Poetics of Plurality e-catalogue

POETICS OF PLURALITY

POETICS OF PLURALITY 19th February - 12th March 2016

SITE art space

779 , G.I.D.C. , Makarpura, Baroda 390010, Gujarat, India +919898050280 | gidc779@gmail.com

gallery note

SITE art Space is an incredible art initiative by RCS, and has been dedicated in designing and developing spectacular products from eco-friendly materials. Our commitment of marrying innovation with aesthetics reflects in our wide array of products that score high on easy mobility; be it a curio or a life-size installation, our work reflects true craftsmanship. Our love for art and interaction with the artist community over the years, led us to realise that an experimental facility along with a innovative space for display would be a wonderful service to the art community. A need was felt for a creative approach to cater to the ever-changing definition of contemporary art. Hence, SITE art Space came to life and there has been no looking back. This space has been created primarily to explore all possible interventions and experimentations in art and creativity across mediums. SITE art Space, has till date exhibited a remarkable collection of young, upcoming as well as renowned artists. Paintings, sketches, illustrations, installations and more – art and creativity dwell in every inch of this space. With inspiring lectures and discussions at regular intervals, we intend to keep the dialogue open between critical theory and art practices.

Our latest endeavour ‘Poetics of Plurality’ curated by Ushmita Sahu brings together 26 Indian contemporary artists who all share the same alma mater – the historical Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan and thus continues our aim of promoting stellar art events

Manish Maheshwari Director Site art space

artists

Amritah Sen

Mithu Sen

Anirban Mitra

Moutushi Chakraborty

Anupam Chakraborty

Mahjabin Majumdar

Archana Hande

Murali Cheeroth

Arpan Mukherjee

Paula Sengupta

Ashim Purkayastha

Prasanta Sahu

Asis Mahakhud

Priya Ravish Mehra

Akhiljith Krishnan

Sanchayan Ghosh

Birendra Pani

Shakuntala Kulkarni

Chattrapati Dutta

Sharmi Chowdhury

Farhad Hussain

Surekha

Indraparamit Roy

T V Santosh

Jayashree Chakravarty

Tanmoy Samanta

curatorial note

POETICS OF PLURALITY

The primary motivation behind any exhibition which brings together a number of diverse art practitioners must by necessity lie in conceptual vantage points of convergence. In this instance the impetus was to trace an arc between institute and the practice of artists who have, at some point studied there. The artists in this show collectively span a period of approximately forty years of Kala Bhavana pedagogy, from the late 1970’s to as recent as 2015. Although this exhibition does not follow any particular chronology, nor claim to be a historical overview of an institute and its contributions - for instance the spatial arts have not been represented due to logistical constraints, yet this convergence of varied practices of a group of contemporary artists, who share the same alma mater, could be regarded as investigative “sites” of change. Taken as a whole, it might be possible to get a clearer picture of institutional, individual as well as collective shifts in trajectories. This syzygy of institute-pedagogy-artist alignment may also be a reflection on the cultural relevance of Kala Bhavana almost a hundred years from its inception.

Cultures are formed through knowledge and knowledge practices.

If we define who we are by where we have been and where we are headed, then the past gives meaning to the present. Our engagement with history and subjectivity, as with the politics of space, time and context, becomes the point of interlocution with the contemporary socio-cultural matrix. For artists, this re/engagement is reflected in the transformative and inclusive nature of art practice. Contemporary art practice itself is growingly pedagogic in nature whence dialogic process acts as an epistemological framework; an open ended methodology and inquiry based approach where critical reflection is paramount. Collective or community based art practice is becoming an important attribute of cultural dialogue that concerns a larger framework of identity. Pedagogy forms the means and medium of this new art practice. Even those artists who may not be pedagogic in their practice cannot be divorced from the greater cultural discourse. A two way process, pedagogy involves a vision about society, human nature, knowledge and its production and concerns itself with cultural, historical and institutional contexts. This vital engagement with a community based, humanistic and inclusive system was particularly central to the pedagogical ideals of Tagore’s Kala Bhavana.

The history and practice of art creates its own methodological and operative instruments that serve to collate/ create new pedagogies.

To Rabindranath, Nandalal Bose, Ramkinkar Baij and Benode Behari Mukherjee modernism was neither a style nor a form of internationalism; it was a critical re-engagement with the foundational aspect of art necessitated by change in one’s unique historical position. (R Siva Kumar- the making of a contextual modernism) Kala Bhavana (founded 1919) started as an educational experimentation,

its programme questioned the existing colonial, skills based, limited in purpose didactic practice and moved consciously away towards addressing individual needs, possibilities and potential and tried to bridge Eastern concepts of art, traditions and pedagogy, with a relationship to the rest of the world. Although located far from urban centres of education, it was never meant to be isolationist in its values. The curriculum carried out research into traditional techniques and other more popular art forms, even as international cultural relations were fostered alongside. Affinity between traditional and contemporary cultures was explored via a direct engagement with people and things in living situations. Aesthetical and pedagogical practices emphasised community life in its relation to nature, and were understood to be part of a greater whole which involved all the arts and craft. That the initial years of this programme was successful can be gauged from the fact that this single institute produced artists such as Benode Behari, Ram Kinkar Baij, K.G.Subramanyan, theoreticians like Jaya Appasamy and Prithwish Neogy, designer Riten Mazumdar and filmmaker Satyajit Ray. This was a defining moment in Indian modernist history where a unique collaboration/ cohabitation of transnational, national and local modalities created a distinct counter modernism. A transition in perspective was witnessed in the seventies with coming on board of new faculty like Somenath Hore, Sanat Kar, Sarbari Roy Chowdhury, Jogen Chowdhury and others. The next perceptible change around the nineties owes itself not just to the arrival of several young faculty members who brought with them an awareness of the new wave of art practice, but this new chapter coincided with the collective change in the context of Indian art which was undergoing a fundamental transformation. Post nineties society has witnessed a transition from socialist – humanist practice to more network oriented lifestyle. Traditionally, institutes were the key to knowledge, in both a physical and philosophical sense. Now knowledge was open to anyone globally with a device and connectivity — not just facts and figures, but also analysis, interpretation, and curation of knowledge. This obviously created new modalities in terms of modus operandi, structure and value.

Pedagogy is a dual process of shaping and being shaped.

A pertinent question involving individual self realisation is a break away from hegemony. One’s own voice, although born out of or stimulated by another, must sooner or later assert itself. This question of a legitimate guidance and its deep seated influences at the beginning of a career are sometimes lost as a practice gathers momentum and picks up influences beyond the institution. It may be important to confront the antecedents of one’s own career and reassess the later growth in light of the early lessons learnt and absorbed, which could have been nascent trigger points towards a mature praxis. Hence it is vital to look into the pedagogical ‘ab initio’ which could influence questions of (a) strategies of identity via negotiation (b) re-contextualising of subjective position vis a vis history and locus.

