The works, curated by Saloni Doshi of Space118, are a response to the uncertainty of our times
Sometime in April this year, when the world was just getting used to staying indoors because of the lockdown, Saloni Doshi, founder, Space118, found herself posting a series of artworks on her social media. “These works were of artists who I have known for a long time and whose practices I have engaged with over a period of time. I just felt that it was important to showcase them in this format, at a time when art galleries were shut,” she recalls.
The series of 10 images each from 20 artists received an enthusiastic response from art enthusiasts, so much so, that Geetha Mehra, director Sakshi Gallery, asked Saloni to turn the ‘Instagram exhibit' into a physical one. ‘All Is Not Lost 20:20:20' is currently showing at Sakshi Gallery with works of 20 young talented artists. Arjun Sara, Ayesha Singh, Chinmoyi Patel, Maya Varadaraj, Madhu Das, Purvai Rai and Tarini Sethi are a few of the artists participating in the group show.
It's All in the Moment
In the curatorial note for the exhibition, Doshi writes– ‘Their work is intended to be a meditation on the uncertainty of the times we live in, and our very human, but futile attempts to hold on to experiences and memories.' The curator says that for her, it was all about capturing the moment. “It was about what fit in and what the artists were in the mood to make. The works came out of the dialogue,” she adds.
Art Matters
While New-Delhi based artist Ayesha Singh's work lays emphasis on movement and displacement, Chinmoyi Patel, who divides her time between Fiji and India, uses various forms of play, humour, appropriations and collaborations to present personal stories, memories, histories and experiences of the changing rhythms of urban life.
New-Delhi based Namrita Bachchan's set of eight photographs titled ‘The Shortest Distance Between Two People Is Love' capture transient, un-staged, unspoken moments between couples with emphasis on emotional atmosphere, as read through composition and body language.
Madeeha Attari, the Mumbai-based artist who seeks inspiration from the ‘50s abstract expressionist movement, doesn't assign any emotion to her paintings. “It's a catharsis of sorts, with my pent-up emotions spilling over on to the canvas. How they are perceived is on the viewer,” says Attari, who is showing two of her acrylic works on canvas. The artist's response to the past few months in lockdown can be seen in the way she applies paint to the canvas now, says Attari. “It's more physical, more strenuous and more expressive,” she adds.
Labour of Love
A part of the proceeds of the sale will go towards the Space118 Fine Art Grant, 2021. Doshi couldn't be happier that what started as a labour of love to highlight these artists turned into a physical show, which has also in a way become a fundraiser for the grant.
Not all the artists are from Mumbai. Some artists have sent their works from London, some others from Baroda, and some from other places across the world. “The theme is generic, it's in the mood and the spirit. The idea for the show struck us when the lockdown was in full swing. Things have slowly started opening up now but there is still fear. We are asking what life will be after this. Will we always be anxious about the future? Can anybody predict the future?” asks Doshi.
What she wants for the viewer to take away from the show, is its spirit. “To make things happen when it felt like nothing could happen,” adds Doshi. “People want to cheer, encourage and support the artists—some of them who have never exhibited in a show before. That's an encouraging sign,” she concludes.
All Is Not Lost 20:20:20 is showing at Sakshi Gallery, Colaba, Mumbai until November 28, 2020 from 11 am to 5 pm.
October 13, 2020
