Tasher Desh
Tagore was inspired by Alice in Wonderland and Western opera when he wrote the dance opera Tasher Desh - a satirical portrayal of a society ruled by strict conventions and a veiled criticism of the society he lived in.
Today the Kingdom of cards is not an element of fantasy, but a reality embodied in today’s world; the city, society and the homes we belong to. The intertwined strands of the orthodox and the liberal and our society’s continuing failure to separate the two have created a dual discourse – a conflict between the real and fictional – the visible and invisible – the actual and the aspirational. This work engages with our conflicting dual identities overlapping them, forcing them to coexist, dissolving the barriers between them.
Tagore Lost and Found
Curated by Bina Sarkar Ellias, IndiaBulls Art Gallery and Auction House, New Delhi
“Rabindranath Tagore was inspired by Alice in Wonderland and Western opera when he wrote the dance opera ‘Tasher Desh’ - a satirical portrayal of a society ruled by strict conventions and a veiled criticism of the society he lived in.”
The Kingdom of Cards depicted here is a reality embodied in today’s world. The intertwined strands of the orthodox and the liberal, and our society’s continuing failure to separate the two have created a dual discourse – a conflict between the real and fictional – the visible and invisible – the actual and the aspirational.
Locus of Control
curated by Abhinit Khanna and Anoushkaa Bhatnagar, House of Creativity, Mumbai, IN
The exhibition presents works by contemporary artists Ali Akbar Mehta, Arvind Sundar, Digbijayee Kathua, Govinda Sah Azad, Koshy Brahmatmaj, Kedar DK, Sarika Mehta, Shalaka Patil, Tushar Waghela, Urvi Sethna, Sonakshi Sinha, Luv Sinha, and Kush Sinha.
LOCUS OF CONTROL is a psychological concept that refers to how strongly people believe they have control over the situations and experiences that affect their lives. The concept was developed by Julian B. Rotter in 1954 and has since become an aspect of personality psychology. A person’s “locus” (plural “loci”, Latin for “place” or “location”) is conceptualized as internal (a belief that one can control one’s own life) or external (a belief that life is controlled by outside factors which the person cannot influence, or that chance or fate controls their lives).
The exhibition examines this notion of control, not as a theme or subject, but as a constitutive feature of artists’ practice, process, and methodologies of art production. It seeks to disentangle notions of empathy and hostility in their work. In a pandemic where we were all challenged to find solutions against the consistent erasure of survival, identity, wellbeing and freedom, we were able to collectively get through such a difficult period in human history through
creative expressions, yet we continue to feel the pain and learn the ways of healing. For these artists being in “in control” or “out of control” is an essential feature of how work gets made. In this exhibition, we explore this fluid idea, the production of artworks as personalities, our intention and reception, the resilience of humankind, our hopes, frustrations, and making sense of the world while it is still testing positive for Covid.
LOCUS OF CONTROL is an exhibition curated by Abinit Khanna and Anoushkaa Bhtnager that serves to also inaugarate House of Creativity, an online platform for youn and emerging artists. This exhibition, in partnership with BMW Infinity Cars as its venue, brings a selection of contemporary artists working with painting, photography, film, textile, sculpture and new media. The artworks are displayed on two levels featuring some select works exclusively conceived in the past two years.
Participating Artists:
Ali Akbar Mehta Arvind Sundar Digbijayee Kathua Govinda Sah Azad Kari Altmann Koshv Brahmatmai Kedar DK Sarika Mehta Shalaka Patil Sonakshi Sinha Luv Sinha Kussh Sinha Tushar Waghela Urvi Sethna