If its pedagogy, history and locus are what distinguish Kala Bhavana, then the moot question is how has changing socioeconomic, cultural and situational lifestyle affected the characteristics which made it unique? Even as it adjusts to changes, does the universities somewhat insular culture stymie opportunities for diversification? Having spoken with the participating

artists about their experiences as students, present day faculty or even as visitors who occasionally return to the folds of the alma mater, it becomes clear that different pedagogic iterations fostering a broad-based system that tapped into the best features of Tagore’s vision, has worked over the years to challenge the monoculturalism that art and design education can, at times, endorse. Santiniketan’s learning experience outside the classroom, the informal discussion with the teachers and peers, inter-departmental porosity, proximity to nature, and exposure to a practice of community based art festivals, rituals and an inclusive art practice where music, theatre, poetry, public art and sculpture is an extension of engagement with a humanistic system, is what most remember as important lessons learned.

Shakuntala Kulkarni who studied in the late seventies in Kala Bhavana fondly remembers Somenath Hore as an abiding influence who taught her to look at linearity as a form of expression, a form which she also found in the lines of kaash and wild grass growing all around. One could trace this to her present body suits. What Kulkarni calls her ‘wearable sculptures’, have been shaped from cane into costumes. Armatures of nonexistent armours; transparent yet forbidding, these sculptural apparel, cage and shield at the same time raising questions of vulnerability as well as resistance. Jayashree Chakravarty, a contemporary of Kulkarni, is one of the very few abstract artists to emerge from Kala Bhavana. Although Santiniketan did not have an apparent abstract schooling like other art institutes, it did have a strong presence of design and decorative arts.

But it was possibly the natural environment which inspired Jayashree to look beyond the apparent. Even today nature is the focus of her practice, but it has always been conceived through an urban sensibility. Thus simultaneously an urban and a natural space constitute her visual register. In Vineyard through multiple layers of pigments, marks and lines Jayashree tries to express her experiences of spatial ruptures, and constant changes the land goes through.

Change in the land is also of interest to Sanchayan Ghosh who has been working on site-specific and community based art activities. Tree Study Santiniketan project is about looking at representation from multiple points of view and generating a critical environment around the method of landscape as a practice and not merely a form of depiction. Ghosh has worked within academic space as well as with local tribal villages to reflect on their present relationship with environment. He has generated community based performance dialogues and intervention on the landscape of Santiniketan both as a faculty and as a resident of Santiniketan and continues to evolve strategies of pedagogy as an artistic endeavour. In a related vein Akhiljith Krishnan who completed his post graduation a year ago and is a former student of Ghosh, shares certain areas of commonality with his teacher. Krishnan resides among the Santhals of Pearsonpalli, Santiniketan and is deeply influenced by the philosophy and way of living of these tribal people. In his video Passing Soul Krishnan investigates changes within the tribal culture as well their relationship to natural environment and how deforestation, changing climate, urbanisation act as threats to a slowly disappearing way of life Two artists whose choice of medium ties them to the Santiniketan heritage are Tanmoy Samanta and Sharmi Chowdhury.

Although both use the traditional medium of tempera, their approach is contemporary. Samanta is fascinated by the ordinary, the mundane. His works, due to the inherent characteristics of the medium, are curiously devoid of verisimilitude. This in

fact lends them a shape shifting fluidity; an attribute which Samanta exploits with great finesse to lay bare the bones of his subject in his pair of tondos Fugitive and Hooked. Whether interiors, landscapes or objects, Samanta approaches each with the mind of a poet and the curiosity of a child. Sharmi on the other hand is passionately interested in the lives of her fellow beings and their continuous struggles which she tries to capture in various ways; sometimes adopting the narrative mode of documenting life around her, sometimes working with metaphors. Her use of paper is linked to a fragile reminiscence of a bygone era. In her stone colour on traditional paper work The Words above the Mountain Sharmi tries to trace subliminal movements of emotional memory.

Priya Ravish Mehra’s woven tapestries are inspired by the immaculate designs she perceives in nature. Sourcing discarded thread from textile students of Kala Bhavana and reworking it with paper pulp, in Thread, Priya creates a metaphor of the visible and invisible to invoke sudden, unexpected and violent ruptures in the once-reliable order of things. In linking past and present, discarded and coveted, Priya raises questions of identity and value. Anupam Chakravarty also uses paper both as an independent medium, as well in combination with other plastic art forms. Hailing from a joint family system where people of different generations live together, Chakravarty is sensitive to the problems of the elderly. His ongoing series Ageing deals with the psychological and physiological deterioration that comes with old age. The use of iron dust that rusts with time alludes to ideas of fragility, temporality and spatial displacement. Amritah Sen uses paper in the form of handmade artist books and constructions aimed at an interactive approach. Counting books, illustrations and Satyajit Ray among her inspirations, Amritah interacts with people at random, at times taking up collective stories which give her works a social /anthropological perspective apart from the individual one. Amritah’s intention is to bring the viewer close to each work, encouraging them to handle the works/books physically and immerse themselves in the dichotomous play between virtual versus real time. Life is a journey. And nothing else could be placed in the lineage of the illustrative books of late nineteenth century.

Paula Sengupta works across mediums that include printmaking, textiles and embroidery, papermaking, and much else.

The Monkey & the Dog draws on the indigenous craft and textile traditions of Tibet, as also the religious symbolism, rituals and practices of Tibetan Buddhism – all of which constitute the cultural pivot around which their society revolves. It also derives from the linear quality of the traditional thangkas, the continuous narrative unfolding as a long accordion book. The work largely developed from stories of exiled Tibetans, dwells on memory as a repository, re-creation of a culture, and the struggle to hold on to a threatened cultural identity. Records of local oral histories and stories of a region are also the subject of Archana Hande’s photo series The Golden Feral Trail which work around the ideas of hybridity, exchange and migration.

Hande’s interest lies in the claim of identity, which is not bounded by geographical or religious borders. Her research has taken Hande from North America to Africa to Western to East South Asia and to follow the thread that starts with the British Trade; A trade which also records the import and export of animals, seeds and plants, particularly those that have become a feral or weed – an ecological problem. For Hande history, loss of identity and power all intermingle to create alternate

tales of human history.

Moutushi Chakraborty combines Photography and Screen printing in her art practice. She has been documenting archived photographs of Colonial India. This research informs her creative journey of the past 15 years, wherein she constructs a visual language tracing the mutation of feminine identity from Pre to Post Colonial era. The artist visualises the feminine body as a discursive entity. Her works are an intrepid celebration of feminine grit, beauty and sensuality that do not conform to prevalent cannons of endorsement, rather questions their integrity in a subtle vocabulary of dark humour. Chattrapati Dutta’s Sher-e-Hind satirically tries to look at the colonised Bravado that we so much cherish in the Indian context; placed in a ‘here & now’ situation, within the back drop of history as a reference point. It is also about the common man as he looks upon himself in the shadow of Icons. Arpan Mukherjee’s project Fairer people = Beautiful People= Powerful people deals with the Indian obsession of fairness. The book ‘Indian race and tribes’ an anthropological photography documentation of nineteenth century inspired Mukherjee to document the portraits of ‘dark skinned’ people with the same method of photography known as ‘Wet Plate Collodian’ which had been used to document Indian races and tribes in 19th century.

