Abhijeet Tamhane

Mumbai entered a 'Gupta Age' or sorts while even the mainstream-est of the mainstream dailies made it a point to notice Subodh Gupta's show at Bodhi Art, and Shilpa Gupta's recent work at Sakshi Gallery provoked cutting-tea-stall discussions about the cutting-edge art in India.

Shilpa and Subodh, though unconnected to each other notwithstanding their surname, have something in common: their list of international shows! Exhaustive as well as impressive, the list serves as a medium for the message: please put your typical Indian cynicism to murmur, 'This has been done before' at bay! If at all 'originality' is an issue, both the artists, as many of their peers do, have showed their works at many venues to the informed art public, and curators seem to be eyeing them. Was it possible if their work fell in the 'this has been done before' category?

Yet, such cynicism would prevail, even in a fast-moving city like Mumbai, as long as the cutting-edge work is shown here. Instead, it is rather shown 'out there' at non-Indian venues. Many a time such work is made possible because of some non-Indian agency (like in the case of Shilpa, the Tate Gallery), and as long as artists themselves would not insist on the work to be seen in Mumbai or other cities in India, it is most often not showed! Shilpa made it a point to bring her Tate work to Chemould, Mumbai and the body of work, through 2006, to Appejay, Delhi and Sakshi, Mumbai. However, the point is, is the global/local discrepancy going to prevail at such a basic level, of bodies of cutting-edge work being shown or not shown? Does attentiveness to art play a truant here?

The Delhi Biennale in offing might address or even solve these apprehensions, one wishes. But, as Shahin Merali (one of the speakers at the 'elective affinities, constitutive differences' conference in Delhi) pointed out in his Mumbai lecture, the onus is on the agency. Merali even spoke of 'the government' once, keeping aside the political correctness of art-institutions being self-reliant. The 'reliance' that art in India seeks is of a different kind, Merali seemed to know. If he doesn't, why not invite him to see the 'Harmony' that art attains with those 'Bombay-based art-lovers' every summer? ( Hey, I just became the first writer to 'write something' about this years 'Harmony Show'! Suits my Mumbai mentality, na?)

The first week of March was all-busy with Merali's lecture, Shilpa and Subodh's shows, and then on 13th March, Anant Joshi show opened at Chemould Prescott Road. This was the second at the brand-new space up at the third floor in a cool colonial building at an equally cool alley. The show had some hotcakes, though, and nevertheless was a spectacle!

The experience of both Subodh Gupta and Anant Joshi shows had some questions, too. In both shows, movement and scale seems to catch attention first, both artists evoke stories of an uprooted, dehistoricized community that moves at a compelling pace. Both make tactful use of the ready-made mundane objects like utensils (Subodh) and toys (Anant). The linkages within various works in their respective shows relied on the interpretative aspect than the formal. Both have touched upon the issue of vernacularity of the technology used in their works. And yet, the 'Mainstream art columns' would speak of lotas, moving dabbas (Subodh), or razor-blade curtains and Minarets (Anant). Nobody spoke of the subdued angst, inherent in Anant or Subodh's work. An angst so subdued, the works made you feel good, after all!

The video-shilpa and beyond!

The sankrit-based language (Marathi, Hindi, et al) term to video-sculptures would be 'video-shilpa', and one has seen many of them in Mumbai. What was new here was Shilpa Gupta's use of interactive video. Her two works spoke of surveillance and safety, they made you stand as if you are not interacting with 'art' but with yourself. The instantaneous reaction of the 'viewer' is what Shilpa's work commanded. One work employed monotony on screen but gave its controls to the 'spectator'. It was something beyond the 'breathe as usual' experience of monotonous video works. Shilpa, in the broader suggestions that emanated from her work, imagines a community that would feel safe in a middle position, and comfortable with obeying orders if they help you. Compare this with the 'art community' that 'enjoys' the framed, painted crap, and imagine what a psychological impact Shilpa's work has attained!

The spatial aspect

Laxman Shreshtha, for decades, have been painting and drawing to explore the spatial aspects of a landscape. His recent works explored the paper and possibilities of collage, while the landscape seemed to have ceased. And yet, they explored space in different language than that of landscape.

Shreyas Karle, who represents the second or third generation after Shreshtha, showed around the same time the latter had a show at Pundole. Shreyas explored the spatial aspect in his sketch-like drawings, while graduating to the geometrical cone in simpler sculptural objects. Karle exhibited at Jehagir with his colleagues, Hemali Bhuta, Jayant Jadhav and Nelson Abraham. Hemali Bhuta's single-channel video, 'Empty Space' was one of the better works in the show. Her fascination toward mundane object and abstract views that would reach meditative heights, was maintained here. Jayant's work was not erotic as it looked, and the young artist had to invest a great deal of words and time explaining how a top view of an imagined, mobile architecture would look the same as his paintings. In Nelson's paintings, humour of the everyday prevailed and ruled. They looked caricaturish, no doubt, but it suited the simple narrative vein that this young artist values so much.  

A lot is happening to Mumbai this summer. So much so that, if any other Indian city has its claim to be called 'the Art Capital of India', Mumbai would ignore it with a typical Bambaiyya 'Jane deo' manner and would, in turn, be crowned the 'Summer – Art Capital', atleast for this summer.