Samtidigt (Concurrent) at Kulturhuset, Stockholm

Samtidigt (Concurrent) is an interesting mélange of 15 artists with their roots in India and Pakistan who feature at Kulturhuset, Stockholm. Among the names who form part of the significant show are Sheba Chhachhi, Chitra Ganesh, Shilpa Gupta, archana Hande, Rashmi Kaleka, Reena Saini Kallat, Anita Khemka, Nalini Malani, Pushpamala N, Gigi Scaria, Bharat Sikka, Vivan Sundaram, Thukral & Tagra and Hema Upadhyay.

A curatorial note elaborates: “Through diverse forms of expression and perspectives these artists pose questions about what it means to live in present-day India, a subcontinent whose social, economic and cultural development has been accompanied by tumultuous social changes. Traditions and structures are being challenged, values tested while at the same time, much remains as it always has been.

Indian mythology and history are the point of departure in several pieces that illuminate the position of women. Stereotypes and clichés concerning how women have traditionally been portrayed and represented are incisively – but also humorously - exposed. The condition of women in daily life and in the wars that are continuously being waged in the name of nation-building is a recurring theme in the exhibition. The protracted conflict between India and Pakistan, which has gone on since India was divided and became independent in 1947, has claimed many
victims, not least women, who have suffered greatly and become a tool in the war over Kashmir.

On the other hand, Consumer society and an expanding global market are often the focus of these artists’ work. They depict the possibilities, the challenges and the risks involved in this new world order in which everything that happens has two sides – simultaneously. As an addition to the exhibition the author, Zac O´Yeahs’ has recorded his impressions of the local art world during 20 years in Bangalore. The exhibition has been co-produced with Tennispalatset in Helsinki.