Mukherjee’s investigation is a layered study of beauty and identity.

Identity, gender and sexuality are the liminal points of Mithu Sen’s oeuvre. Sen provokes the viewers, enticing them into her personal space, a space that brinks on the bizarre and the dreamlike. Sen’s practice stems from a strong drawing background that has extended into video, sculpture, installations, and sound works that further draw the viewer into her psyche. In addition to popular images that she turns into puns, many of the recurring motifs in her dreamlike works, such as teeth, birds, and spinal columns, have deeper psychoanalytic readings that tie into our subconscious thoughts about sexuality. Farhad Hussain creates an eclectic rhetoric using humour and sarcasm as weapons. Farhad revisits various source elements such as Miniature paintings, Kalighat pat, Bazaar paintings, Classical and Oriental designs, Japanese prints and images from contemporary entertainment world to dissect human relationships. In Flying Family the tropes Hussain uses, such as the laughing grimace brings a discomforting conflict into the scenes he paints. These apparently happy images, may be symbolic of a growing disconnect within human relationships which hides the murky side of behind a bright coloured facade. This ambiguity plays a central role in Hussain’s works.

Anirban Mitra rejects grand narratives for localised ‘Meta’ narratives which tells a story about a story; encompassing and explaining ‘little stories’ within totalizing schemas. He deals with these from specific local context as well as the diversity of human experience. For Anirban the juxtaposition of readymade images or signs taken from popular culture creates interplay between different fragments, making use of pastiche and discontinuity. Images sourced from cartoons, news photographs, technical drafting, famous paintings and movie stills overlapped in a claustrophobic and psychedelic melee may be comparable to the small town aesthetics anywhere in India. Birendra Pani relooks at contemporary material culture and the negligence of ‘local’ ethos, history, mythology, memory and identity. Pani feels consumerist attitude has penetrated deep into the human psyche, thus in his works he explores the reflection of the embodied self with respect to

change in value, knowledge and culture. In his series Handmade Memories Pani juxtaposes contemporary sensibilities with the traditional from his native Odisha to create interplay and contradictions. Mahjabin Majumdar’s work Postcards 5 inspired by Shakti Chattopadhyay’s poem ‘The Key’ inhabits the cusp between past and present. Born in Bangladesh, Mahjabin straddles the co-existence of her immediate surroundings - the everyday alongside the bitter-sweet sense of loss and dilemma of homeland. Perhaps due to memories and associations with two overlapped spaces of estrangement and togetherness, the artist wishes to create an alternative space in which to belong and rest.

Ashim Purkayastha tries to capture the trauma and problems of society in his works, many of which are socially and politically conscious. In his stamp series, the artist works over arrays of revenue stamps, marking them with miniature, images; In Mother and Child, Purkayastha paints images of an emaciated skeletal child over stamps of ‘Newborn Health in India’ turning these into scathing observations of the chasm between reality and propaganda. T.V. Santosh has been working with themes of war and terrorism for some time now. He appropriates imagery from news events and reworks them in his sensitive water colours and oils, turning them into elegiac representations of the ravages of violence. Protagonist V shows a man holding crutches and the Indian National Flag. Is this a mordant commentary about a failing and indifferent Nation State? Prasanta Sahu tries to execute things as they appear in reality, and give them a different meaning altogether by juxtaposing images from dissimilar areas. His practice could be viewed as re-constructions and investigation of events.

Blueprint of a City is part of his ongoing series which examines the ‘unknown multitudes’ that serve the society in many different ways for the fulfillment of basic human needs and daily survival, but themselves remain unacclaimed for their contributions. Sahu’s work intervenes into these areas and exposes situations that are unrecognised and marginalised yet are important for the fabrication of contemporary society.

Murali Cheeroth’s current explorations include urbanization and urban cultures. He looks closely at the ideas of reconstruction, infrastructure, technology, speed and change, intersections of local and the global, multiple layers of urban identities and so on. In his painting Seeds on the left bank of the river – V Cheeroth plays with popular culture and kitsch while referring to a wide variety of sources in the cultural sphere such as fine art, cinema, music and architecture. Indrapramit Roy’s works are part of an on-going project that deals primarily with spaces with very strong human associations but no human presence. A desire to simply document spaces experienced lived-in or objects seen, possessed, touched. Indrapramit prefers to rework genres such as ‘still life’ and more recently ‘landscapes’. His landscapes such as Liminal Zone (reflections)-2 are mostly cityscapes, places of concentrated human habitation often seen in a transient light, waiting for something to happen. There are certain images that persistently demands release from the confines of the mind and leave their marks.

These invisible marks span the whole gamut, from the formal to the sentimental: deeply melancholic and yet strangely

celebratory. They work ways, consigning things to the memory and also becoming constructs of the memory Surekha uses photography and video installations to interrelate the domains of archiving, documenting and performing, by reflecting on how visuality can engage with socially engaged aesthetics. Her triptych “Revisit” is an assemblage of three images taken while revisiting the place she studied in and feels she belongs to. The vastness of space which is unique to Santiniketan, within which players and actors come and go seasonally, over varying periods, is something Surekha feels deep affinity to. To her time and space seems to stand still, no matter how many times she revisits the space. Revisit is a photo-action, about friendship and a reflection on the rikshaw pullers who marked the mindscape of Surekha’s Santiniketan.

Asis Mahakhud works with digital manipulation, animation, video and audio installations as well as painting and his main source of inspiration is history and archives. In his work ‘Virtual Conference’ which draws from both history and digital technology, Mahakhud revisits the three masters of Santiniketan – Tagore, Nandalal Bose and Ramkinkar Baij. Starting from the premise of a present day imagined dialogue between the three the artist uses archival voice tracks and edits them to create a fictional dialogue. This nuanced video is a layered rumination on the cyclicality of time and reassessment of the past though the eyes of the present.

To sum up, Poetics of Plurality may be seen as a collation of similarities or diversities which highlight the common denominator – the inclusive nature of art practice, where learning involves a transformation of identity through processes of negotiation.

Upholding the inspiration that art mediates the collective and collaborative process of knowledge production, which addresses the local as well as global, in some measure keeps alive the spirit of Santiniketan and bridges past pedagogies with contemporary art practices.

