civilized world, its consequences and by-products. 32 Building Bridges
Humanimal Kingdom Digital illustration, Augmented Reality & Digital App Details from a set of 4 Images Size variable 2017
Dengke Chen is currently Assistant Professor of Digital Arts at Stetson University. He received his MFA in New Media from Pennsylvania State University and his BA in Animation from China Central Academy of Fine Arts. His practice concentrates on new media art, 3D animation, computer games, illustration, and comic art. Building Bridges 33
Installation view @ Art Multi-disciplines Kolkata
Jasmina Runevska “These compositions tell stories about memory—like the hidden secrets of a woman not appropriate for sharing with society. The stories are put into drawers, boxes or closed objects, because nobody should listen, hear, or see them. No matter what the language, identity or role in society, we all have fears, hidden feelings, lost loved ones, oppressions, dreams, etc. Photos and sounds are honest documentations of the present, or the forgotten and hidden ‘here and now’ objects and words, keepers of the past in the present. They build bridges across difference, the traditional, modern and identities of others.” 34 Building Bridges
Memory Bridges Sound Installations and Digital Prints Details from a set of 5 images Size variable 2017
Jasmina Runevska (Born 1988), from Macedonia, is currently pursuing her Master’s in Gender Studies, and has received her BA in Visual Arts and Comparative Literature. Her works move between gender issues, identity and memory through objects, sounds and words. She has been part of several workshops, exhibitions and residencies in Hungary, France, Turkey and Serbia. Building Bridges 35
Kate McElroy in conversation with Norman Packard, Trustee, EAS @ Sumukha Gallery Bangalore India
Kate McElroy “Reaching, longing, offering, giving. Refusing, protecting, withdrawing, defending. Hands can portray the wealth of our often contradictory responses to each other. Urges to connect and belong, but also to push away and protect. Relationships are integral to who we are, from the beginning of time our survival depends on our network with others. Screens, walls, distance etc. can physically remove us from each other but even without these barriers we can wear our own psychological shields. Each individual contains within their own inner world, invisible to the eye.” Here, the artist plays with our focus to evoke an ambiguous representation on something that is normally seen as fixed. McElroy prompts us to look closer and by playing with our perceptions she invites the viewer to comprehend a reality beyond what is merely visible. For McElroy deeper understanding requires effort beyond what is merely surface value. A connection to one’s own inner processes and our right brain functions: intuition, empathy and emotion to fully try and comprehend another is required. This work displays a longing for this deeper type of intimacy. 36 Building Bridges
Connect? Performative Photographs printed on Acetate Details from a set of 6 images Editions: 1 2017
Kate McElroy is an artist from Ireland, where she has participated in shows extensively, including her recent solo show ‘Effusion’. Her work examines the evolving states of the individual. The relationship between body and mind, the self and the outer world, is embedded in McElroy’s practice. Building Bridges 37
Installation view @ Art Konsult Delhi
Nathi Khumalo “Having a rush of awkward dreams and seeking to attach reality to them. What’s known becomes seemingly forgotten, surfacing insecurities and fears. These images, taken around the CBD of Johannesburg, explore interrupted moments and scenes much like deja vu. Moving in and around different and familiar spaces is an experimental approach that aims at creating a puzzle. Most of the structures, built during colonial area, have now taken different meanings. Raising key questions, this work reminds us of where we came from and how we are reusing the same spaces and statues that represented oppression.� 38 Building Bridges
The Anomalies Analogue Photography Details from a set of 7 images Dimension Variable 2017
Nathi Khumalo is a photographer, from South Africa. His work deals with different social issues, from how families are constructed to the different effects of globalization and consumerism. Khumalo has exhibited in a number of group shows including Swedish Innovation 2015 and Africa Art fair 2017. In 2017 he won the Brainstorm magazine Calendar competition hosted by ITweb, and was sponsored by an American open software company RedHAt. Building Bridges 39
Installation view @ Art Konsult Delhi
Pranay Dutta “This series explores Himalayan utopia transforming into urban utopia. Reflecting on the degradation of vast expanses of serene lands, it envisions a future where Shangri-La, a hidden fictional mountain paradise, is infiltrated and sabotaged. Borders of this kingdom become palpable and vulnerable to breaches by human infiltration and urban structures. Just like ever expanding cities and the loss of surrounding uninhabited spaces, a place that was once in solitude is now left in a concrete rut. The structures look displaced, creating a sense of conflict. The organic forms of mountains repel urban structures, creating a sense of divide.� 40 Building Bridges
