City Dwellers: Contemporary Art from India

Exhibition: 30 Aug 2014 – 15 Feb 2015

City Dwellers: Contemporary Art from India
REASSURANCE, FROM THE SERIES DEFINITIVE REINCARNATE, 2003/2006, NANDINI VALLI MUTHIAH, INDIAN, B. 1976, COLOR PHOTOGRAPH, 40 1/4 X 40 X 1 IN., COLLECTION OF SANJAY PARTHASARATHY AND MALINI BALAKRISHNAN, © NANDINI VALLI MUTHIAH.

Bollywood movie culture, venerated politicians, religious traditions, and art historical icons all contribute to the myriad of influences in contemporary urban Indian culture. The artists in this exhibition pay tribute to this multitude even as they introduce elements of irony, introspection, and critique.

Through their photography and sculpture, the artists negotiate diverse ideas and influences on contemporary Indian society—Hindu mythology, Bollywood movies, Indian and western art, and icons of everyday life in a global market economy. Many of the works are influenced as much by popular movie culture and the use of digital technology as by the conventions of religious ritual and street processions, traditional theater, and dance.

Come see the colorful, contradictory, and complex India of today through the works of some of the country’s leading artists.

Artists

Works

  • INCLUDE ME OUT II, 2011, VIVEK VILASINI, INDIAN, B. 1964, INKJET PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT, 68 1/4 X 64 1/4 IN., COLLECTION OF SANJAY PARTHASARATHY AND MALINI BALAKRISHNAN., © VIVEK VILASINI, PHOTO COURTESY SAKSHI GALLERY.
  • UNTITLED, FROM SLEEPERS, 2007-2012, DHRUV MALHOTRA, INDIAN, B. 1985, COLOR PHOTOGRAPH, 24 X 30 1/4 IN., COLLECTION OF SANJAY PARTHASARATHY AND MALINI BALAKRISHNAN., © DHRUV MALHOTRA, PHOTO COURTESY OF PHOTOINK, NEW DELHI.
  • OVERDOSE, 2009, MANJUNATH KAMATH, INDIAN, B. 1972, TRIPTYCH, COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS, LEFT PANEL: 95 1/2 X 36 3/4 IN., MIDDLE PANEL: 95 1/2 X 72 IN., RIGHT PANEL: 95 1/2 X 36 3/4 IN., COLLECTION OF SANJAY PARTHASARATHY AND MALINI BALAKRISHNAN., © MANJUNATH KAMATH, PHOTO COURTESY SAKSHI GALLERY.
  • FLIRTING (AFTER 1990S KANNADA FILM STILL), FROM THE PROJECT NATIVE WOMEN OF SOUTH INDIA: MANNERS AND CUSTOMS, 2000-2004, PUSHPAMALA N., INDIAN, B. 1956 WITH CLARE ARNI, BRITISH, B. 1962, C-PRINT, 21 1/2 X 16 IN., COLLECTION OF SANJAY PARTHASARATHY AND MALINI BALAKRISHNAN., © PUSHPAMALA N., PHOTO COURTESY NATURE MORTE, NEW DELHI.