Ushmita Sahu

AMRITAH SEN Born 1973 in Kolkata, Amritah completed her B.F.A. as well as M.F.A in Painting from Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan between 1997 and 1999. A recipient of National Scholarship from the Government of India, Amritah has several solo and group shows to her credit. Notable amongst these are ‘Do you still happen?’ – at Gandhara Art Gallery, Kolkata, 2010 / ‘Being Black’ – at Ganges Art Gallery, Kolkata, 2013 / Works on paper – organized by Victoria Knox Company, Switzerland and curated by Alka Pandey and Gallery Akar Prakar at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, 2011. Amritah has been part of residency programmes such as Britto Art Trust, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2014/ Residency program at Theertha Residency, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 2015. She has also participated in Cologne Paper Art, Germany, 2012 / United Art Fair, New Delhi, 2013 /Dhaka Art Summit, Bangladesh with Ganges Art Gallery, 2014. Amritah Sen Lives and works in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Life is a journey. And nothing else.

Size Variable | 2015 Hand-constructed Accordion Books in 3 parts Digital print, ink, thread, glue, water colour and collage on 240 gsm mat coated Needlepoint paper Courtesy: Artist

ANIRBAN MITRA Born in 1981 Kolkata, Anirban Mitra has completed his BFA (2006) and MFA in Painting (2008) from Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan.

A recipient of National Scholarship from the Government of India in painting between 2007 to 2009, Anirban is also a recipient of the prestigious PollockKrasner Foundation Grant (2015). He has participated in numerous shows and exhibitions including the ANIMAMIX Biennial – Visual Attract & Attack 20092010 Museum of Contemporary Art, Moca, Taipei, Taiwan / India Art Fair New Delhi 2015, 2014 & 2012/ Art Basel/ Hong Kong Art Fair 2014/ ‘Beyond Superflat’ at Sakhshi Gallery, Taiwan Taipei 2011/ Giant Elephant Indian Contemporary Art Exhibition, Gong Art Space, Korea 2011. He has had a solo ‘Inspecting the Construction’ at Sakshi Gallery Mumbai, 2013.He has also been part of the Glenfiddich Distillery Art residency, Dufftown, Banffshire, Scotland 2009. Anirban Mitra lives and works from Baidyabati, Hoogly, West Bengal, India.

Bulb Ka Jalna (Drawing/Study) 64 inches x 40 inches Acrylic on Canvas 2016 Courtesy: Artist

ANUPAM CHAKRAVARTY Born 1966, Kolkata Anupam Chakravarty completed his BFA in Painting from Kala Bhavana, Viswa Bharati, Santiniketan (1992) and MFA in Printmaking from M. S. University, Vadodara (1994). A Post Graduate in Papermaking from Glasgow School of Art, UK (2000), he is also a recipient of the JRF (1995), SRF (2011) and National scholarship (1992) of the HRD, Govt of India. Chakravarty is also a Charles Wallace Trust Fellowship (1999) awardee. He has participated in several group shows such as The Loft Gallery, Glasgow, UK/ Artist Proof, Chemould Gallery Mumbai / Santiniketan in London, Royal College of Art, London . He has several Solos to his credit such as Galerie 88 Kolkata 2007/ Artcore Vadodara 2001 and Atelier Uetlibergstrasse Zurich Switzerland 1997. Chakravarty is a guest faculty at the NIFT, Kolkata and the founder & creative director of Nirupama Academy of Handmade Paper, Kolkata. Anupam Chakravarty lives and works in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Ageing III (Detail) 22 inch x 29 inch Rust on Handmade Paper (Cotton Rag Fibre) 2014 Courtesy: Artist

ARCHANA HANDE Born 1970, Mumbai Hande did her B.F.A in Printmaking from Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan from 1986-1991 and M.F.A in Printmaking, M.S. University, Baroda (1993). Among her numerous solos are POI/Bharat Ke Log, Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Bombay, India 2014/ ‘The Golden Feral Trail’, LLCCA Laverton Outback Gallery, Laverton, Western Australia 2014/ The Golden Feral Trail, Spaced HUB, Spaced 2: future recall, International Art Space, Perth WA, Australia 2014/ All is Fair in Magic White, Z2O Galleria l Sara Zanin, Roma, Italy 2010. Some of her important group projects are -‘One and one make eleven’, Contemporary Art from India, Curated by Eveline Suter, Kunsthaus Langenthal, Switzerland. (Projectww.arrangeurownmarriage.com) 2015 /Continuing Traditions, Les Traditions Perpetuelles, Akar Prakar in collaboration with the Embassy of India in France and the Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India, in Musee de la Toile de Jouy, Versailles, France (Project: The silk route) 2015. The artist lives and works in – Bombay / Bangalore, India.

The Golden Feral Trail (DETAIL) Location: Laverton, Western Australia Wangai Land, Indian Ocean Trade 11.33 x 17 inches (set of three) Digital Print on archival paper Edition 2/5 2013-14 Courtesy: Chemould Prescott Road and the Artist

ARPAN MUKHERJEE Born 1977 in Santiniketan, Arpan Mukherjee completed both BFA & MFA from Visva Bharati University, in Printmaking between 1995 and 2001. He has participated in more than 35 major international & national level exhibitions and has also participated in numerous international & national level workshops/ symposium. In 2011 Mukherjee received the “Photographer of the year Award” by the leading photography magazine ‘Better Photography’ and was also recognized as the evangelist photographer for Singapore truism board for a year. Presently Mukherjee is also teaching as an associate professor of Printmaking, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan. Since 2001 he has been engaged with research of historical photography printmaking methods like Gum bichromate, cyanotype, Carbon Print, Salt print etc. Mukherjee also works with handmade silver gelatin film/Paper, wet plate Collodian and wooden camera. Arpan Mukherjee lives and works in Santiniketan, West Bengal, India.

Fairer people= Beautiful people= Powerful People (Detail) 12 inches x 10 inches Gold Toned Albumen Print on Somerset Printmaking paper from Wet Collodian negative Edition of 2 each (Set of 9 Prints) 2015-16 Courtesy: Artist

ASHIM PURKAYASTHA Born in 1967 Assam, Purkayastha studied painting (B.F.A. 1992 & M.F.A. 1994) from Kala Bhavana, Viswa Bharati University, Santiniketan. He was awarded the Pollock Krasner Foundation award in 2004 and the JRF Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India in 1997, He has over 40 group and several solo shows to his credit. Notable amongst these are ‘Is This What You Think? Ruminations on Time, Memory and Site’ Curated by Roobina Karode, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi 2014/ ‘Peak Shift Effect’ Curated by Gayatri Sinha, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi 2013/ ‘Fragility’ Curated by Rakhee Balaram, Art Alive Gallery, Gurgaon 2012.

He has represented India in museum shows in India and abroad. He was part of the ‘Contemporary Indian Art: Open Your Third Eye’ show at the National Museum of Contemporary art in Seoul, Korea 2009 and ‘Chalo!, India: a new era of Indian Art’ Mori Art Museum, Japan 2008. Purkayatha lives and works in New Delhi, India.