Seige of Shangri-la Photographs erased and reworked with ink and turpentine Details from a set of 10 images 6 inch x 8 inch each 2017-18
Pranay Dutta (born 1993) is pursuing a Master’s of Visual Arts at the University of Baroda, India. He works at the intersection of gaming, digital environments, found footage, sound and computer-generated imagery. Dutta has participated in “Horizon against Nature”, Gallery OED (collateral event of Kochi Biennale, 2016) and the 2017 KHOJ International Workshop and residency in Corjeum, Goa. Building Bridges 41
Installation view @ Art Konsult Delhi
Sarasija Subramanian “Breeding in captivity raises moral conflicts. Creatures will never know their true habitat and, therefore, will never miss home. Reflecting on paradoxical questions related to the interventions of man in nature, while engrossed in the workings of an Irish coral farm in the Inagh Valley, this work is a dialogue between contradictory modes of knowledge-how they simultaneously validate and disprove each other’s sanctity. Scientifically charged spaces, like the coral hatchery, seen in line with vast, untouched landscapes containing stories of the Celts, Druids and Lochness, offer different entryways into understanding the relationship of landscape, sea, man and nature.” 42 Building Bridges
Sea Monsters / Bred In Captivity Digital Prints and Digitized Drawings Details 152 cm x 71 cm (wall) 147 cm x 20 cmx 2 (accordion) 2017
Sarasija Subramanian (1992, Chennai, India) lives and works in Baroda and New Delhi. She attained her BFA and MFA in Painting from MSU Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda. She has participated in several shows and residencies including Archival Dialogues, Mumbai, Art el Centro, Biella, Italy, the Dumas Art Project, Surat, the Inlaks-UNIDEE Residency, Italy, Space118 Residency, Mumbai and the Interface Residency, Ireland. Building Bridges 43
Installation view @ Art Multi-disciplines Kolkata
Sonam Chaturvedi “This audio-visual installation is an experiment in disorienting the listener, with an attempt to confuse through intimacy of the voice, small size of the book and intricately detailed photographs. It functions to evoke the passage of time and an absence in presence. Rendering the memory towards incoherence, it overfeeds the brain, mixing visual, temporal and feeling contexts to interrupt psychological projections of segregated, singular and linear time constructs. Using techniques of partially revealed and hidden meanings, this project offers an audio/visual pastiche of clashing, fragmented and incoherent experiences layered onto the present, now.� 44 Building Bridges
‘Time, Thoughts Incoherent’ Sound (timelessloop) Hand made Artist’s book 11.43 cm x 15.24 cm Details 2017-18
Sonam Chaturvedi (born 1991, India), is a visual artist living and working in Delhi. She has actively participated in various group shows and residencies within India, including residencies at What About Art?, Mumbai, and Utsha Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Bhubaneswar, and group shows including a curated show by Meera Menezes at Bikaner House, Delhi. Building Bridges 45
Installation view @ Sumukha Gallery Bangalore
Souvik Majumdar “This photo series is about home, its inanimate objects, and how they reside. Of interest are the different approaches to the handling and arranging of the same objects according to their specific character by my mother, father and myself. Using negatives and inverted digital photos to provide a different perspective from what the human eye sees, this work uses the freedom of editing, to transform images into something different. The audio track aims to add to the portrait, building connections between still images and the sounds displaced from their environment.� 46 Building Bridges
Home Sound and digital negative photography installation Details Size variable 2017-18
Souvik Majumdar (1996) is earning his MFA from Shiv Nadar University, Delhi. He has participated in a group project at Kochi-Muziris Students’ Biennale 2016. Souvik’s work is personal, based on old memories, family, body obsessions, complexes, and sexuality. His work ranges from photography and video to painting and drawing. Building Bridges 47
Installation view @ Art Konsult Delhi
Tatjana Huong Hendrieckx “Envision is a mix of archive photos, new pictures and letters in one book. Exploring the idea of presumption, it is a reflection on my own story. From a young age, I have been bothered with stereotypes, looking Asian but considering myself Western. This book is a reflection on how we see, and the differences it can bring. Engaging deeply with my personal archive, including adoption letters, the book balances narrative text and visuals. Images of sculptures made by Charlot Van Geert add another layer and universal relevance to the topic.� 48 Building Bridges
Envision Artists Book 40 cm x 61 cm (closed size) Details of two pages 2017-18
Tatjana Henderieckx (1995, Ha Bac, Vietnam) living/ working in Antwerp, Belgium. Tatjana graduated as a Master photography at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp (Belgium). By living in between different cultures (born in Vietnam, growing up in Belgium) she reflects on the topics of belonging and home in her work. Tatjana was in several group exhibitions in China and Belgium. Building Bridges 49
