Protests by artists, beyond political

Indian Express

13-05-2025

Does art necessarily need to be overtly political to challenge the establishment? Can resistance be wielded by rejecting rigid ideologies or attempting to assert individuality?
The exhibition 'Intertwined: Revisitation of the Indian Art Narrative' at Progressive Art Gallery in Dubai attempts to ask these questions through the works of some of India's most significant artists. 'Art's relevance lies not in the adherence to any ideology, but in its potential to dare, to question, and to unearth the unseen truths of its time,' states curator Wendy Amanda Coutinho.
On the walls in the gallery are works of India's most significant modernists, from founders of the formidable Progressive Artists' Group — MF Husain, SH Raza, FN Souza, KH Ara, HA Gade and SK Bakre to artists KG Subramanyan, VS Gaitonde, Jehangir Sabavala, Bhupen Khakhar and J Swaminathan. 'The exhibition assembles an ensemble of artists whose legacies are intricately connected to the currents of protest — political and personal — that defied and defined their time. These interconnections reexamine the individual artistic journeys that shaped collective movements and dialogues, spanning generations, challenging and questioning the status quo,' notes Coutinho.
Primarily selected from the gallery collection, the display includes works that signify transitions in artistic practices. Among others is SH Raza's 1956 Le Village, painted in gestural brushstrokes to depict his early impressions of European village-scapes years after he moved to Paris in 1951, as well as his 1990 canvas Genesis, where his trademark bindu occupies the centre.
If Jehangir Sabavala's 1966 Mirage has two shrouded figures seated in an arid desert, Ram Kumar is represented by an abstract landscape in an untitled 1992 canvas. J Swaminathan's 1971 oil on canvas comes from the period when he was embarking on a new pictorial language of conceptual landscapes. Sohan Quadri's meditative abstract comes from his dot series, and Sakti Burman has a playful canvas Musicians Playing for Krishna.
Arpita Singh — whose first solo institutional exhibition outside India is currently on at the prestigious Serpentine North Gallery in London — is represented by a 1974 ink and watercolour on paper.
Husain — the maverick for whom Dubai was also home for a brief period in his latter years — is represented, among others, by his trademark horses in Murano glass. 'The artists featured in the exhibition have not only redefined creative boundaries but have also placed India on the global artistic map with their bold visions and timeless works.
Through this exhibition, we celebrate their individuality and the profound impact they've had on art and culture, not only back home, but worldwide,' notes Harshvardhan Singh, Director of Progressive Art Gallery — incidentally, named by Husain.