Mother and Child 23 cm x 23.5 cm Acrylic on postal stamps 2016 Courtesy: Artist

ASIS MAHAKHUD Born 1981 Orissa, Asis Mahakhud completed his MFA in Painting (2015) from Kala Bhavan Visva Bharati, Santiniketan, West Bengal and his B.F.A (2004) from B.K.College of Art & Crafts, Utkal University of Culture Bhubaneswar, Odisha. In his nascent career Mahakud has participated in several exhibitions and camp such as the 48th & 49th Annual Exhibition in Birla Academy of Art & Culture Kolkata, 2015 and 2016/ Group Exhibition in Russian centre of Science and culture, Gorky Sadan Kolkata 2014/ Yatri an Exhibition of painting’ s by young Contemporary painters of Odisha 2002. He has been part of BLACK HOUSE: An International level Inter College Students’ Workshop on Art & Architecture, Kala Bhavan Visva Bharati, Santiniketan 2015/ Young Contemporary Artist at Puri, Odisha and Orissa Artist camp at Konark Festival 2003. Mahakhud has been a recipient of the 48th Birla Academy Annual Exhibition Award, Kolkata 2015. Asis Mahakhud lives and works in Hyderabad, India.

Virtual Conference Variable Installation Three Channel video projection with sound.

00:03.20 sec Edition of 5 2015 Courtesy: Artist

AKHILJITH KRISHNAN Born 1990 Kerala, Akhiljith Krishnan has done his M.F.A (2013-15 painting) from Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan and Specialization in Media Arts • Angers, France from École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts d’Angers. He is also a recipient of Scholarship from Ministry Of Culture of India (2015). Krishnan has several group shows to his credit such as Continents meet an International Exhibition of art/ Group exhibition in Cholamandal Artists village, Chennai 2016/ KRIYA 2015, an Exhibition of art , dialogues on post performance object Group exhibition in Pune, Maharastra / VASTU 2015, an International Exhibition of art , dialogues on post performance object Group exhibition in Nanappa art Gallery Kochi, Kerala / GAMES OF LIGHT ,International art students exhibition, group show École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts d’Angers, France 2015/ EXHIBITION OF DRAWINGS, Amsterdam, Prins Hendrikkade 142, 1011 at Amsterdam, Netherlands 2015.

Akhiljith Krishnan lives and works in Santiniketan

Passing Soul Variable Video Installation 13: 00 Minutes.

Edition of 5 2015-16 Courtesy: Artist

BIRENDRA PANI Born in 1969 Orissa, Birendra Pani completed his BFA in Printmaking from Kala Bhavan, Viswa Bharati University, Shantiniketan(1991-19970 and his MFA in Printmaking from Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Baroda (1997-1999). Pani has several solo shows to his credit some of which are “Soft- Subversion” at Red Earth Art Gallery, Baroda 2012 / “Re – Vision” at Aakriti Art Gallery Kolkata 2011/ ”Boy Dancer’’-The convergence and continuum, at Gallery Espace, New Delhi 2007. Notable amongst his group participations are - “Drawing-2014” Group show at IGNCA, Organized by gallery Espace, New Delhi 2014/ “Biography” Group show at creativity art Gallery, New Delhi 2013/ Mending Fences curated by Rahul Bhattacharya and Karishma Shah at Science Centre, Surat 2012/ Russian Eastern and Oriental Fine Art Fair at London 2010. Pani is also a winner of the 2012National Award, Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Birendra Pani lives and works from New Delhi, India.

Handmade Memories 24 inches x 30inches Acrylic on canvas 2015 Courtesy: Artist

CHATTRAPATI DUTTA Born 1964, Kolkata, Chhatrapati Dutta graduated from the Government College of Art and Craft, Calcutta University in 1987 securing a first class first. He is a recipient of Gold Medal in his M.F.A from Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan in 1990, and an awardee of Greek govt. A Faculty of Visual Arts, Rabindra Bharati University for twelve years between 1995 and 2007, Chhatrapati has also been involved with film, television and theatre as actor, designer and scenographer. His ability to fuse traditional skills with modern methods has taken his works to major shows in India and abroad, including the US, Taiwan, England, Sweden, Singapore and Bangladesh. He has participated in several international Biennales, residencies and workshops. Chhatrapati has also been a founder member of Khoj Kolkata – an artistes’ group that believes in and promotes alternative art practices. He writes a column on Art and Culture every week in the Hindustan Times (Kolkata) since 2010. Dutta lives and works in Kolkata.

Sher e Hind (Baanglar Baagh) IV 13 inches x 19 inches Photography, CG, Digital Print & Water Colour 2016 Courtesy: Artist

FARHAD HUSSAIN Born in 1975 in Jamshedpur, Farhad Hussain after completing his B.Sc. studied Painting (B.F.A.) from Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan in 2003 and his Post Diploma in Painting, Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S University Vadodara in 2005. Among his numerous solo shows are Indigo Blue Art, Singapore 2007/ Vadehra Art Gallery, Delhi in India 2008/ Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai in India 2009/ Gallery Soheon , Daegu in Korea 2009. Husain has participated in many group exhibitions such as Indigo Blue Art , Singapore 2007/ Vadehra Art Gallery, Delhi in India 2008/ Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai in India 2009/Gallery Soheon , Daegu in Korea 2009/ Creativity art gallery 2013/KIAF art fair solo, Gallery Soheon,Korea,2013. Hussain lives and works from New Delhi, India.

Flying Family 30 inches X 42 inches Acrylic on Canvas 2015 Courtesy: Artist

INDRAPRAMIT ROY Born 1964 Kolkata, Indrapramit Roy studied printmaking (BFA) at Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan (1982-87) and painting (MFA, 198789) from M.S. University, Baroda. Awarded the Inlaks Scholarship to study MA Painting (1990-92) at the Royal College of Art, London, and Cite des Arts, Paris and Hochschule der Kunst, Berlin, Indrapramit has shown extensively in Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Bangalore and Chennai. He has 15 solo shows, over 80 Group shows and several art camps/ workshops to his credit. His duo show at Site Art Space, Baroda was curated by Rekha Rodwittiya(2015). He has represented India in Asian Art Exhibition in Macao and the Cairo Biennale, Cairo. In 2013 he has shown in Aicon Gallery, New York in a show titled Map Makers-II. Honours and fellowships include JRF (1993-95), Government of India, the Fulbright fellowship, USA (2004-5) and Artist-in-Residence at the Siena Art Institute (March 2013).

Indrapramit Roy has been teaching painting Faculty of Fine Arts, MSU of Baroda since 1995.