Installation view @ Art Konsult Delhi
Vishal Kumaraswamy “Using toxic masculinity as an example, as well as a metaphor, for oppressive behavior and the need to conform, Man Up! references some of the discussions with artists on the Building Bridges blog. These conversations skirted the topic of colonization and its effects, as well as the metaphysical discourse surrounding notions of ‘the other’, clairvoyance in our individual practices and the lines we could draw between them. The work intends to articulate that all oppression is about power and power is individual by highlighting the state of gender equality as its focus.” 50 Building Bridges
Man Up! Video 4.10 sec loop 2017-18 (Stills from Video)
Vishal Kumaraswamy is a multi-disciplinary artist and filmmaker from Bangalore, India. His works have been shown at various exhibitions including The Venice Biennale. He was invited to be a part of the Arcs of a Circle Artist Residency in association with the U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai in Dec 2017. Building Bridges 51
Interview with the Curator
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Installing Souvik Majumdar’s sound & photo installation @ Building Bridges, Art Multi-disciplines, Kolkata Jan 2018
Project Building Bridges a durational, digital and new media collaborative project between Emergent Art Space, San Francisco, USA and Indian artist-curator Ushmita Sahu, commenced with an International open call in August 2017 and ended with threecity shows in India between January & March 2018. Technology has always inspired artists to produce work relevant to their times and the present digital era has stimulated a new kind of reality. Ushmita Sahu has explored issues surrounding internet to develop a one of a kind initiative where 7 Indian and 6 International artists ( all within 30 years of age) were selected via an open call. These artists participated in a month-long closed community blog, followed by a mentoring period where they created new works in various digital mediums like photography, video, sound installation, augmented reality etc. These were first exhibited as an online show on Emergent Art Space website and then as a tri-city travelling show in India.
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How did the name ‘Building Bridges’ come about?
When I first approached Grazia Peduzzi, Director of Emergent Art Space, with a proposal for a collaboration, we had numerous email conversations on various issues. Of these, some touched upon the socio-political scenario in our respective countries and instances of growing intolerance across the globe. Our discussions also questioned whether art really has the power to cut across polarizing forces and create a platform where a free sharing of opinions might be possible. And we both agreed that as an alternative to raising walls, real or metaphorical, there is an urgent collective need to build bridges of empathy. So the rubric for the project emerged very organically from our conversations and became its defining principle.
How and why did you conceive the idea of the virtual space as a dais to create and share?
The cyber world is quite a fascinating organism - it offers different forms of engagement compared to conventional ways of interaction, continually providing newer avenues of communication, most of which exist in the public sphere, yet remains anonymous in nature. I wished to explore this amorphous quality of the medium and see if it might be channelled to create a valid, democratic platform that offered contemporary frameworks of dialogue and dissent; a forum where artists from various backgrounds would be free to exchange ideas and understand the ‘other’. I was also thinking of the Tagore’s famous words “where the mind is without fear’’ as a point of departure. De-territorialization is another interesting aspect of cyberspace. By making geopolitical boundaries fluid, it abolishes notions of distance. It is second nature to us to communicate across vast distances all the time. Yet all this constant interconnected-ness is a conceptual blur. Do we listen? Do we understand the other? Do we look beyond the surface? All these ideas were playing out in my mind and formed the conceptual framework for the project.
Could you talk about the Interactive Community blog?
The blog was the core of the programme. Right from the outset, it was highlighted as important and non-optional. Selected artists were expected to make themselves available for this monthlong activity. So it was a serious commitment that was being asked of the artists. Before the result was announced, emails were sent out confirming the availability of each artist for a month from 5th October to 5th November 2017. So everyone was aware of what was expected of them. Grazia Peduzzi and I had noted down some icebreaker questions, loosely based around the concerns of each artist, to help them begin the dialogic process. For instance one of the questions dwelt upon “Home” as a cultural construct. Another evoked Transmigration and displacement as a global/personal concern and material for artistic intervention. Some artists chose to write in response to these queries, while others looked into their own personal areas of interest.
Did it all go according to plan and did you learn from the process?
