Eight artists come together in a curated exhibition at Colaba that explores truths and perspectives in a post-truth world
Monocromy, Riyas Komu. PICS COURTESY/AMCA
Talking about art can often be a challenge. As curator Anupa Mehta picks up the call, this writer realises that there is a certain surrealism in trying to explain artworks, some of which are still in the process of completion. Yet, it lends itself to the theme of Voir Dire: In The Round, the title of Mehta’s curation that opens in her Colaba gallery, AMCA, on March 13.
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My story if often neglected, Benitha Perciyal
“It is a legal term that literally means ‘to speak the truth’. It refers to the process of preliminary examination where both prosecution and defense sift through the evidence examining their truths,” the curator explains. The artists featured include Sudarshan Shetty, Valay Shende, G Ravinder Reddy, Riyas Komu, Chittrovanu Mazumdar, Bose Krishnamachari, Benitha Perciyal and Arunkumar HG. The works themselves range from sculptures to wall reliefs to offer a round perspective.
This perspective is at the core of the curatorial concept. Voir Dire goes beyond the legal term and into an examination of truth, in the philosophical sense, she notes. “There is no absolute truth. There are always variables. I am using the concept of various truths and perspectives, and how they are shaped, to explore what the original intent of the artwork is.”
Sacred Object, G Ravinder Reddy
This examination of truths acquires another layer of meaning in the works themselves. For instance, Riyas Komu’s wall relief is a stark depiction of a skeleton with its clearly defined brain — like guts spilling out, says Mehta — that symbolises the struggle of a creative thinker in an increasingly oppressive society. The artist himself notes it as a continuing exploration. “I think society today has created a sense of numbness. When I read the concept note [by Mehta], I thought of a similar kind of extremity that the artist goes through, and through which art allows you to respond.”
Untitled, Sudarshan Shetty
Similar to these are Mazumdar’s A lost note on an altar that depicts a broken violin, at once political and lyrical — an elegy for all that we have lost, says Mehta. Shende approaches it with a more direct statement through his work, EVM, showcasing a metal trap etched with the words to warn about the democratic process.
Yet, the works are not activism, Mehta explains. She points to Sudarshan Shetty’s untitled work featuring two vases, part wooden part porcelain that explore memories and absences of old homes. Benitha Perciyal’s My story if often neglected, is a sculpture that works on two levels, of shape and sense. “Benitha uses myrrh and sandalwood to shape her sculpture, giving it a fragrance. She has used a discarded pillar from a home, to create the bust of a man. It is how people are often edified, forgotten, and yet there is a lingering memory that stays,” Mehta elaborates.
(From left) Anupa Mehta, Riyas Komu and Bose Krishnamachari
Another familiar city name that finds its way into the curation is Bose Krishnamachari whose work Genie brings a city icon to light. “I was looking at the most important icon on the human level, the dabbawalla, who played an important role. The bronze dabba is an icon of survival. Then, there was Gandhi’s lathi, an element that I wanted to bring to embody the influence he had on me. I brought these two or three elements to play to create an object that embodies optimism and memory,” the artist shares.
These objects, ordinary and everyday in their presence, embody the multiple truths the artists explore. Mehta says, “These things are commentaries on the materiality of things. On one level, they are hallowed art objects, and on another level they have a certain irony about them.” This is the first part of the exhibition, with a second to follow in June. Mehta concludes, “The second show will also have eight artists, but from a younger and newer generation. Incidentally, their concerns lean towards the environment making for an interesting observation.”
FROM March 13 to April 30; 11 am to 6 pm
AT AMCA Colaba, Ground floor, Royal Terrace, 58 Wodehouse Road, Colaba.
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