Liminal Zone (reflections)-2 29.5 inches x 41.5 inches Watercolour on Arches paper 2016 Courtesy: Artist

JAYASHREE CHAKRAVARTY Born 1965, Tripura, Jayashree Chakravarty graduated in Fine Arts from Kala Bhavana, Viswa Bharati University, Santiniketan, in 1978 and obtained a postgraduate diploma from M.S.University, Baroda, in 1980. She was also an artist in residence at Aix en Provence between 1994 and 1995. Her most recent works include her participation in ‘Continuing Traditions’, at Jouy-en-Josas, France in collaboration with Akar Prakar in 2015 /‘Safarnama’ (Journey’s through Kalamkari hanging) at Indian Museum in association with Ambedkar University, Craft Council, West Bengal, Alliance Francaise du Bengale and Akar Prakar in 2014, and Indian Art-Fair, 2015. Jayashree has shown at various exhibitions in India and abroad including Aicon Gallery (London), Singapore Art Museum (Singapore), Gallery Chemould (Mumbai) among others. In 2011, her work was exhibited in the group show of “Enduring Legacy”, by Akar Prakar, Galerie Neumeister Munchen, the Indian Embassy, and Berlin along with ICCR & Indien Institut. Jayashree Chakravarty lives and works in Kolkata, west Bengal.

Vineyard 44 inches x 50 inches Acrylic & Oil on Canvas 2013 Courtesy: Gallery Akar Prakar, Kolkata and the Artist

MAHJABIN MAJUMDAR Born in 1970, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Mahjabin studied Printmaking from Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan between 1988 to 1993. She has participated in numerous projects such as ‘Land’-Origin:Thereafter, Curated by Amit Mukhopadhyay, Art Konsult Gallery, Delhi,2016 /Kaya- Artists in conversation, Curated by Lina Vincent Sunish, Presented by Ganges art Gallery. Kolkata, 2015/ A Group show of Modern & Contemporary Indian art curated by Dr. Rebecca M. Brown from the collection of Shelley & Donald Rubin the College of New Jersey Galleries & at Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, Atlanta, USA, Titled “Goddess, Lion, Peasant, Priest” 2012/ Group Show ‘Bridge 2 Worlds’, Organized by IMA Foundation, London, UK, 2010/ ‘Silt of Sentiment’ Exhibition of Three Contemporary Indian Women artists, Organized by Tamarind Art Gallery New York, USA-2009/ She also has a solo to her credit titled “Sound Of Silence” was organized by Sarjan Art Gallery, Baroda-2007. The artist lives and works in Santiniketan, West Bengal, India.

Postcard 5 24”x18”(1canvas) 8”x8”(2 canvases) 8”x6”(2 canvases) Acrylic on canvas 2016 Courtesy: Artist

MITHU SEN Born in 1971 West Bengal, Mithu Sen studied painting (B.F.A. 1995 and M.F.A. 1997) from Kala Bhavan, Visva Bharati, Santiniketan. In 1995 she competed her Bachelor in Fine Art and in 1997 her Masters in Fine Art from Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan, Visva Bharati and the Glasgow School of Art, UK 2000-2001. She has held major solo exhibitions from 2006 to 2014, with Gallery Chemould/ Chemould Prescott Road, Mumbai; Bose Pacia, New York /Nature Morte, New Delhi/ GalerieKrinzinger, Vienna /Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris and Brussels and the Edythe and Eli Broad Art Museum, Michigan. Selected participations include The Body in Indian Art, Europalia, Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels, 2013/ Dhaka Art Summit, Samdani Art Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2014/ Kochi Muziris Biennale, 2014/ The Eye and the Mind: New Interventions in Contemporary Art, Gaungdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China, 2015/ After Midnight: Indian Modernism to Contemporary India 1947/1997, Queens Museum, New York, 2015.

Sen lives and works in New Delhi, India.

Untitled 16.5 inches x 12 inches Mixed media on paper 2013 Courtesy: Chemould Prescott Road, Mumbai and artist Photo Credit: Anil Rane

MOUTUSHI CHAKRABORTY Born 1975 in Kolkata, Moutushi Chakraborty is an alumnus of Kala Bhavana in Santiniketan from where she completed her BFA in Printmaking (1998) and MFA in Graphics (2000) from the Faculty of Fine Arts M.S.University in Baroda (Gold Medallist). A scholarship winner to Wimbledon School of Art in London, Moutushi is Lalit Kala Akademi, the Commonwealth Foundation Fellowship and Charles Wallace India Trust awardee. Some significant exhibitions are: ‘Absence & Presence’ – Print exhibition at Washington DC and Exeter in UK (2016)/ ‘Women’s Project’ at Kashi Art Gallery in Kochi and KAYA at Ganges Art Gallery in Kolkata (2015)/ DRAWING 2014 by Gallery Espace at IGNCA Delhi, WAR – Women Art Resistance by Gallery Engendered at American Center in Delhi/ MEMORIUM at Sumukha Art Gallery in Bangalore (2014)/ GEORGIE PROJECT exhibition at Griffin Gallery and auction by Sotheby in London and ‘PARABLES’ – solo show at Gallery Time & Space in Bangalore (2012). The artist and lives and works in Kolkata, West Bengal.

Conversations I 30 inches x 22 inches Screen-print on Fabriano paper Edition: 5 2016 Courtesy: Artist

MURALI CHEEROTH Born in 1966 Kerala, Murali Cheeroth’s education includes a BFA and MFA from Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan, West Bengal and advanced computer diploma in digital media. Murali has exhibited in over 100 significant shows across the globe. He has also taught in CEPT, Ahmedabad, Kanoria Centre for Art, Ahmedabad, NIFT, Bangalore and Chennai. His engagement with this broad range of institutions is readable from his conceptual and figurative concerns. Some major exhibitions include ‘passage to India’ – the New Indian Art from the Frank Cohen collection in UK (2009)/ Indian Art summit New Delhi, SH contemporary Art Fair, Shanghai, Chicago Art Fair and London Art Fair in 2010/ Colombo Beinnale , 2012/ Chalo India – A group show of Contemporary Indian Artists at Basel Art Centre, Basel, Switzerland, Feb 2014/ Art fair in Torino, Italy 2015/ The second international art exhibition of the Silk Road, Shanxi Art Museum China-2015 .

Murali Cheeroth Lives and works from Bangalore, India.

Seeds on the left bank of the river - V 36 inches x 48 inches Oil on canvas 2016 Courtesy: Artist

PAULA SENGUPTA Born 1967, London, Paula Sengupta graduated in Painting from College of Art, New Delhi, followed by an MFA and PhD in Printmaking from Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan. Currently Assistant Professor in Printmaking at Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata she was a Guest Faculty at NIFT, Kolkata from 19992003. Secretary of the artists’ initiative, Khoj Kolkata, Paula is a recipient of UGC Research Fellowship for doctoral studies (1993-98), Artist-In-Residence Fellowship at Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, California (1997-98), Guest Artist at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Kunste, Stuttgart under the INDART Artist Exchange Programme (2000), CWIT Research Grant & British Council, Kolkata Grant for independent research in the UK (2007), and Artist-in-Residence at the Britto Arts Trust, Dhaka (2008). Her curatorial projects include Trajectories: 19th-21st Century Printmaking from India and Pakistan for the Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, UAE in 2014 and The Printed Picture: Four Centuries of Indian Printmaking for the Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi in 2012. The artist lives and works in Kolkata, India.

