Social And Political Injustice - Trends in Contemporary Art 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kolkatta, West Bengal, India, Republic of (Free-Press-Release.com) September 10, 2011 --

The beginning of the twentieth century has witnessed a proliferation of dynamic movements in art and culture that changed the face of art forever. Art found itself in the realm of ideas, whether or not it was based on figurative or non-figurative elements, art from this point onwards could be about anything and everything as artists concerned themselves with every aspect of what it meant to be alive today. Art on ideas, themes and concepts started propagating from the middle of the last century since when as the core enhancer of rebel through art; artists through their individual languages became a part of a broader social dynamics and reflected their protest through the art works. Plurality of styles and thematic execution came to the forefront that has evolved as what is known as ‘conceptual art’ in today’s contemporary jargon of art.

Art as a medium of reaction, anti-establishment and rebellion force is not new but with the changing times the thought process and execution mechanisms have definitely altered and taken new paradigms according to socio-political contexts. Guernica, the famous mural painting of Pablo Picasso can be referred as an epitome of the reflection of social and political injustice. This particular artwork was conceived and created by Picasso as a reaction to the bombing of Guernica, Basque Country, by German and Italian warplanes at the order of the Spanish Nationalist forces, on 26 April 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. The tragedy of a war and the immense suffering it inflicts upon individuals and the innocent people was the main content of Guernica. In the history of art, Guernica marks an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of peace. And moreover this work of art constantly reminds us that how art can be a form of a social communication against injustice serving a greater cause and becoming a platform for generating peace and harmony and hope for the future. Several other such examples are there across the globe in different ages where creative minds have taken their significant steps to build up a discourse on social and political issues through their artistic practices. “Take on Political and Social Injustice in Contemporary Art” – the idea note that forms the premises of this exhibition being hosted by the Aakriti Art Gallery, Kolkata is a significant step to set up the discourse at this historical juncture when common civilians are constantly raising voices for every kind of social cause from corruption to terrorism to discriminations and exploitative means to exercise power and politics at every level. This show is emblematic to become the voice of India through art. Fourteen contemporary artists at the pan-Indian level was given the subject/idea-note on which they have poured in their thought-process and executed works of art as their individual and independent take ob social and political injustice.

Ketan Amin has created a strong metaphor against corruption where as Buddhadev Mukherjee has made a conscientious attempt to depict the psycho-emotional stress and conflict of an artist who is also a homemaker in the changing dynamics of social living through an isolated human figure that represent the absurdity of modern life. Poverty and unemployment strikes Sagar Bhowmik’s canvas as a very sensitive issue of a developing nation. Communalism, terrorism and violence of any kind is Parths Guin’s challenging take through his art works that is a step ahead on Priyanka Lahiri’s canvas, “Unfortunate Reality” depicting the agonizing plight of a common man as a victim.

Sexuality as an operative medium to control, overpower and dominate the “other” is the primary focus of Swapan Kumar Mallick’s works who has translated the process of ‘otherization’ in an allegorical way with the reflection of gender politics in the contemporary society ruled by the consumerist culture. Tapas Biswas has also attempted to deconstruct and raise a serious question the gender discrimination and its associated biases in the times when the world should get free from such suppressive and oppressive mechanisms to build social hierarchies. Mithun Dasgupta has referred to two earlier works; one of Abanindranath Tagore’s “Bharat Mata” and the other of Salvador Dali on Spanish Civil War that were meant for social protest in their times. The parallels have been drawn to depict the contemporary times. In an age of competition and comparison, amidst the crushing and crumbling experiences of rat race among children; something is surely evaporating- the joy of childhood. This is the primary concern of Subrata Biswas’s sculptures. Pappu Bardhan’s work revolves around the search for an identity lost in the glam and gloss of the fakeness of urbanization. Prandeep Kalita creates a farcical note on the ruler/emperor who now requires borrowing clothes from others. Hegemony by default does lead to corruption. Akhil Chandra Das also follows the same line of conceptualization in his sculptures. Debashish Dutta has moved out of the conventional approach of execution and taken a more installation orientation to create the metaphor of ‘entrapment’ in the world which is left without a fresh breathing space for an individual. Finally Nantu Dehari Das has evolved with his neo-sculpting techniques of using scrap and junk materials to give a conscious spirit to the force of anti-establishment as his take on socio-political injustice.

In a nutshell it is expected that each work of art in this exhibition will breed the scope to become a landmark in the social history of time reaching out beyond the boundary of just the world of art that Guernica did nearly seventy-five years ago. We look forward to the best of efforts of the artists to mark the saga of the social reality of their times though art.

The exhibition can be viewed from Monday to Saturday, 12 to 7 p.m, excepting Sundays and is also available online at www.aakritiartgallery.com

Exhibition from 9th to 30th September, 2011. (12 p.m to 7p.m, Sunday closed).

Aakriti Art Gallery
1st Floor, Orbit Enclave
12/3A, Hungerford Street
Kolkata – 700 017
Phone: 22893027/5041
Email: aakritiartgallery@yahoo.com
Website: www.aakritiartgallery.com

More information can be found online at http://www.aakritiartgallery.com

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