Show Stopper
In the land of the Kamasutra,erotic art should hardly raise eyebrows,however,even a hint of the erotic in contemporary Indian art can become an issue,or in this case,a crowd puller.
2 min read
An ongoing exhibition draws attention to functional art
In the land of the Kamasutra,erotic art should hardly raise eyebrows,however,even a hint of the erotic in contemporary Indian art can become an issue,or in this case,a crowd puller. So the gigantic fluorescent flip flop suspended from the roof of The Stainless Gallery in Delhi did manage to attract attention for guests to walk towards it,but a glance at the text printed on it,giving instructions on using a condom,left some blushing. Titled Put It On,some stopped to view the accompanying video that had a vox pop on the Jiten Thukral and Sumir Tagra creation,while others just walked on.
What the installation did manage,was to generate interest among onlookers who then decided to view the rest of the display at the art and design show. On this occasion Aparajita Jain has roped in Peter Nagy to curate her annual exhibition. While he continued with the theme to create art that is functional,unlike the past it is not just artists who have their work in the show.
Central to the display,for instance,is an installation by the architectural firm Morphogenesis titled The Fractal Metropolitan Layer that provides a solution to the environment woes of the Capital through sustainable development. In Sumedh Rajendrans Bottom Ribs,labels of the brand Coop Tonno al Naturale are pasted on a metal frame and Vishal Dhar has car headlights and rear lights wired together in his installation titled Wings of Desire; his armchair titled Swoosh,meanwhile,adheres to the functional theme.
While Manisha Parekhs beanbags titled Flop In could be considered inviting,Aditi Singh too had connoisseurs reading out loud from her watercolours and sketches that in first glance seem like doodles from her sketchbook. Is the neighbourhood art appreciator mature enough to read between the lines? Nagy is not certain. I am yet to make an observation. I show the same work in India and abroad, he states.
The exhibition will continue till March 22
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