The Monkey & the Dog (detail) 226 inches X 12.5 inches (open) (Accordion book of 10 leaves in box) Etching, chine colle & serigraphy on Nepali/handmade paper 2013 Courtesy: Artist

PRASANTA SAHU Born 1968, Orissa, after completing his Diploma in Electrical Engineering from Orissa, Prasanta Sahu completed his BFA (Painting) from Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan (1998) and his MFA (Painting) from MSU, Baroda (2000).Sahu has participated in numerous national & International shows such as -India Fine Arts Exchange Exhibition, Daegu, South Korea-2015 / International art programme, Burapha University, Thailand 2014/ “India Today, Copenhagen Tomorrow”, sculpture show at Denmark Embassy, New Delhi, 2013/“Global Peace”-a group show of Thai-Indian at Art Gallery, Silpakorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. 2009/ “The Promissory Maze”, Dubai, 1x1 art gallery 2008 / “Art for freedom” exhibition cum auction ,London, organized by Tehelka art and Aicon gallery, London /-“A MAZ ING” - Jehangir art gallery, Mumbai, organized by RPG Enterprises 2008/ - International Art Fair, Rome 2007 / “V I S (V) A” three person show at AICON art Gallery, New York, 2008. Prasanta Sahu lives and works in Santiniketan where he is also a faculty in the Department of Painting, Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati University since 2001.

Blueprint of a City 48 inches x 36 inches Acrylic on canvas 2016 Courtesy: Artist

PRIYA RAVISH MEHRA Born 1961, Mumbai, Priya Ravish Mehra graduated in Fine Arts (textiles) from Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, and later studied tapestry weaving at West Dean College, Sussex and advanced tapestry course at the RCA, London under the Commonwealth Fellowship and Charles Wallace Trust (India) Scholarship.

She also received an Asian Cultural Council Grant to study the maintenance and preservation of Indian textiles, especially Kashmir shawls, in US public and private collections. She continues to do freelance work with textile organizations, design studios and artisan communities. Priya’s textile work has been featured as solo exhibitions: British Council, Delhi (1993), Commonwealth Institute, London (1994), Harley Gallery, Nottingham (1994), Eicher Gallery, Delhi (1997) and Jahangir Art Gallery, Mumbai (1997), as well as in group shows: ‘Weavers of the Pacific Rim, Taumata Art Gallery, Auckland (1993), 10th International Triennial of Tapestries, Lodz (2001), and ‘Threads’, Alliance Française, Delhi (2014). She frequently participates in national and international artist residencies. Priya lives and works in Delhi, India.

Threads (DETAIL) 16 inches x 31 inches x 3 panels Cotton threads and paper pulp 2014 Courtesy: Artist

SANCHAYAN GHOSH Born,1970, Kolkata, Sanchayan Ghosh secured MFA (1997) and BFA( 1995) in Painting from Kala Bhavan, Visva Bharati University where he is a faculty in the Department of Painting. He is a recipient of Charles Wallace India Fellowship to UK in 2003-04. Some of his Site specific /community based Projects & Exhibitions include: Incomplete Circles: Invisible Voices, 2012, the first edition of the KochiMuziris Biennale- 2012, Kochi, Kerala, India. / ‌ reading from the gendered Land, a durational eight days reading performance with students of Kala Bhavana as part of the Exhibition Land, curated by Amit Mukhopadhayay, Nand museum, Kala Bbhavana,2015 / Reversed Perspective II: Black Box, an Architectural Installation on the life of a poet Hara kumar Gupta from an Open China Clay Mine, Kharia, Md.Bazaar, Birbhumin nature Morte Gallery, New delhi, 2014 / Reversed Perspective: 3 Conjuncture, An architecture based Interdisciplinary Installation on Landscape study, Experimenter, 2013-14, Sisyphus Effect, Experimenter, Kolkata-2010. Sanchayan Ghosh Lives and works in Santiniketan, India.

Tree Study, Santiniketan Variable installation A collection of actions in Santiniketan Video records, digital books and PowerPoint presentations Ongoing Project Courtesy: Artist

SHAKUNTALA KULKARNI

Photo Performance: D 6 Saraswat co-op. Housing Society, Gavdevi 20 inches x 30 inches Digital print on rag paper Edition: 3/3 available + 2AP 2010 –2012, Courtesy: Chemould Prescott Road, Mumbai and artist Photography Credit: Shivani Gupta.

Born 1950, Shakuntala Kulkarni did her Diploma and Post Diploma from Sir J.J. School of Arts, Mumbai before doing Printmaking (1973) from MSU Baroda and Kala Bhavan, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan(1976). She has numerous prestigious projects to her name such as “ Of bodies armour and cages” multi-media installation with cane sculpture, interactive works, films and peformance, , Chemould Prescott Road, Mumbai, Kiran Nadar Museum Of Arts , Noida ( Delhi) curated by Roobina Karode, Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangrahalaya, ( Former Prince Of Wales Museum), Mumbai2012. “And when she roared the universe quaked”, multimedia installation with paintings and videos, Chemould Prescott Road, Mumbai 2007. Grandmother’s Tales, video installation, an interactive / collaborative project with 8 women aged between 78 and 86, Gallery Chemould, Mumbai, colleges, domestic/art spaces, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Goa2005 /2004. Beyond Proscenium, a multi disciplinary installation, an interactive / collaborative project with theatre personalities, poets, musicians, dancers, Jehangir Art Gallery, Gallery Chemould, Mumbai, Art Heritage, New Delhi1995/1994.

Shakuntala Kulkarni lives and works in Mumbai,India.

SHARMI CHOWDHURY Born in 1974, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, Sharmi Chowdhury completed her B.F.A (Painting) from Kala Bhavan, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan in 2003 and M.V.A( Painting) from M.S. University, Baroda in 2005. She has two solo shows with Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi, 2008 and Sarjan Art Gallery, Baroda in 2005. Notable among her numerous group participation from 2015 are ‘CIMA AWARD’- CIMA art gallery artist award exhibition at CIMA art gallery Kolkata, India/ Gandhi’ a group show organized by art alive gallery, new Delhi at residential place of British high commission, New Delhi, India 2015/ ‘Hanji Impression’ a two person exhibition curated by Insang song at Korean cultural center New Delhi, India/ ‘With Us’ a group show curetted by Jasmin Shah at Viewing Room art gallery Mumbai, India 2014/ ‘Indian Art fair’ at Art Alive Gallery pavilion at New Delhi, India 2013/ Yeosu international art festival South Korea and ‘Fragile’ at gallery 1X1 Dubai, in Singapore in 2012. Sharmi lives and works in Baroda, Gujarat.