Well, mostly it did go as planned. But then writing is not everyone’s forte. Some artists were more active and erudite than others. But each blog post was thought-provoking and was responded to by the other artists as well as the Emergent Art Space team. This initiated varied and interesting dialogues - for instance, Nathi Kumhalo while discussing the postcolonial issues he faces in South Africa found resonances of his situation within another culture. This realisation of a shared history was groundbreaking for him. This is just one instance, but I think each one of us took
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Installing Nathi Khumalo’s works @ Art Konsult, Delhi Feb 2018
away something from the process.
What challenges did the physical exhibitions pose?
After the interaction, the artists were given a two- month period to create new works. As a Curator I played an active mentoring role at this stage, interpreting their concepts and guiding them based on their individual project proposals. This was quite challenging as each of the thirteen artists had different visions. To help give form to nebulous ideas is a role of great responsibility. It needs a lot of empathy as there is a very fine line between helping and imposing. Yet there were times when it was necessary to employ a firm hand, as I was the only one aware of the larger picture and had to make decisions keeping in mind the three physical shows, their limitations, what was possible and what might not work.
Emergent Art Space has generously supported the entire project. The artists only needed to share their digital output over the internet and it was my role as the curator, to download each one and give them a physical form. In a couple of instances, I had the complete onus of translating the work. In the case of Tatjana Henderieckx’s artist book, I had to make decisions on her behalf right down to deciding the size of the printable book, quality of paper, type of binding - choices usually made by the artist. I am really honoured that each artist trusted me completely to give shape to their works. So in a way, I was collaborating with them on a much deeper level.
How important was it to have a physical encounter of the works and how was the experience of a physical show different to that of a virtual one?
The initial idea had been an online project - about bringing people together, creating a platform for exchanging ideas and constructing an online show on Emergent Art Space website. However, it soon became clear that a physical show was important to share the project with a wider audience. In our country, virtual viewership of art is still quite limited in its scope. And as the Building Bridges 55
Curatorial walk-through with NID Gandhinagar Students @ Art Konsult, Delhi, Feb 2018
project concerned itself with building bridges, bringing the project to a larger audience many of whom might not be conversant with new media practices, made sense. So we thought of taking the show to three cities in different parts of India - Kolkata in the East, Delhi the capital of India in the North and Bangalore in the Southern part of India - each city is well known for its art connoisseurship. In addition, the Delhi chapter of the project was planned to coincide with the India Art Fair 2018, hence it experienced a sizeable footfall. All the three iterations received very positive critical reviews and were covered in print and television media at both regional and National levels.
It was quite an undertaking to give physical form to the virtual project and it proved no less a challenge to organise a travel show where each exhibition space had different dimensions. A.M. Studio in Kolkata is a small intimate space compared to Art Konsult, Delhi and Sumukha Gallery Bangalore. Decisions on how to highlight each work is a major concern in any group show, here, with multiple works by each artist this was exponentially increased. I had to literally create three versions of the show without diluting the overall vision.
You mentioned that you met a few of the artists for the first time at the show travelled to Delhi. How did it feel encountering the artist’s virtual self, vis a vis their real self?
It was exciting to meet the artists, as some of them had travelled from various parts of the world for the show. Tatiana Henderieckx came for the Delhi show from Amsterdam, Kate McElroy came from Ireland for the Bangalore opening. The Indian artists Ashok Vish, Sonam Chaturvedi, Sarasija Subramanian, Bhargav Barla, Vishal Kumaraswamy and Pranay Dutta came for multiple openings. This reflects the importance of the project for them. For me getting to know them personally added another dimension to what I had learnt about them through their work.
What was the QR Code wall within the project?
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It was important to have an interactive element to the shows, so keeping this in mind walkthrough and presentations had been organised. But I wanted an element of surprise. As the show was about the digital medium, I asked each artist to create Quick Response codes, commonly known as QR codes. These are similar to barcodes and can be programmed to take the users to a wide range of online content. The QR Codes in the show, when scanned, took the viewer to websites, videos, images, ringtones, or interactive games created by the artists. The internet allows us universal and inexpensive access to a wide variety of communication media and models, making it easy to have free, instantaneous virtual exchanges across geographical boundaries. The interactive wall extended the scope of the show beyond the white cube space. It was fun to see viewers scanning the codes!
So you think the internet plays an important role in visual arts both as a medium and as a platform?