The words above the mountain 42 inches x 36 inches Stone colour on traditional paper 2016 Courtesy: Artist

SUREKHA Born 1965 Bangalore, Surekha completed her diploma in Painting from the Ken School of Arts, Bangalore in 1990, and her MFA in Painting from Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan in 1992 after which she did film workshops in No.w.here London.

Her work has been included in curated shows in Indian and International museum and galleries like Sanjose Museum and Ulrich museum ,Kansas, (2015)Kunsthaus Langenthal (2015), Citizen art days , Berlin (2015), Kastrupgard Samlingen Museum, Copenhagen (2012),Herbert J. Foundation Museum ( Cornell University -2012),Centrol Cultural Banco do Brasil,Rio de Janeiro (2011-12) , Museum Guimet(Paris- 2011), Fondacio La Caixa , Barcelona (2011), Bucharest Biennale (2010),Pleasure dome, Toronto (2011),Loveland Museum ( USA-2010),New media festival, Dhaka (2010).Her selected solo exhibitions include, at Eawag/Artist in labs ,Switzerland (2011), Bar1 (2011), Samuha/Chancery lane Gallery-2010, Chemould Prescott Road (2007), Max Mueller Bhavan, Bangalore (2007), Sakshi Gallery, Bangalore (2003/5),Spike Island, Bristol (2001), Taide halli Museum, Helsinki (2001), Chitrakala Parishat /Lakeeren Art gallery, Mumbai/ IFA , Amsterdam (1999) etc. Surekha lives and works in Bangalore, India

Revisit 11 inches x 44 inches.

Photograph Edition of 1/8 2016

TV SANTOSH Born in Kerala, 1968 T.V. Santhosh obtained his B.F.A in sculpture from Santiniketan (1994) and Masters in Sculpture from MS University, Vadodara (1997). T V. Santhosh has had several successful shows with many international art galleries and museums. Santhosh’s sculptural installation from ‘Passage to India’ is in the Frank Cohen collection at Initial Access. Some of his prominent shows are The Great Game, Iran National Pavilion, Venice Biennale 2015/Making Histor ,Colombo Art Biennale 2014 / Havana Biennale2012 /4th Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art Rewriting Worlds, curated by Peter Weibel 2011 /Crossroads: India Escalate, Prague Biennale 5 -2011/ Empire Strikes Back, at Saatchi Gallery, London2010/ Vancouver Biennale2010. His selected solos are Blood and Spit. Solo Show, at Jack Shainman Gallery in collaboration with The Guild 2009/ False Promises, Grosvenor Gallery London, in collaboration with The Guild, Mumbai2005/ Unresolved Stories, Nature Morte, Delhi in collaboration with The Guild, Mumbai 2004 / One Hand Clapping/Siren, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai presented by The Guild, Mumbai 2003. T.V.Santosh lives and works in Mumbai

Protagonist V 60 inches X40 inches Water colour on Paper 2016 Courtesy: Artist

TANMOY SAMANTA Born 1973, West Bengal Tanmoy Samanta completed his BFA (1994) and MFA (1996) in painting from Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan. He is a recipient of PollockKrasner Foundation Award, New York in and a National Scholarship from Govt. of India. He has participated residencies at Vermont Studio Center USA, Kanoria Center for the Arts, Ahmedabad and Harmony Foundation, Mumbai. Tanmoy has represented the country in Dubai Art Fair, India Art Fair, Dhaka Art Summit and Art Chennai. His prestigious public art projects include T2 Mumbai International Airport, Bee-hive project: Hyatt Regency, Chennai, Reliance ADA New Delhi Airport Metro. Tanmoy has three solo shows to his credit : at Gallery Espace, New Delhi, one at Anant Art Gallery Kolkata and latest one being at Tarq in Mumbai curated by Ranjit Hoskote. He has also participated in several significant group shows in India and UK. Tanmoy Samanta lives and works between New Delhi and Santiniketan, India

Fugitive 12 inches Diameter Tempera on Nepali Paper 2015

Performance details

The Performance searches for the context of body and sound, how reactions replace the minute, sensible spiritual resonance.

Every period and the experiences thereof have created a layer in me, and that leads me to a spiritual intensity. Thanks to this whenever I interact with the works of my contemporaries, I keep on asking myself…

only? Is it not representing?

“Why this artist wanted to watch he or she doing something?”

What is forbidden and what is allowed in a performance? What are the boundaries for a performance and what are those are forgiven in it? As a performer, I still seek the answers, and at the same time keep on questioning myself and those around me. But one thing is for sure

“What it gives the spectators who watch their performance?”

“What is permissible to the spectators in those performances?”

“What is there between me and the spectators and what is the level of interaction within it?”

“Who benefits out of it, and to what level?”

“Missing” (seeds on the left bank of the river)

Performance by Murali Cheeroth Duration: Approximately 20 minutes Photo courtesy: Mr. Goutam Chakraborty

“Who is depleted and who is enriched?”

“Can both feel both these experiences simultaneously?” … There were, and still are, questions aplenty.

As a contemporary art from, is performance art a set of ‘doings’

Is it not recounting or reenacting? It is live and it is real.

It creates curiosity and leads to experimentation.

There is discovery, transformation and knowledge. It imparts collective experience and the impact on the body is inexplicable. But still I have umpteen questions….

– A performance is a question that has different layers of answer, varying from one spectator to other.

Murali Cheeroth

Short Documentary details Tales of a Century

Short Documentary 38.00 minutes approx.

2016 Asis Mahakhud & Akhiljith Krishnan

This film project is the result of an artist’s transformation of art practice while studying in Santiniketan. Asis Mahakhud has worked on the reinterpretation of masterpieces of the stalwarts of the Santiniketan School such as Tagore, Nandalal and Ramkinkar Baij that he adapted to fit his medium and expression. Taking this further, Asis collaborated with his friend and ex classmate Akhiljith Krishnan to put together a homage to Kala Bhavana, his alma mater. They interviewed several artists, pedagogues and teachers for this documentary.

Their concern was to uncover the transformation taking place in Santiniketan through the eyes of the art practitioner. Documentation of the present campus, several collective activities, the natural environment as well as photographs and old images of Santiniketan buildings and landscapes were used to give a changing picture of this century old university; exploring ideas of spatial and temporal transformation.

curator

about the

Born 1973 Kolkata, Ushmita Sahu did her B.F.A. (Painting) from Delhi College of Art in 1994 & M.F.A. (Painting) from Kala-Bhavana, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan in 1998. A recipient of the National Scholarship of the Govt. of India, Ushmita has several group shows to her credit.

Ushmita Sahu is also a writer and independent curator and lives and works from Santiniketan, West Bengal, India.

Ushmita sahu

ushmitaushmita @gmail.com

SITE art space

779 , G.I.D.C. , Makarpura, Baroda 390010, Gujarat, India +919898050280 | gidc779@gmail.com catalogue designed by

rajarshi dutta //rajarshialias@gmail.com