The younger generation is truly the cyber generation and they are as fluent as they are comfortable with it. I think this makes it easier for them to adapt and adopt newer mediums such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence, robotics etc. They are literally developing the new frontiers where art and technology meet. Also the nature of dissemination of information over the net has broken down many hierarchic roles, hence one can see more and more artists exploring this medium.
Can you talk about the role of Emergent Art Space within the project?
Emergent Art Space and its director Grazia Peduzzi have been the backbone of this project. in addition to sponsoring the project, they offered unstinting help and support. EAS staff and volunteers worked continuously in the background to ease the way at every stage. The blog, the virtual online show, interviewing the artists, archiving all the material would not have been possible without Victoria Ayala and Ann Wettrich. Also, the Building Bridges project module was Curatorial walk-through @ Sumukha Gallery Bangalore, March 2018
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a new experiment for EAS - this was the first time that they gave complete autonomy to the local partner. The absolute faith Grazia placed in me spurred me to give my very best. I was honoured to have Grazia Peduzzi and Norman Packard for the opening of the Bangalore show.
What is your personal experience that you take away from this kind of a multi-layered project?
Personally speaking, this was a completely new experience for me, as it was for the artists and Emergent Art Space. The project looked into a new area, at least I am not aware if something on similar lines has been attempted - if yes I would really be interested to compare notes! It would be simplistic to just say that I enjoyed it. I thought of, lived and breathed the project for almost a year. And I have learnt an inordinate amount from it. It has been really close to my heart.
But what makes me glad is how Building Bridges has branched into other iterations. Since the project, Tatjana and Sonam have collaborated with other young artists for a pop-up show in Delhi, Sonam has also visited Tatjana in Belgium. Recently I was invited to curate a moving image show for the 2018 WNDX festival in Winnipeg Canada and Ashok Vish, Sonam Chaturvedi, Souvik Majumdar & Vishal Kumaraswamy were selected on basis of the Building Bridges project works. An invitation to bring Building Bridges to another country is in the pipeline. If the measure of any project is in how it adds new meaning to peoples lives or how lasting friendships are forged, or how it lives up to its premise, then yes Building Bridges has been a success indeed!
Ushmita Sahu is an artist, writer and independent curator based in Santiniketan, West Bengal, India. 58 Building Bridges
The Three Shows Kolkata Delhi Bangalore
Kolkata 10 Jan to 21 Jan 2018
New Delhi 02 Feb to 12 Feb 2018
Bangalore 17 Mar to 28 Mar 2018
Media Reviews
‘Cutting Across Barriers’, Matters of Art, New Delhi Feb 15 2018
‘How art and technology redefine the self and transcend boundaries’, Your Story , Bangalore
‘Building Bridges over High Walls’, The Telegraph, Kolkata
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‘Building Bridges’, Art&Deal, New Delhi
‘Building Bridges’, Matters of Art, New Delhi March 15 2018
‘‘Building Bridges at Gallery Sumukha’’, Art Scene India , Bangalore
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Ushmita Sahu, Project Curator Grazia Peduzzi, Director EAS Prof. Anshuman Dasgupta - Juror Prof. Prasanta Sahu - Juror Suresh Jayram and the 1 Shanthi Road Team The EAS Team Ann Wettrich, Victoria Ayala All the Three Galleries and their Teams AM Studio in Kolkata, Art Konsult in Delhi & Gallery Sumukha in Bangalore Publication Designer - Rajarshi Dutta Photo Credits Grazia Peduzzi, Ushmita Sahu, Prasanta Sahu, Bhargav Barla, Ruma Choudhury, Sonam Chaturved, Prashanta Seal and others
Emergent Art Space is an international non profit organization based in San Francisco, California. Our mission is to connect and give exposure to young artists around the world, to promote cross cultural dialogue, exchange, and communication through art. Emergent Art Space provides an online platform where artists can share their work, ideas, experiences, stories and projects as well as live international exhibitions which showcase young and emerging talents from around the world. We believe that the visual language of art has the power to spark dialogue and understanding, to open new perspectives on our experience in the world, and to enrich our lives through the understanding of arts and traditions novel and unfamiliar. Information technologies and the internet have created unprecedented channels of communication across the globe. We can use them to tear down barriers, to open our understanding of cultures, experiences and traditions different from our own, to genuinely communicate across borders. We engage art and the new technologies to foster dialogue and conversation across geographical and cultural distances. www.emergentARTspace.org info@emergentartspace.org facebook@emergentartspace
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